All we needed was a microwave.
"Give it another two minutes and the teacher's lounge will be empty," I said.
Darryl grabbed his book at headed for the door. "Forget it, no way. I'm going to class."
I snagged his elbow and dragged him back. "Come on, D, easy now. It'll be fine."
"The teacher's lounge? Maybe you weren't listening, Marcus. If I get busted just once more, I am expelled. You hear that? Expelled."
"You won't get caught," I said. The one place a teacher wouldn't be after this period was the lounge. "We'll go in the back way." The lounge had a little kitchenette off to one side, with its own entrance for teachers who just wanted to pop in and get a cup of joe. The microwave -- which always reeked of popcorn and spilled soup -- was right in there, on top of the miniature fridge.
Darryl groaned. I thought fast. "Look, the bell's already rung. if you go to study hall now, you'll get a late-slip. Better not to show at all at this point. I can infiltrate and exfiltrate any room on this campus, D. You've seen me do it. I'll keep you safe, bro."
He groaned again. That was one of Darryl's tells: once he starts groaning, he's ready to give in.
"Let's roll," I said, and we took off.
It was flawless. We skirted the classrooms, took the back stairs into the basement, and came up the front stairs right in front of the teachers' lounge. Not a sound came from the door, and I quietly turned the knob and dragged Darryl in before silently closing the door.