The hallway outside Detention Room 13 had transformed into something straight out of a surrealist nightmare: lockers crooked like drunken soldiers, ceiling tiles sagging like they'd been sleeping on the job, and a faint, eerie giggle echoing from… everywhere.
Finn tried to stay calm. "Alright. Step one: stay together. Step two: don't die. Step three…" He trailed off as a soft clink sounded from behind him.
Hawk screamed, pointing at a floating cafeteria tray hovering midair. "Oh no! That's it! I'm dead! It's… it's… flying lunch!"
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Hawk, relax. It's just… apparently sentient lunch. Or a ghost with a weird sense of humor."
Sophie, unimpressed, reached for the tray and flicked it. It bounced back toward Hawk like a playful, metallic boomerang. He shrieked and flailed like a malfunctioning windmill.
Finn groaned. "We're never leaving this place alive. Not after this."
The tray hovered near Sophie now, hovering ominously over her goth boots. She sighed. "Really? I dressed nicely for this?"
Then came the lockers. Slowly, one of them creaked open, like a cautious eye blinking in the shadows. Books started to slide out on their own, forming a pyramid of doom that teetered precariously toward Hawk. He backed away, knocking over a chair. The chair fell… and trapped his foot.
Hawk screamed. "This is cruel! Pure cruelty! Somebody get me out!"
Finn tried to help, only to step on a rolling pencil that shot across the floor like a tiny missile. He stumbled into the pyramid of books. Papers flew everywhere, and a stray ruler flicked Hawk squarely in the face.
Lucy couldn't stop laughing. "Honestly… I didn't think ghosts would have a sense of humor."
Sophie muttered, "Clearly, they learned from Hawk's drama club performances. This is nothing compared to Les Misérables."
Then the cafeteria tray, now accompanied by a floating orange Jell-O cup, zoomed past Finn's ear. "Okay, maybe… friendly ghosts is an overstatement," he said, ducking just in time.
Hawk was now wedged between the table and the pile of books, shaking violently. "I am not surviving this! I… I…" He stopped, staring at a book that floated gently toward him, opening to a page with… a cartoonishly drawn ghost waving.
Lucy pointed at the book. "See? It's trying to communicate. Or it's just mocking you."
Sophie smirked. "Either way, it's educational. You should take notes."
Finn wiped sweat from his forehead. "We're doomed. Absolutely doomed. But… kind of funny. In a 'we might die in a really hilarious way' sort of way."
The giggling grew louder, echoing off the walls, accompanied by a strange rustling—like papers, lockers, and every lost pencil in the building had decided to join the fun. The school wasn't mean… exactly. It was chaotic. Mischievous. Petty.
Hawk, now free from the chair trap, flailed toward the classroom door. "I'm leaving! I'm calling my mom! I'm—"
A floating textbook blocked his path. It hovered at eye level, staring at him like a judgmental librarian. Hawk froze. "I… I… I surrender!"
Sophie muttered, "Finally. Some respect for the arts of chaos."
Finn rubbed his temples. "Alright. Step one failed. We're definitely in trouble. Step two: survive by running… sort of."
Lucy grabbed his arm. "Step two: we figure out what wants us to do. That way, maybe we don't get… rearranged into furniture or something."
Finn groaned. "Step three: pray the school has a sense of humor… because I don't think it has any mercy."
As they cautiously backed toward the classroom, the hallway shifted subtly, elongating and twisting. The pile of books tipped slightly toward Hawk, only for the floating Jell-O cup to bounce into it and send it sliding safely aside.
Hawk blinked. "It… saved me?"
Lucy smirked. "Or… it's toying with you. Hard to tell the difference."
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I'd take this over math class any day. Less algebra, more dramatic floating objects."
Finn muttered, "Yeah, less algebra… more potential death by possessed cafeteria tray. Totally preferable."
And somewhere, deeper in the shadows, the soft, mocking laughter continued. Ridgewood High was just warming up.