THE COAT CLOSET

The last thing Amelia saw before the door slammed shut was the glint of mischief in Violet’s eyes—a quick, conspiratorial flash that promised trouble.

Kaden, mumbling something under his breath, was not far behind in casting a withering look at the retreating footsteps. The lock click shut, sharp and final.

In an instant, their world narrowed to a cramped closet—three feet wide, lined with jackets that carried the stale scent of dust and rusted cologne, clung to the air like a ghost of a wrong decision, making her stomach twist.

“Awesome. Really mature, guys,” Amelia muttered, crossing her arms. Her fingers grazed the rough wool of an old coat; it’s scratchiness echoing the irritation crawling under her skin.

“Oh, trust me, this was not my idea of a good time,” Kaden shot back. His Nike shoes squeaked on the hardwood floor as he shifted his weight, already looking for weaknesses in the hinges, a draft under the frame—any sign of a way out.

“And there is nowhere out either,” Violet yelled, outside the closet door.

She bit her lip, tasting cooper, as if her own impatience had drawn blood.

Silence ballooned between them, thick and sticky. Amelia found herself tracing the pattern of light leaking under the door, annoyed by how close Kaden’s knee was to hers—and by how much he was trying to pretend that she did not exist.

“You know, you could just apologize,” she said, finally getting what was bothering her off her chest.

Kaden looks up, caught off guard. “For what, exactly?”

Amelia rolls her eyes so hard that it almost hurt. “You know, for acting like I ruined your life that one time in chemistry class. It has been two months. Are we seriously still pretending you did not spill that dye all over yourself?”

He lets out a laugh that was more bark than mirth. “You knocked into me!”

“You left your experiment right on the edge. Anyone could’ve—”

“Anyone could’ve not plowed through the room like a tornado,” he said, countered.

They both paused, recognizing the pettiness of it in the same instant. Something in that stalemate softened the lines of Kaden’s face; Amelia saw it out the corner of her blue-green eye, a smile.

“Fine,” he said, “Maybe…we both messed up.”

“Yeah…maybe,” she said, conceded picking at a loose thread of her plaid skirt.

Another pause of silence, but this time its much lighter. The muffled laughter outside sounded like a distant thunder—mocking, relentless.

“You think that they will let us out?” Kaden said, trying to offer a half smile that did not reach his eyes.

“If we pretend to have a deep emotional breakthrough, maybe they’ll get bored and go back to doing what they normally do, trying to keep their hands off of each other. Keyword, trying,” Amelia replied, surprising herself with a grin.

Kaden snorted. “Deal. I will say you are not a tornado and a bitch, and you say I am not a total jerk.”

Amelia extended her hand, mock formal. “Truce?”

He took her hand in his hand, which was warm and soft. “Truce.” They both stood like that for a minute, equally careful and awkward, both suppressing a laugh.

Somewhere outside, a timer beeped. Then steps approached, the door creaked open, and light shined into the closet, bright and almost forgiving.

Violet and Brian peered in, both suspicious and hopeful.

“Do you two have your clothes on? Having all that sexual tension from the last two months finally pay off?” Brian said, jokingly, with his arm around Violet’s shoulder.

Violet playfully hit him in the side. “Boy, hush.”

Amelia looks down, does not say anything, blushing.

Kaden just laughed it off, scoffed. “Yeah, right. Like that would ever happen.”

Amelia glanced at Kaden, with a hurt look, then back at their waiting faces. “Yeah, gross…,” she said, trailing off with a soft voice, arms crossed over her chest. Now she just wanted to get out of this stuffy coat closet. “Can we come out now? We have reached a historic peace agreement.”

Kaden nodded, already stepping out into freedom. “Yeah. Just one condition.”

Everybody turned to him.

“No more lock ins,” he said, his voice steady but softer. Amelia smiles but it does not reach her eyes, she then takes a step towards the light spilling through the doorway. Warm air brushed her honey-brown skin, the laughter faded, and in a heartbeat, everything felt perfect.

Then the timer beeped. The door slammed shut.

She blinked—and found herself back in the coat closet, tracing the same strip of light under the door, Kaden’s knee brushing hers. His startled ocean-blue eyes met hers, like déjà vu.

“You know,” she whispered, heart racing, “you could just apologize.”

He looks up, caught off guard. “For what, exactly?”

When the words came out of his mouth, Amelia realized and her breath hitched. This was not the first time. And when the door opened again, she did not rush out. Because deep down, she knew that this loop would not break until she can finally admit her true feeling for him. Once outside, the timer beeped again.

Raven Lacy:  I'm currently 29 years young, navigating life and chasing some big dreams! Right now, I'm super focused on my studies at Full Sail University, where I'm pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. It’s all part of my journey to become an author – something I've honestly wanted to do for as long as I can remember. I've been a total bookworm since I was a tiny tot, always getting lost in different worlds between the pages. It truly feels incredible to finally be pouring all that lifelong love for stories into crafting my own. Seriously, it's such a privilege to be dedicating my time to something I genuinely adore!