Trapped at the Reunion

Disclaimer: All characters depicted are 18 years of age or older.

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Chapter 1: Playtime

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Kenji felt something cool against his cheek and woke up. Light filtered into his eyes and the surroundings came into view. He was lying on his side on the floor -- the bare tiles cold and hard against his face. Above him was a line of weak fluorescent lights, their glow strangely eerie and nostalgic. Around him were rows of metal lockers, painted blue.

Fairview High?

"What... what happened?" a voice came from behind. Kenji turned around, realizing that he was not alone. Three other people -- all men, it seemed -- were also in the hallway, sitting up and rubbing their eyes.

"Where am I?" the man closest to Kenji said. It took a second, but he finally realized who it was.

"Chuck?" Kenji said. "Chuck Fredericks?"

Chuck looked up at him and blinked his eyes, once, twice. "Ken... Kenji?"

"It's been so long," Kenji said, smiling as he admired the ex-quarterback. Even after all these years, Chuck's build didn't change. "Nice to see you again."

"Yeah, back at ya," Chuck nodded then turned to the other end of the hallway. The two other men were staring at them. Kenji recognized them as well.

"You're Andre, right? Mr. Hicks's kid," Kenji said, looking at the tall, lanky men leaning against the lockers.

"Uh-huh. Kenji. Chuck," he gave them a curt nod, then turned to the man sitting across from him, his tan skin and bleached blond hair still the same as Kenji remembered. "Joel."

There was a pause as Joel's and Andre's eyes seemed to linger on each other, before the silence was broken by Joel. "Where the hell are we?"

"Um, isn't this our school?" Kenji said as all of them surveyed the surroundings. It looked like Fairview High School -- at least one of its hallways -- but something felt off. At one end of the hallway was a door with a red exit sign, but Kenji didn't remember the glass being frosted. At the other end was a wall, but Kenji thought the dead end shouldn't be there. The lockers looked weirdly clean: no rust, no random stickers, no stains. So did the floors and the walls.

"Yeah, but how did we even get here?" Andre slowly got up from the floor. "The last thing I remember is someone knocked on my car window and--"

"Put some kind of mask over your face?" Kenji's head snapped around.

"Oh shit, y'all too?" Chuck said, standing up. Kenji and Joel quickly followed. All of them, dressed in formal suits, were standing in the hallway now, looking at each other wide-eyed.

Joel patted his pants, then his vest. "I don't have my phone."

Each of them checked their pockets. All shook their heads. Kenji found his wallet, and so did Andre, but none of them had a phone. Joel said his Apple Watch was gone, too.

"What the fuck is going on?" Kenji began to pace down the hallway. He realized there were four rooms in the hallway -- two on his left, two on his right -- as well as a water fountain and a message board. Footsteps followed behind him.

"Why would someone kidnap us and bring us to our school?" Chuck asked. "The reunion isn't even happening here."

"Yeah, it's at the Convention Center, right? That's where I got knocked out, in the parking lot," Andre said.

"This isn't our school, though. It's some kind of... replica," Kenji said just as they reached the exit. Kenji pushed against the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"What the-- come on!" Kenji growled, squishing his entire body against the glass to no avail.

"Let me try," Chuck stepped forward and replaced Kenji's spot, but the door still refused to open, even as Chuck groaned and punched and kicked. Nothing.

"Fuck!" Chuck yelled, banging a fist onto the glass. "What the fuck is this?"

"Hey guys, come check this out," Andre said. They turned around and saw him standing in front of the message board.

"Look at this," Andre pointed to the board, to which a single piece of paper was pinned. It was the invitation to their reunion.

"You are cordially invited to Fairview High School Class of 2012 Ten-year Reunion," Kenji read. "Yeah, I got this in my email. We all did, right?"

Andre put his finger on the flyer. "Yeah, but look at the time. It says the reunion starts at seven. Didn't the invite say five?"

"Oh yeah, it did," Joel said. "Wait, so is the reunion at five or at seven?"

Andre's finger fell. "I was wondering why the parking lot was so empty. Someone sent us a fake invitation so we'd come earlier than everyone else. The real reunion is probably at seven."

"What the fuck? That's so fucked up," Chuck sighed and stepped back from the group, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Kenji said. "Someone built a replica of our school's hallway, sent us a fake invitation, chloroformed us in the parking lot, and brought us here?"

"Yeah, I'd say that sounds about right," Andre nodded. "It was probably a multi-person job though. Kidnapping four grown men simultaneously isn't something you can do alone."

"Wh-- what the fuck is this?" Joel whined. "Why would anyone do this to us? Why... why us?"

Silence took over as they all stared at one another again.

Andre nodded. "Okay, let's try to figure this out. What do us four have in common that-"

"Fuck figuring it out!" Chuck bellowed and kicked the lockers, the clanging of the metal reverberating throughout the hallway. "I want to find a way out of this place!"

"Dude, calm down!" Kenji said. "It's not like we're already dying or anything. I'm sure if we put our heads together, we can find a way out of this place."

Chuck spun around. "Okay, what do you suggest we do, huh?" He turned to Andre. "And you? What's your idea? Come on, I'm all ears."

"Oh God, can you chill out for a second?" Joel said, glaring at Chuck. "It hasn't been five minutes and you're already whining and kicking shit like a little bitch."

"What did you just call me?" Chuck narrowed his eyes.

"You heard me, you're a little bitch," Joel spat. "And you should fucking cool it."

"You mother--" Chuck suddenly lunged at Joel and pushed him against the lockers, grabbing at the collar of his vest. Chuck's breaths were heavy with anger and his eyes looked like bullets, but Joel didn't seem fazed.

"Well, isn't this familiar?" Joel sneered. "What you gonna do? Punch my face? Dunk my head in the toilet? Come on, let's see how your bullying repertoire has expanded after ten years."

"You... you..." Chuck breathed shakily, his arms tightening on the collar.

"Chuck, let go of him," Kenji said. "This doesn't help anyone. Joel's right, we should keep our heads cool, alright? Now let go of him."

Chuck turned his glare to Kenji, then to Andre, who'd been standing quietly on the side, then back to Joel. Finally, he released his hands from Joel's jacket and backed away.

"Sorry," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Joel asked, adjusting his vest collar.

"I said sorry, okay?" Chuck barked. "Now, if y'all have any ideas, now's the time to throw them out."

"Alright, alright," Kenji said. "So as we were saying, why the four of us? Let's try to find something we have in common."

"Hate to break it to you guys but not much," Joel said. "Chuck's the quarterback, Kenji was on the basketball team, Andre was the nerd-"

"Hey!" Andre said, frowning.

"I mean that in the most objective way possible," Joel raised his hands in defense. "I'm just saying that's kinda the archetype you fit into in high school. Like, your dad was a teacher here and you were almost valedictorian..."

"If only Valerie Swanson wasn't around," Andre sighed. "Fine, I'm-- I mean, I was the nerd and you were..."

"The openly gay theatre kid with bleached hair," Joel said, putting his arms on his hips. "So, what the hell do we have in common, gentlemen?"

More silence.

"Cool, dead end," Chuck said. "How about we switch to finding a way out? Like trying these doors."

Chuck walked up to one of the doors in the hallway. They looked like classroom doors, except the glass rectangles in the middle were frosted instead of see-through. Chuck turned the handle, but it was locked.

"Really?" Chuck twisted the handle vigorously, but the door wouldn't open. Kenji tried to the door opposite Chuck's, with no success.

"Oh shit, this one opens," Andre said. He was in front of the door next to Chuck's, and the handle worked.

"What are you waiting for? Open it," Chuck rushed to where Andre was standing. Kenji and Joel followed.

"Are... are we sure? What if there's, like, I don't know, poisonous gas in there or something?" Andre asked, his hand firm on the door handle.

"Oh, fuck this," Chuck pushed Andre to the side and opened the door.

"What the..." Chuck muttered. The door opened into a tiny room the size of a janitor's closet. The walls were bare. A single red light bulb illuminated the tight space. In front of them was a gray metal door with a piece of paper stuck to it, which Chuck grabbed and flipped over.

"Room One. Players: Chuck Fredericks and Kenji Tamura," Chuck read. "What the fuck?"

"Oh, wait, is this supposed to be like an escape room?" Joel said.

"An escape room? Someone built us an escape room?" Kenji asked.

"Seems like it," Andre said. "So I guess we have to unlock each of these rooms before we can unlock the exit."

"Fuck, this is sick," Chuck crumbled the piece of paper and threw it onto the ground. "Who the fuck would..."

Kenji stared at the door before him. He was scared, but he found himself being drawn towards it. Like a gust of wind was pushing him forward.

"Fine, they want us to play?" Kenji said, unbuttoning his vest. "Let's play."

"You serious, man?" Chuck asked.

Kenji shrugged. "Yeah. You got a better idea?"

Chuck stared at him for a while, and Kenji got to take in the man's features. His wavy blond hair that replaced the buzz cut from high school, the stubble that lined his strong jawline, the high nose, the green-blue eyes that were so ferocious before, now uncertain and somehow gentle.

"Okay, let's do this. You and me," Chuck finally nodded and raised a fist. Kenji bumped his own against it. He was scared, but at least he didn't have to go in alone. He was ready for whatever was on the other side of that door.

Except for the fact that the door wouldn't open.

"Hey, open up!" Chuck banged on the metal. "We want to play. Let us in! Hello?"

"Wait, maybe if we step outside..." Joel took a step backwards into the hallway and motioned Andre to do the same. The second Andre makes it past the door frame, the door shuts with a loud bang.

"Fuck! Hello? Can you hear us?" Andre pressed himself against the door and shouted.

"Yeah, we can hear you," Kenji answered. "Does the handle still work?"

Andre gave it a few twists. "Nope, locked."

"That's what I thought," Kenji sighed, but then the light bulb switched from red to green.

"The light just turned green," Chuck called out.

"Does that metal door open now?" Andre asked. Chuck placed a hand on top of the metal and pushed.

"Yeah, it does," Chuck said, pushing the door further and further in. Kenji gulps.

"What's in there?" Joel asked.

"It's so dark. I can't see anything," Chuck said, peeking his head inside, while Kenji looked from behind Chuck's back. The room was pitch black. The only thing Kenji could make out thanks to the green light bulb was what looked like tiled floors.

"I guess we have to go inside," Kenji said. Chuck turned to look at him and nodded.

"We're gonna go in!" Chuck called out to Joel and Andre, whose shadows were barely visible through the frosted glass.

"O-okay! Good luck, I guess," Andre said. Chuck turned back to face the darkness. With a deep inhale, he opened the door wide and stepped in. Kenji did the same. The metal door slammed close as soon as both of them were in the room. The lights flashed on.

"What the-- The locker room?" Chuck said as their eyes scanned the newly-illuminated space before them. It looked like an exact replica of the boys' locker room, if Kenji remembered correctly, except that similar to the hallway, it lacked life. Everything was squeaky clean, from the white tiled floors to the grey lockers to the wooden benches. No smell of sweaty teenage athletes, no sneakers and tank tops and sports gears scattered around. It was a mere shell of a locker room.

Kenji spotted something on the bench directly in front of them. "Hey, look at this," he said as he walked over and picked it up. It was a clipboard with a piece of paper.

"Coach Thompson's Guide to Winning," Kenji read. "One: Always have your towels with you. Two: Never skip showers. Three: Help your teammates when they need it. Four: Do what feels right. Five: Don't forget to dry off."

"Weird," Chuck's eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah, this is so creepy," Kenji said and looked up. A wide gap separated the wall before them. If one went through the gap, the showers would be to the left, and the toilets would be on the right.

"Uh, I guess we don't have a choice, huh?" Kenji put the clipboard down. "So, step one, find our towels."

"Where are we supposed to find them?" Chuck spun around and surveyed the lockers. He tried opening some of them, but they were locked.

"I don't know. Where would towels be?" Kenji said. "Let's split up. You take that end, I take this end?"

"Got it," Chuck nodded and they parted ways, Chuck heading left and Kenji right. Kenji walked through the rows of lockers, trying to open random ones with no luck.

"Find anything?" Chuck's voice echoed from the other side.

"Not yet. There are so many lockers here. How are we supposed to-" Kenji stopped in his tracks. The lockers were numbered.

"Wait, do you remember which locker you had?" Kenji asked, staring at the number plates.

"Huh? Uh, I don't know, I think it was like, 124 or 125 or something?" Chuck said.

"It should be on this side then," Kenji said, pacing to the other side of the row. "Oh yeah, the football team was on this side, right? 120, 121... 124. Hey, it opens!"

"Really? Any towels?" Chuck said. Kenji heard hurried footsteps.

"Yeah, there's one in here," Kenji pulled out a towel hanging from the rack. "Some hangers, too, but that's it."

"Okay, cool," Chuck appeared next to him. Kenji handed the towel over.

"So that's yours. My locker was..." Kenji walked through a few aisles, his mind tracing the steps towards the lockers for the basketball team. He finally found locker 78 and opened it.

"Nice," Kenji said as he grabbed his towel, feeling the soft white cotton between his fingers.

"Cool, so on to step two," Chuck said. "Which is taking a shower."

"Huh, okay," Kenji shrugged and put the towel down on a bench. He took off his vest and put it on one of the hangers in his locker, when he sensed that Chuck was staring at him from the side.

"What?" Kenji asked. "Take your clothes off so we can shower."

Chuck blinked, and Kenji could make out the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. "Right, sorry. All of this is just... weird, you know."

"Yeah, but what can we do about it?" Kenji sighed and continued undressing, moving onto the buttons on his shirt while Chuck disappeared from the corners of his eyes. He had been wondering about what the four of them had in common. He and Chuck were jocks, but that was it. He remembered Joel in Mr. Hicks' Physics class with him, and maybe Chuck took the class, too, but he was certain the school didn't let Andre take his dad's class. Then sexuality came up. Joel was gay, for sure. Everyone at school back then knew because Joel didn't bother to hide it, unlike Kenji, because he was sure being Asian and openly gay at the same time was a death sentence. Andre was possibly gay -- Kenji vaguely recalled some rumors. And then there was Chuck, the bully, who terrorized Joel and was part of the reason why Kenji kept the closet door tight shut. But perhaps...

"You done?" Chuck's voice snapped Kenji out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, just a sec," he answered, hurriedly wrapping the towel around his waist and walking towards the showers, where Chuck was already waiting.

Kenji kept it cool -- after all, he had four years of practice when it came to not making it obvious that he was checking out fellow athletes -- but damn, Chuck was sexy. He didn't remember ever seeing Chuck's bare torso in high school, but he was sure Chuck had only gotten hotter. Every muscle on his body was defined, from the bulging pecs to the veiny arms to the thick thighs. He was more bulky than lean, but Kenji surely didn't mind the sight of this mountain of a man before him.

"Wow, still got it, huh?" Kenji asked, nonchalantly.

Chuck let out a small laugh. "Thanks, man. I just thought there's no way in hell I'm gonna let a desk job ruin my body, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it," Kenji said, walking over to one of the showers, while Chuck took the one opposite him.

"Oh wow, there's soap," Kenji said as he picked up the small white bar of soap resting on the partition next to him. The partition was just above his hips. Kenji wanted to turn around and sneak a peek at where it reached Chuck's body.

"Yeah, aren't our kidnappers thoughtful?" Chuck said and Kenji heard the water start on the other side. He took off his towel, placed it on top of the partition, and flicked the shower handle. Hot water poured onto his body, and steam filled the room.

"This is nice," Kenji said, rubbing the bar of soap in between his hands. "Not the weird kidnapping escape room thing, I mean. The water is nice."

"Yeah, I guess so," Chuck said. In between the pattering of water onto the tile floors, Kenji could hear Chuck's soapy hands moving on top of his body. He felt a stir in his crotch, which wasn't ideal.

"Um, so, what do you do now?" Kenji asked, lathering himself up. Making small conversation was the easiest way to prevent an untimely erection, as he'd learned from experience.

"Finance," Chuck said. "You?"

"HR for this tech company," Kenji said.

"Cool, you still play basketball?"

"Yeah. There's a few guys from the gym that I play with once a week or so," Kenji said, when he realized that the stir in his crotch wasn't going away. If anything, his cock was chubbing up.

"Nice. I played in college, too, but," Chuck said. "Not good enough to go pro."

"Yeah, I get it. But hey, it was fun while it lasted, right?"

Chuck snorted. "I guess. High school was a fucking pain, though. I liked playing in college so much better."

"Really? You were like the star quarterback back then," Kenji said, trying not to panic as his cock hardened to full mast. The heat of the water and the misty steam were making his head spin with lust.

"Sure, but Coach Thompson was a fucking bitch if you ask me. Our team was pretty mediocre and, um..." Chuck cleared his throat. "There was a lot of yelling and shit like that. I think he wanted to coach a better team and we weren't up to that level so he took it out on us."

"Uh-huh," Kenji nodded, but he wasn't really paying attention. His erect cock -- and how to get rid of it -- was the only thing on his mind right now.

"So, um," Chuck said. "What do we do after this? Like, uh, step three was to help each other out, right?"

"Yeah, I don't know with what though..." Kenji said, and he thought of his dick first thing. If Chuck could help him out with this... grab it with his strong hand and start stroking... maybe even get on his knees and...

"Uh, I'm sure we, um, will figure something out," Kenji tried to shake the thoughts away. His cock was aiming straight forward, unrelenting. He needed release, and he needed it now.

"Hey, uh, Kenji?" Chuck asked, his voice weirdly soft in between the sounds of rushing water.

"Y-yeah?"

"Um, do you... fuck, this is embarrassing," Chuck took a deep breath. "Do you mind stepping out for a little bit?"