As Christmas vacation loomed, I felt the pressure of exams closing in. This year, it was worse than ever-four exams, each loaded with more content than any human could reasonably process. Everyone was stressed, and the university was a powder keg of tension and last-minute studying.

In the middle of our exams, an unexpected, deep voice crackled over the sound system. It sounded off, almost robotic, like it had been manipulated with AI. "Students," the voice announced, "there's no need for this much pressure. You're allowed to leave." Then, just as quickly, the fire alarm blared. A wave of panic and excitement swept through the building, and students flooded toward the exits.

I followed the crowd out, but before we could get far, the headmaster and a few teachers intercepted us, insisting there was no fire and telling us to get back to our exams. Anxiety gnawed at me, and I decided to take a quick detour to the bathroom before going back. As I splashed water on my face, the fire alarm triggered the sprinklers, and cold water drenched me.

"Unbelievable," I muttered, water dripping from my hair and clothes. Laughter and screams echoed in the hallway, and I realized security was on high alert, likely hunting for the prankster who'd pulled off the stunt.

As I slipped out of the bathroom, ready to head back, I spotted Max and James nearby. They looked surprised but concerned as they saw me soaked and glancing around nervously.

"What are you doing out here?" Max asked.

I shot him a sheepish grin. "Running. Trying not to get caught."

"Caught doing what?" James asked, raising an eyebrow.

I was about to respond when they each extended a hand, clearly ready to help me escape. But just as I was about to choose, Alex appeared, folding his arms with an unimpressed look.

"Seriously? How hard is it to make a choice?" he muttered, his voice dripping with annoyance.

Caught off guard, I just stood there, unsure what to say. But when I heard the echo of footsteps from security, I instinctively grabbed Alex's hand. His eyes widened, and he didn't waste a second, motioning to Max and James.

"You two, go to the back exit," he ordered. "I'll take the passway." They nodded, disappearing down the hall as Alex led me toward a hidden side corridor, his grip firm on my hand as he pulled me along.

Once we were out of sight, he finally stopped, releasing my hand and looking at me with a mixture of anger and frustration.

"What were you even doing here?" he snapped, keeping his voice low but intense. "Are you seriously running around alone when the whole building's under lockdown?"

"Alex, I can handle myself," I replied, crossing my arms. "I don't need you swooping in to save the day."

He rolled his eyes. "Clearly you do, considering you nearly walked right into security."

I let out a frustrated sigh, matching his tone. "I wasn't about to get caught. I knew what I was doing."

"Oh, you knew what you were doing?" he replied, sarcastically. "Because it really looks like you're just finding ways to get into trouble."

"Excuse me?" I snapped, squaring my shoulders. "You know, I actually thought it was you and the guys who set this whole prank up. The fire alarm, the weird announcement, the AI voice-it all screamed 'Alex and his crew.'"

For a second, he looked taken aback, but he quickly recovered. "You think I'm that stupid? Setting off a fire alarm during exams?"

"Oh, please," I shot back. "You're constantly doing things just to shake things up. So yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if you pulled a stunt like this."

He sighed, clearly exasperated. "You don't know everything, Evelyn. Maybe stop jumping to conclusions for once."

"Fine," I replied, rolling my eyes. "But it's not like you've ever gone out of your way to prove me wrong."

He gave a half-laugh, a hint of disbelief in his eyes. "Maybe because every time I try, you just assume I'm up to something. It's exhausting."

"Trust me, you're not the only one who's exhausted," I shot back, shaking my head.

For a second, we stood there in tense silence, the air thick with unspoken frustration. But just as I was about to turn and leave, his expression softened, a glimmer of something close to concern flickering in his eyes.

"Look," he said, his voice lower now. "I don't want you getting in trouble for something you didn't do. Just... be careful, alright?"

"I can take care of myself," I repeated, but my voice lacked the edge it had before. "And for the record, I don't actually think you're 'stupid.'"

A small, reluctant smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Thanks, I guess."

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted us, and he quickly moved back, motioning for me to follow him down another hall. As we walked, side by side, a strange silence settled between us-not exactly comfortable, but not as tense as before.

After a moment, he glanced at me. "Just... next time, try not to get caught in the middle of chaos, alright? Leave the stunts to people who actually know what they're doing."

I raised an eyebrow, shooting him a playful look. "Are you calling me incompetent?"

"No, just... a little too reckless for your own good," he replied, a hint of a smirk returning.

"Well, maybe if you and your friends weren't always causing trouble, I wouldn't have to be so 'reckless,'" I countered, crossing my arms with a smirk of my own.

"Guess that's fair," he admitted, his smirk fading slightly as he looked away.

In that moment, I felt an unexpected sense of camaraderie with him-like we were allies in this strange game, even if we were constantly at each other's throats.

"Thanks," I said quietly, surprising even myself.

He looked over, raising an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For helping me out. Even if you think I'm reckless."

He rolled his eyes but softened, just a bit. "Anytime. Just... maybe don't make a habit of it."

"Can't make any promises," I replied, smiling as we moved out of the shadows, our brief truce lingering between us.

When Alex and I finally made it to the treehouse, the guys-Thomas, Max, and James-were already lounging around, clearly pleased with themselves. They looked up, surprised to see me trailing behind Alex, who still had that irritated look on his face.

Max grinned, looking between the two of us. "What's this? Didn't think you'd be joining us here, Evelyn."

I let out a sigh, rolling my eyes. "I was just trying to get back to my exam, but after all the chaos, I figured the last thing I needed was to be interrogated by security." I glanced over at Alex. "Not that everyone was helpful."

Alex shot me an unimpressed look, but Thomas just laughed. "Sounds like you got a taste of our little rebellion, huh?"

I raised an eyebrow. "So, it was you guys behind the fake fire alarm and that weird voice on the speakers?"

James leaned back against the wall, shrugging. "Of course. Someone had to take a stand. Four exams, all more packed than ever? It's not fair. So we, uh, 'intervened.'"

"Intervened?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You mean, made everyone panic and bolted out of their exams?"

"Pretty much," Max chuckled. "It's what we do."

I couldn't help but smile a little at their brazenness. "So, what else have you guys done to 'shake things up' around here?"

Thomas' face lit up, and he shot a look at the others. "Oh, let's see... there was the time we staged a fake protest over the cafeteria prices-got half the students to stop eating there for a week."

"Or when we 'fixed' the Wi-Fi signal," James added, smirking. "Every time the administration tried to cut it off in certain areas to keep us from streaming, we'd boost the signal to keep it running."

Alex crossed his arms, still giving me a look, but there was a hint of pride in his expression. "Or the best one-when they tried to install that awful surveillance system around the library."

"Oh, that was a classic," Max chimed in, laughing. "The cameras didn't last a week before we rerouted them to show footage of a cat video on loop. Administration was furious."

I couldn't help laughing at that, genuinely impressed. "So, you guys are like the Robin Hoods of the university, disrupting things when you don't agree?"

"Pretty much," Thomas grinned. "We keep things fair. Or try to, anyway."

"Or as fair as we can," James added, shrugging. "When something's obviously wrong, we jump in."

Alex still looked a little annoyed, arms crossed as he glanced at me. "Yeah, but it's not exactly a spectator sport, Evelyn."

"Right, because I was just in the bathroom minding my business when all of this started. If anything, you guys pulled me into it," I shot back, matching his annoyed look. "Besides, maybe you should be more careful with your 'action plans' if you don't want people finding out."

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue back. Max just snickered, nudging Alex. "She's got you there."

Alex shook his head, clearly still irritated. "Next time, try not to run right into the chaos."

I shot him a look, unfazed. "Next time, try not to make a chaos that ends up raining water on my head."

Thomas laughed. "Fair enough. Guess you're one of us now, Evelyn."

They all looked at me, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride-mixed with a little thrill but somehow I couldn't help but feel that this meant bad news.