I Fell in Love with Hope - Lancali

“Why not?”
I narrow my eyes at her inability to suppress her teasing.
“We made a hit list,” I say. “We steal to fill it.”
Hikari catches me glancing over her shoulder.
“Coast is clear?”
“Huh?”
It dawns on me that a book is not what Hikari sets her sights on. She
doesn’t waste a second hopping up and over the counter to the other
side. My jaw drops, neck craning side to side frantically to make sure
no one is looking.
“What are you–”
Without care, Hikari undoes the electric pencil sharpener on the front
desk and uses a pen to dislodge the sharpener part. I cringe as it
makes a noise like breaking glass. Hikari holds it up to the light,
testing the authenticity of the blade before frowning when she
realizes bolts still bind it to some of the plastic.
“She’s coming back,” I whisper, and Hikari doesn’t bother looking.
She takes a few pieces of paper and a pencil, concealing her spoils
beneath them.
Then, she hops back over the counter, grabbing me by the sleeve of
my shirt.
I panic. Every nerve in my body pulls taut. The finite distance left
between her skin and mine is so slight that I can practically feel the
heat radiating beneath her bandages.
“Hurry,” Hikari laughs, letting me go and winking as she starts
running away with me in her shadow.