I sat on the toilet.
Stall door locked.
Breath held.
Not because of the smell.
Because of him.
Robert.
Except... not Robert.
Not really.
Not anymore.
My mind spun backward.
Back to March.
The vending machine.
I only use it when I'm dead tired.
That day? I was toast.
Couldn't even smell the coffee.
Just wanted sugar and caffeine.
I was reaching for the button—
when Alek ran up.
Didn't say hi.
Didn't smile.
Just:
"…Careful."
Then he pressed the button for me.
And then—
BZZT.
A pop.
A flash from inside.
The kind of spark that smells like metal and regret.
There was a faint scorch on the glass.
Not enough to explode, but still—
What the hell?
I just stared.
He handed me the drink.
Didn't flinch.
Didn't talk.
Just stood there.
His English is rough.
I didn't know what to say.
Was he hurt?
He didn't look like it.
But I couldn't stop thinking—
Was that just… luck?
Because it didn't feel like luck.
Meanwhile. Outside.
Fritz—let's just drop the "Robert" nonsense—
stood in the hallway.
Back against the wall.
Sensor in hand.
He was tracking me.
He knew I was in the stall.
Knew everything.
And he was remembering the same moment.
That vending machine?
He rigged it.
Tiny drone.
Loaded with RED-coded shock current.
Trigger set for when I pushed the button.
Except…
Alek blocked it.
Stepped in without a word.
Took the hit.
The timing was perfect.
Too perfect.
Fritz frowned.
That hallway?
Alek wasn't supposed to be there.
His schedule had him in the lab.
Far side of the school.
But somehow, he showed up.
Right on time.
Like a human shield.
Fritz muttered, bitter:
"That wasn't luck."
One more test.
No more coincidences.
If he's BLUE, he won't walk out of that stall.
The moment he breathes, I'll know.