Playing tricks

Leonardo and Hugo walked through the crowded hall, searching for Jeremy's figure. However, the place was filled with people, making it difficult to find a specific person. In the end, Leonardo had to give up and walked with Hugo to the restroom. As expected, they found a box full of toilet paper rolls in the corner by the restroom door.

In Halloween pranks, toilet paper is an essential part that cannot be ignored, and the party host had prepared it in advance.

This was Hugo's first time participating in a Halloween toilet paper prank, and he didn't know how many rolls would be appropriate. He wondered if they should calculate it based on the size of the tree near the entrance of the residence. Without hesitating too much, he excitedly picked up two bags of toilet paper, totaling twenty rolls, which should be enough for some mischief.

Leonardo, who stood beside him, was clearly experienced in such matters. He glanced at Hugo and said with a smile, "Someone is going to be in trouble today." He also picked up two bags of toilet paper and was about to step forward, but before he could take a single step, Hugo grabbed him, causing Leonardo to stumble and collide with the wall. He exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing?"

Hugo, however, remained calm and looked outside. "Are you planning to walk out like this and let everyone know that you're up to no good?" Obviously, having too many people involved in the prank wasn't ideal. On the contrary, too many people could raise suspicions, especially since there were many parents present today. Walking out so brazenly would not be wise.

Leonardo also realized his recklessness and struggled to stand up straight. "I only remembered to be cautious when leaving to do something bad, but I forgot that a good start is also very important." He walked to Hugo's side and peeked outside. Sure enough, he immediately saw Alan, who played the father Jason in the play, and quickly pulled his head back. "It seems like you have a lot of experience."

Although Hugo hadn't experienced Halloween pranks before, it didn't mean he knew nothing. He chuckled and said, "I'm not familiar with the roads around here. Do you know of any backdoors?" As someone with a poor sense of direction, Hugo knew better than to offer directions.

"Of course, follow me," Leonardo said, looking at Hugo with his deep blue eyes, shimmering with excitement.

The Leonardo before them was completely different from the battle-hardened "Leo" of the 21st century. The youthful energy between his eyes was full of sunlight and mischievous liveliness. There was no gloom, no sadness, no turmoil, and no signs of the heavy frown lines and furrowed brows Leonardo would develop later. The fresh and vibrant spirit lightly danced at the corners of his mouth.

Hugo followed behind Leonardo and opened the side door of the auditorium, silently leaving the noisy crowd ahead. Each of them carried two large bags of toilet paper and stepped on the damp grass as they left Burbank High School. Looking back, amidst the pitch-black night, a vibrant and colorful halo formed an elliptical sphere, reminiscent of a fantastical world from a novel, exuding an indescribable serenity and tranquility.

Just a street away, they could see the residential area decorated with pumpkin lanterns. However, at this moment, there were no people in sight on the streets. Hugo furrowed his brow and said, "Aren't there any trick-or-treaters? The street should be bustling with children coming out to ask for candy." According to his imagination, children dressed as little ghosts should be floating under the glow of pumpkin lanterns, creating the atmosphere of Halloween.

Unable to hold back, Leonardo chuckled and said, "Don't you know what time it is? The kids must have gone home." Leonardo pointed to the porch of the nearby house and said, "Look, you can still see scattered candies there."

Hugo was taken aback and carefully recalled how long he had stayed at the party. It must have been past 11 o'clock by now, perhaps even later. As Leonardo had mentioned, most of the children would have gone home, and only a small number who lingered outside were probably planning their own pranks.

"Which house should we choose?" Leonardo pointed to the two rows of houses in front of them, letting Hugo make the decision.

Without much thought, Hugo replied, "Where are we standing right now?" Pranks are meant to be random, and deliberately selecting a target would go against the essence of mischief.

Leonardo glanced at the lawn they were standing on, and behind it was a tall plane tree. He exchanged a glance with Hugo and said with a smile, "Bad luck." He was referring to the family they had chosen.

Hugo shrugged his shoulders and said, "You never know what might happen on Halloween." He didn't say anything more and opened the two bags, pouring out all the rolls of toilet paper.

Following suit, Leonardo did the same. Meanwhile, Hugo looked around cautiously and said in a low voice, "We should stay alert. No one wants their lawn to be covered in toilet paper. Such pranks are not welcome."

Hearing Hugo's words, Leonardo couldn't help but raise his head and look around. But he continued with his actions without delay, saying, "Then we need to be faster." The longer we delay, the higher the chance of being discovered.

Soon, the entire lawn was covered with toilet paper. The strong contrast between the black-green and white colors was striking. The thought of the upcoming prank filled Hugo with an indescribable excitement. He picked up a roll of toilet paper, tore open the packaging, and threw it towards the branches above his head. However, it was easy to imagine that the toilet paper wouldn't stay on the branches. It fell directly to the ground, leaving a long tail trailing gracefully in the damp air.

Seeing Hugo's foolish action, Leonardo couldn't hold back and almost burst into laughter. But he quickly covered his mouth, avoiding the possibility of alerting the homeowner. "Hugo! That's not going to work," Leonardo said in a hushed voice. But even so, his laughter was evident in his words, overflowing with amusement.

Hugo had no experience in this area, so he looked at Leonardo for guidance. Leonardo tore open the packaging and placed his index and middle fingers of his left hand inside the roll, pulling out more paper with his right hand. He pulled out over ten feet of toilet paper before stopping.

Leonardo gestured to Hugo, who followed suit. They threw the rolls of toilet paper onto the branches. As the toilet paper passed the branches and fell, the tail got caught, creating a curtain of white as the toilet paper descended rapidly.

So that's how it works. If you don't leave enough length, the toilet paper won't hang on the branches even if you throw it over.

This time, Hugo pulled the tail much longer, leaving more than twenty feet. He didn't want it to fall down easily. He threw the roll of toilet paper upwards, but unexpectedly, it got stuck between the branches and didn't come down. Hugo's expression of anticipation froze on his face.

Seeing this scene, Leonardo couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter. But fortunately, he remembered what they were doing, so his laughter was stifled and echoed humorously in his chest. "At least... at least it stayed up there," Leonardo consoled Hugo. But his consolation clearly had no effect because Leonardo himself found it even more amusing.

Hugo's mouth twitched, and he picked up another roll of toilet paper, repeating the same actions. However, before throwing it, he took two steps forward and looked around, finding a branch with fewer twigs. He weighed the roll in his hand and then threw it upward with force. The roll of toilet paper, accompanied by its white tail, gracefully arced through the dark night, crossed over the branches, and finally fell, leaving behind a long trailing tail as it hit the lawn heavily.

"Yay!" Hugo jumped up and down with childlike excitement, as if he had just accomplished something amazing. His enthusiasm made Leonardo, who was beside him, burst into laughter and even joined in clapping.

However, the loud sound immediately echoed in the empty street, emphasizing just how quiet it was. This echo startled both Hugo and Leonardo, and they quickly covered their mouths, afraid of disturbing the homeowner. Fortunately, after scanning their surroundings, they found no signs of any disturbance. Their eyes met, and they chuckled quietly.

Without further hesitation, both of them started working, hanging one roll of toilet paper after another on the tree branches. Soon, the lush sycamore tree transformed into a curtain of rolls, with the white tails gently swaying in the breeze, creating a magnificent sight.

"Who would have thought pranks could be so tiring," Hugo said in a hushed voice, chuckling as he continued to toss the rolls. His right arm was starting to feel sore. Despite his words, Hugo's hand movements remained swift as he quickly threw the remaining two rolls as well. With his practiced technique, handling two rolls at once was no problem at all. After tossing all the rolls up, they looked at the enormous white sycamore tree and felt a sense of accomplishment. Just as Hugo and Leonardo were about to leave, they heard footsteps approaching from a nearby street corner. Immediately, they wanted to hide in the "paper curtain hideout".

However, Hugo soon recognized the newcomers. They were three young individuals, also carrying bags of toilet paper. It seemed they were in the same line of mischief. Hugo promptly grabbed Leonardo's arm and smiled at the three individuals. Both sides acknowledged each other with a nod and watched as the three continued on their way. Meanwhile, Hugo and Leonardo sneaked away towards Brompton High School.

Once they had distanced themselves, Hugo turned around and took another look at their masterpiece. The beautiful paper curtain fluttered gracefully in the wind, a sight to behold. It was easy to imagine that tomorrow morning, this place would be shaded by a canopy of "white willows".

Hugo beamed with a wide smile, then quickly started jogging, leaving Leonardo behind. Leonardo called out from behind, "Hey, Hugo, hey..." But Hugo didn't slow down; instead, he turned around, still grinning, and waved for Leonardo to catch up.

However, Leonardo's voice came softly, "You're going in the wrong direction..." The Flash standing before him instantly froze in place.