A Minor Inconvenience

(I work in a hotel. One of my pet peeves working overnight is kids wandering around late at night. If they just want to hang in the lobby and talk, then fine, but more often they wander the halls looking for trouble to get into. Tonight, there was a group of older teen boys doing just that. They went into our banquet area and security kicked them out, but as some of them claimed to be over eighteen — and they looked old enough to be plausible — we couldn’t send them to their rooms until they actually got into a restricted area; the banquet area is still accessible, just dark for the night. Then, about an hour later…)

Walkie: *unfamiliar voice* “Uh, hello?” *giggling*

Security: “This is security. Who is this?”

Walkie: *silence*

(My security guard goes in the back halls and, sure enough, there is a group of these teens messing around with our cleaning equipment, but now in an area that is clearly marked “employees only.”)

Security: “Okay, who’s over eighteen?”

Kids: *realizing that being legal adults is no longer beneficial* “Uh… no one…”

Security: “Cool, curfew for minors is midnight. Go. To. Bed.

(They sullenly stalked up to their room, though later they apparently snuck down and got into the kitchen, too. Security escorted them all the way to their rooms this time, and I’m currently sitting and waiting for the third strike where I get to call the cops.)