❝𝘊𝘖𝘕𝘎𝘙𝘈𝘛𝘜𝘓𝘈𝘛𝘐𝘖𝘕𝘚. 𝘠𝘖𝘜 𝘏𝘈𝘝𝘌 𝘉𝘌𝘌𝘕 𝘈𝘊𝘊𝘌𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘋 𝘐𝘕𝘛𝘖 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘎𝘈𝘔𝘌. 𝘠𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘛𝘌𝘈𝘔 𝘕𝘈𝘔𝘌 𝘐𝘚: 𝘍𝘖𝘜𝘙 𝘖𝘍 𝘊𝘓𝘜𝘉𝘚.❞
Everyone at Rutherford High is familiar with the elite and anonymous group known as The...
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I glanced at my phone again, the time staring back at me as I sipped at my coffee. 5:52 PM.
If this group was going to work, I'd have to let them know: early was on time, and on time was late. At least when it came to something this extreme.
The bell on the cafe door jingled, and I looked up to see Roy and Jade walking inside. Roy had offered a ride to all of us, but with the place we agreed to meet being so close to my house, I decided to walk. And Daniel, after experiencing Roy's driving the night before, decided he'd rather drive himself.
I waved to get their attention and Jade came to sit with me while Roy headed over to the counter.
"Hey," she greeted, sliding into the booth across from me, "you excited?"
I nodded, grinning. "I can't imagine what they've got planned for us. All I heard about at school today was people sharing the crazy stuff they had to go through to get accepted."
Jade laughed. "I know! I don't know how they came up with so many different hiding spaces. But I think no matter what, we're already at an advantage-- a lot of what I heard made it seem like most groups still haven't found their codes."
"I'll believe that, considering how close we came to missing ours."
As a beat of silence passed between us and the time ticked closer to six, I couldn't help but wonder where Daniel was.
"So how'd your parents react?" she asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Hm?"
"To you coming home so late," she elaborated. "Mine weren't mad or anything, just worried. I kept telling them I was with a friend, but... let's just say they're not exactly used to hearing that." She laughed sheepishly, continuing, "You should've seen their faces when I told them I was going out again today."
I smiled, looking down at my cup. "Yeah, my dad wasn't happy. But I told him I was with Daniel, and he knows he's a good guy, so he wasn't too worked up."
She nodded, glancing out the window before turning her attention back to me. Her hands were fidgeting, and her brow furrowed before she started speaking again. "Can I ask something?"
"Yeah, go ahead." I shrugged, intrigued by how nervous she seemed.
"Do you want the money because... you know... what The Seven posted about you?"
My eyebrows raised, and she took it as a response, continuing to ramble.
"I just mean, because, if so, I think it's a good reason. And I'm happy I can help you get justice- well, not justice. There's no justice for something like that, but-"
