Code Name

XIV

On cue, water starts pouring in from the ceiling. It drenches the entire audience and leaves the stage completely dry. Mike and Wess just watch over as Becca, Tracy, Josh and I look on safely from inside the snack bar.

"This was the big deal you were talking about?" I ask Becca.

"Mike planned this all out," Josh answers instead. "This will still count as eliminations. Anyone playing the game may not know it but they're out."

I look and see that nobody else notices this in the slightest. They all just continue to dance as Mike plays with confidence and pride. In all honesty, I don't think I would've thought of it that way if Josh and Becca hadn't pulled me aside.

"What are you guys doing here if you knew what was going on?" Tracy asks.

Becca crosses her arms and looks away from us. "When you asked for Danny-boy's number, I got a little curious. I asked Trent if the three of you were gonna do anything together. He then told me all about the concert. I needed a ride so I had to call Josh and ask him to help me save your asses. Kinda starting to question it now."

"Look, it's my fault. I told Daniel to come here. He seemed to need a night away from worrying himself over you."

"Over me? Daniel loves me. At least, I thought he did."

I then jump in. "You aren't exactly innocent, Becca. You've been on top of Josh here for the past few days. You can kiss him but she can't kiss me."

"Josh didn't--"

Before she can continue, Josh cuts her off. "Let's get out of here. I'll explain it all."

We all agree to leave before Mike or Wess notice the four of us unaffected by his sneak attack. So, we all go across the inside of the snack bar to the window leading out to the lounge. There, we go head out of the Apex Lounge. As we go out, I actually bumped into someone heading in. I turn to see who it is, and notice that it's actually Nate heading inside.

"What the hell?" he says just before he realizes it's me.

"Nate? Why are you just showing up?"

"I passed out and overslept. When I woke up, I saw the time and thought that I would try to catch the last few minutes and then grab something to eat with you guys. What's the rush?"

"Don't go in there," Tracy says. "Mike just eliminated everyone by turning on the sprinklers."

"Wait? So, you guys are eliminated?"

"No," Josh says. "Becca and I got them out just in time."

"Why are you helping them?" Nate asks.

He pauses. "Becca said she needed help so I helped her. I thought this was a pretty cheap way for Mike to get an advantage in the first place. We've been friends for a while and that outweighs this game to me."

"You still need to explain some things."

Becca looks out onto the street to collect her thoughts. "Fine. Josh, go ahead and drive to my apartment. I'll go with Tracy and Danny-boy and meet you there. Then we'll tell him everything."

Josh looks almost concerned. "Are you sure, Becky-girl?"

"He has a right to know. Please. Do this for me."

It was strange. For the first time since I've known him, Josh looked defeated in a way. "Okay, I'll see you then." He then slowly disappears into the parking lot.

Becca then turns back to me. "Let's drop off Trace and get going. I want to do this before I pussy out."

I nod and we begin towards my car. Then, we hear Nate behind us. "Is the arcade still good?"

"Knock yourself out," Tracy yells back.

Soon, the three of us are packed into the explorer. Tracy sits in the passenger seat and Becca sat in the back. The whole ride was stark silence as all of our minds were working through their own thoughts rather than strike up conversations with the other two. By the time we get to Tracy's house, she looks kind of hesitant to get out.

"Hey," she says softly. "Can you guys do me a favor and not tell Trent about me and Daniel? He doesn't like when I'm with boys and I'm still trying to piece it together myself."

I turn to Becca as I'm more concerned about her response. "Sure, I won't tell."

"Thanks," she opens the door and hops out. "I hope you guys can work everything out."

It's sort of unsettling. I have absolutely no clue as to what Becca wants to tell me. As we drive on, I'm not sure I want to know. We pull up to her apartment as usual and I see Josh sitting against the cement walls on top of the stairs and a bit of chills go up my spine. I'm not exactly intimidated by Josh, I'm just intimidated by his history with Becca.

"Hey," I say just as Becca's about to open her door.

"What is it?"

I don't know what I was about to say. I just know I wanted to say something. "Can you just give me a clue on what to expect."

She bites on the inside of her cheek and thinks it through. "Promise you won't look at me differently."

This doesn't ease myself anymore. "I promise." With that, we get out of the car, head up to Josh, and Becca unlocks her apartment door. The three of us sit on the couch with Becca in the center and Josh closer to the wall. "I don't know how to say this so I'll just make it simple." She takes in a breath. "Josh and I were high on drugs one time and I was pregnant with his kid."