Classified ☑

[ chapter 03 ]

A high pitched squeak sounded as I shut the door to the old rust bucket I was driving. Several cars over were a couple of guys who smirked when they saw my truck. They were standing next to a Corvette.

My Uncle Thomas wasn't rich, but the suburbs he lived in screamed it. My truck was the black sheep of the parking lot everywhere I went, even at school. The whole high school itself screamed rich.

I yanked open the door to the building I walked into. It was the gym my uncle owned. It had a little bit of everything. Back racks, rowers, all types of machines, kickboxing, and more. Anything you could ask for in a gym, he had it.

The petite lady behind the desk smiled at me when I walked up. "Hi, how may I help you?" She smiled brightly.

"I'm looking for Thomas, he's my uncle."

She stood up quickly, walking out from behind the desk and towards me. "You must be Nina, his niece, correct?"

I nodded my head slowly, mashing my lips together. "The one and only."

Her smile grew even wider, if that was at all possible. "Hi!" she said again, her tone increasing an octave higher. "I'm Gracie, it's nice to meet you! Thomas has told me all about you!"

I highly doubted that.

I tried to mirror some of her excitement, but there was only so much I could do. "Where can I find him?"

Her body retracted a bit, probably taken aback by my abruptness. "You don't waste time, missy. He's this way."

She led the way around equipment and to a corner of the gym that was blocked off from the entrance's view. There was a mat people could do karate or jiu jitsu on and a ring where people could wrestle in.

My uncle had his back to us as we walked up. He was talking to a guy who looked a few years older than me.

"Thomas!" Gracie called out, her black and shiny bob bouncing with excitement.

My uncle turned around and smiled when he saw us. "Look who decided to show up. Thanks for bringing her Gracie," he said, subtly dismissing her with a nod.

Gracie frowned. "Uh, okay," she said hesitantly, taking a couple steps backwards and then heading back to the desk.

"What's that about?" I asked my uncle.

He glanced in Gracie's direction, shaking his head. "Nothing you need to worry about."

"Mhm," I mumbled, not believing a word my uncle was saying. Clearly something was going on between him and Gracie.

The guy standing next to Thomas chuckled, causing me to glance in his direction. He was scratching the dark stubble on his chin as he watched me with amusement.

My uncle shook his head again. "See what I have to put up with? Teenagers."

I gave a short laugh. "Ha. I could be a lot worse," I retorted.

The guy and my uncle shared a look, like they knew some secret I wasn't a part of. I watched the two of them closely, realizing they've known each other for a while. The more I looked at the guy next to my uncle, the more he seemed familiar.

"Have we met before?" I blurted out.

The guy chuckled, not reacting to my random question in a falsifying way. "I don't think so. I'm Joseph." He stuck his hand out for me to shake.

"Nina." I shook his hand, asking, "you sure we haven't?" Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Don't believe we have," he stated, not seeming at all phased by me.