Jaded

[17] The Flirt

Most days I like to think that I'm not a complete idiot. I like to think I'm capable enough of cleaving basic information from my surroundings. That, for example, from the 6 years I've known Trixie, I've learnt enough to know her stance on hard drugs.

I know that her real name is Tuesday Hartley, but she hates being named after the lamest day of the week (her opinion, I personally love Tuesdays). I also know that like her financing tycoon dad and math professor mom, she's a genius with numbers but has deferred her acceptance to MIT.

I've grown up with this girl, she's flirty and smart and kind. What she isn't, however, is a crackhead. I still can't believe it's her pool house Will does his lines in.

Presley saunters into my room with a crooked grin, swinging around Collette's purple leather purse. Jay is close behind with his laptop cradled in his arms. There's a giddiness in his steps that tells me they probably managed to get their tiny nanny cam working.

I shake my head, laughing as I remember why they own such a device in the first place. "I still can't believe you two wasted your savings for this thing- just to prove your history teacher smoked weed during lunch."

From his spot at the desk, Atty scoffs at Jay. "And you told me you used all that money for a skateboard." Quietly, he adds, "should've known it was a lie- you don't even skate."

Pres giggles and shrugs her shoulders. "But the nanny cam is coming in handy now, so all's good. We finally got it configured properly so everything is being relayed live and automatically backed up to the server."

Atty shifts in his seat and claps his hands. The noise startles both Jay and Pres, but at least it captures their undivided attention- a rare feat. "Remember, all you need is clear footage of Will, once you have that get the hell out of there. And do not, under any circumstances, partake in the... activities. Also, we can see and hear you but can't communicate with you, once you guys are out, you're effectively on your own. Jade and I will try to help as best as we can, but it won't be much."

He waits for the full depth of his words to settle before asking them to repeat their 'backstories'. They both recite the made-up stories for their pretend characters, their aliases. Jay is the only son of some low rank politician that Duke has to entertain on his senator grandfather's orders and Pres is the daughter of a bigwig Chinese business mogul that happens to be tagging along. Both are bratty kids who're more interested in pills than powder.

It actually seems kind of fun, in a super secret spy kind of way. If I wasn't so worried about keeping Pres-Jay safe and successfully getting counter blackmail material, I'd have already come up with a character of my own.

When he deems them fit, Atty sends them off to catch the bus and meet Duke near Trixie's mansion. From the way his shoulders are tensed and his jaw clenched, you'd think he was sending his babies off to war.

What a mama bear. It's actually pretty cute.

I gesture to the laptop propped open on the pine table in front of us and offer him a soft smile. "C'mon, monitoring should ease your stress a little bit." He nods and pulls up a chair beside mine. We huddle around the bright screen, waiting and watching.

For the first 15 minutes there's no need to be attentive, Jay and Pres are just on the bus. But we don't talk, we watch. We watch as they meet Duke at the bus stop near the base of the rolling hills, and watch some more as they scramble up the winding driveway of Trixie's weather-worn grey mansion.

It's only when they round the corner to the back, towards the pool house, that I gasp. Standing a few feet away is Will. He's turned away from them, from the camera in Pres' purse, but I'd recognize those obnoxiously tiny red ears anywhere.