Page 7

Verity

“ H ey, that tickles.” I laughed as Mercy, Kaiko, and Jack buried me in the sand. It was day three of our West Coast trip. After playing the Pacific Pummelers, we had today off. Tomorrow, we played the Bayside Bludgediers.

So here I was, on the beach, as they made me into a human sandcastle. It wasn’t exactly swimming weather, but it was a beautiful day for January.

My phone beeped. Unfortunately, my arms were both buried. “Who is it?”

Mercy shrugged. “Probably someone commenting on the pictures I posted to your group chats. The guys are fans. So are the siblings.” She looked over to where it sat on a towel and fake winced, dramatically throwing her hand over her face. “Oh, my eyes. Just kidding. Grif didn’t send you sexts. Dean did.”

He would.

I missed my guys. Grif and I talked every day. This morning, he’d had a chai latte and lemon muffin sent to the hotel for me.

It wasn’t quite the same.

“What I’d like to know is why Riley keeps sending you logos for the Rockland Theorems? ” Mercy scrolled through my phone and made a puzzled face. “What sport is that supposed to be?”

“Boredom. Grace told them how people think Spencer’s actually going to buy the Daredevils. So, the pack has been designing shit and trolling the internet,” I laughed. It was funny that people latched on to that since literally Grif joked about Spencer buying the Royals right after.

My phone rang. I froze. Was I getting mean phone calls now? I craned my neck, sending sand cascading down the side of their creation.

“Don’t move,” Kaiko scolded, as she patted the sand back.

“Verity’s phone. How can I help you?” Mercy answered before I could stop her. Her expression changed from playful to serious. “Of course, Dr. Winters, she’s right here.”

My belly tightened. Was this where they kicked me out because I had no research?

“Sorry.” My hands were all sandy, so I wiped them on the towel and took the call, heart pounding. “Dr. Winters, is everything okay?”

“I was calling to see if you were okay. I know what your research means to you, and that was a devastating blow,” Dr. Winters told me.

“Oh, thank you, I appreciate that.” Though, my body didn’t relax. “Please tell me they caught them?”

“Not yet. Do you have an inventory list? Or better yet, a list of how much it’s going to cost you to replace everything? I’d like to add it to the repair costs so that we’re ready when we catch this person. I’m livid for you–as is everyone else in the department. What a horrible thing to do to someone,” he added.

“The replacement list isn’t finished because I’m trying to figure out the best options. But I have one,” I said tentatively. While I’d ordered a few things, it would cost a lot, and I wasn’t sure if I should ask Creed or Grace for help.

However, I’d asked my brother Hale to dig up my flowers in the public gardens at Marquess and Briar. I gave him money for regular lily bulbs to replace them with.

“Send over what you have. Our department head thinks we can get you a little from the emergency fund because you shouldn’t have to wait for us to catch them,” he told me.

“Thank you, Dr. Winters. This means a lot. I was a little worried that the university would be unhappy that I lost my research.” Or working hard enough.

It felt odd that here at NYIT they wanted me to enjoy my break and not use it to get twice the work done.

“I believe in you, though…” His sigh made me freeze. “There’s someone overly concerned about your position in the program because your research was destroyed. Someone who has no business being concerned but is. Can you write me something stating how you’ll get back on track?”

Oh. A chill rushed through me because I knew how universities worked.

“I already created an action plan. I was going to read over it one more time and send it to you tonight,” I told him, apprehension rising inside me.

“That would be fantastic. Also, our department head wanted me to reassure you that you don’t worry about your place here–or your funding. She’s impressed that Compass BioTek is interested in you, and has mentioned being able to expedite things given your circumstances, if you choose to go that route,” he added.

Those words made me relax. The university was happy.

“Oh. Huh. I still haven’t decided.” Though Spencer had talked to me about it when I was there at Christmas.

“It might not be a bad idea,” Dr. Winters told me. “You know how this game is played.”

“I know.” Being backed by Compass BioTek offered more than funding. It also gave me credibility.

“Think about it. Though like I said, everyone is happy with you. Now, enjoy the rest of your break.” Dr. Winters ended the call.

Mercy looked at me expectantly. “Is everything okay?”

“NYIT is happy with me.” That was such a relief because I knew people gossiped.

“That’s great. I mean, who wouldn’t be?” Mercy dumped a bucket of sand over me. “Now, let’s finish.”

After we finished–and they took the requisite pictures–we found some food. While we were eating burritos, my phone buzzed.

Riley

Found her. Know who she is?

Picture after picture came through on my phone. Not just grainy camera shots, but also social media posts. How had Riley found these? If anyone could do it, it would be Riley, the teenage super hacker.

My hands shook as I looked at the photos. That was absolutely not who I expected. I scrolled through everything. Her social media marked her as a biology major and a rabid Knights fan with much appreciation for Grif.

Me

Yes.

Thank you so much.

I looked over at Mercy. “Riley found who trashed my greenhouse.”

“I knew she would. Who did it?” Mercy made a face.

“Her name’s Samantha. I’ve seen her around, but I don’t actually know her. She’s an undergrad.” I showed them what Riley found. Especially her open distaste for him dating some plant ho.

It seemed like a shitty reason to vandalize university property and ruin my life's work. It's not like I stole him from her.

“There we have it then–motive and everything,” Mercy replied, grabbing more chips and guacamole.

“ Plant ho is so uninspired, though.” Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head. He’d dyed his hair blue in honor of our West Coast adventure. “ Botanical slut is much better.”

“ Plant ho is what they call the botanists and plant biology people at NYIT.” I sent the screenshot of her social media to Saphira.

Me

She might be the culprit.

Also, Jack says Botanical Slut is better than Plant Ho.

In some ways, I felt bad for this girl. She was Hale’s age. Obviously passionate. I didn’t want to see her expelled for one bad choice. But I wanted her to be punished because of all the damage she caused.

A weight lifted off my shoulders. We found her. Now, to pass this information on to the authorities.