Page 19 of Web of Lies

I shake my head from the distraction and find four sets of eyes on me now. Chase’s eyebrows are in his hairline, but the girl beside him quickly catches my attention. Her dirty blonde hair sits in a tight bun and her school uniform is to perfection. Not a wrinkle in sight, unlike mine.

Ainsley Benoit makes her first appearance with a sharp eye. Her eyes rake over me in instant judgment and I’m not sure if I like the wrinkle in her nose. But I’m not here to impress her, I’m here to investigate her.

“Huh?” I ask, as my eyebrows furrow.

I don’t know if they’ve said anything else to me, but I suspect they have. Each person at the table wears an expression of concern and confusion. Their eyes lock on my smiling face. Fucking clouds. I really have to keep my head in the game here, but I just can’t seem to focus today.

“That was some deep shit. You a shrink in training or something?” Seger jokes, stabbing into his pancakes like it did him wrong.

How on earth did I get surrounded by my enemies again? Oh right, I got too distracted by the white fluffy clouds, and let them infiltrate my table. But how’s that famous quote go? Right, right, keep your enemies closer, because let’s face it. I need them around so I can try to figure them out.

“Just observations,” I say, pushing my plate towards the center of the table. “People like her are easy to dissect, especially with a personality like that,” I say pointing out the window. Piper has her cheer squad surrounding her in a big group hug, chanting something. Probably a positive quote like, live your best life, or YOLO.

Ainsley snorts and shakes her head. Red puffy bags sit under her eyes, despite her near-perfect appearance. Her eyes stay downcast on her food, but I suspect they’re bloodshot from here. She still holds herself like the queen of campus.

“Piper had a psychotic break two years ago,” Ainsley says in her sweet as pie voice without lifting her eyes to mine. She pokes around at her food, going back to ignoring my existence.

“Yeah, so, just don’t piss her off again. She probably has a knife shoved up her vag or something ready to stab you with.” Seger says, shoving more food into his mouth, giving me a glimpse of the small tattoo carved into the side of his wrist. It’s a pair of small white wings with an inscription on the inside. I’ve seen it somewhere before, but I can’t place it right now.

I tilt my head to the side discreetly, really wanting to ask what it stands for, but I’ve already let myself slip in front of them several times. I can’t spout more random shit right now. My sister Callie is used to it, but these guys. Not a chance.

Try to stay normal.

“Nice one,” Chase says, pointing a fork in Seger’s direction. “Knife up her vag, Man, could you imagine her digging in there to grab it.” He laughs to himself, doing the motions over his own crotch. “That’s not a knife, this is a knife covered in my—”

“Chase,” Ainsley barks, wrinkling her button nose. “That’s disgusting.” She bumps her elbow into his ribs, knocking him off-kilter.

“Buzzkill,” Chase harrumphs, shoving eggs into his mouth with a scowl.

Pushing my chair back, I grab my plate and stand up. “See you all in class,” I say with a nod.

“New Girl, what’s your first class?” Chase asks, raising his eyebrows. Four sets of eyes are on me as I pull out my phone.

“AP Calculus,” I reply, and Chase’s face erupts in his contagious smile.

“YES!” he fist pumps into the air several times. “Save me a seat.” He says with a smirk as I leave.

Taking my plate, I discard it, and head out the door. Mentally, I go over my class list. AP Calculus, one of my only advanced classes this year, along with AP Biology. The rest of my classes are thankfully normal: social studies, current events, physical education, computer science, and English four.

Me:

Any ideas on how to track a device in a different way?

Tristan:

…….What kind of device?

Me:

Camera

Tristan

…. Why?

I roll my eyes.

Me: