‘This is ridiculous!’ Cece said.
Mr. Curtis sighed.
Zoe wished they would stop fighting him. Didn’t they see he was doing his best? He seemed as annoyed as she was. She doubted he’d expected such a big group this week.
‘Maybe you should have thought of that before ending up here. Phones, now, please,’ Mr. Curtis said.
Zoe dropped hers into the box first, hoping the others would follow without complaint. Mr. Curtis briefly nodded at her before settling his gaze on the others.
The rest complied, but Holly and Jackie hesitated. Jackie hugged the phone to her as if it were a lifeline.
‘You first,’ Holly challenged.
Jackie grumbled and tossed her phone in, then Holly did the same.
Zoe exhaled, not sure why she’d held her breath. Had she expected a bigger fight? Mr. Curtis held power over them today, so it was in everyone’s best interest to do as he asked. She doubted anyone wanted another detention.
Well, anyone except for her.
Mr. Curtis lifted the empty box from the table. ‘I’ll be in the office right over there if you need me. But I suggest you get to work. This will take you until the end of detention.’
Mr. Curtis went into the office, which was partially blocked by two large bookshelves.
Jackie passed out the staplers while Cece started sorting the slips of paper in front of them.
Zoe watched her teacher dump the phones into a filing cabinet and then lock the drawer. Then he settled into his chair and turned toward the computer. Today hadn’t started off as planned. But if they finished early, there was a possibility of getting it back on track.
‘I can’t believe that loser took our phones,’ Jackie muttered. ‘Loser’ was her word of choice. Zoe had heard that word directed at everyone who wasn’t in Jackie’s cheer clique.
‘How will your little friends survive without you?’ Q asked with a sneer.
‘Shut up, loser,’ Jackie said.
‘Ooh,’ Q jeered. ‘I’m shaking in my boots.’
She looked down at his feet. ‘Hideous boots.’
Q eyed her for a moment before scanning the others at the table.
Zoe focused on the slips, making a neat pile in front of her.
‘How did you end up in here, princess?’ Q asked Cece.
‘That’s none of your business,’ she said and glanced behind her at Mr. Curtis. ‘Don’t talk to me.’
Q let out a low whistle. ‘Touchy. It must have been something terrible for you all to get here. I normally spend my Saturdays alone.’ Q leaned back and pressed his head into his hands, giving off the appearance that he was cool with the whole situation.
Zoe narrowed her eyes. She’d attended detention for the past eight weeks. She hadn’t been on the roster, but her butt was in that same chair at eight in the morning every single Saturday. Q hadn’t been. Why was Q trying to appear like he had?
Zoe wanted to say something to knock him down a few pegs, but then Q would probably hound her on why she was here today too. So she kept her mouth shut.
‘That’s something to be proud of,’ Cece muttered.
‘We should get started,’ Teddy said.
Zoe glanced at Teddy who was already hard at work. He had a small chain of paper circles in front of him. He kept out of the conversation. That was his way. It had been ever since they’d met in kindergarten. He never got into trouble which was why it was so surprising to see him in detention.
‘You’re right,’ Holly said, pulling a smattering of slips in front of her. ‘I don’t want to be here all day.’
‘Mr. Curtis never promised we’d get out early,’ Cece said, turning her stapler until it sat right at the edge of the table.
‘I’d rather take that chance,’ Jackie said. ‘We have an early practice tomorrow, and I want to prepare.’
Zoe shook her head slightly. How much preparation did a cheerleader actually need?
She lifted a slip of paper and touched the two ends together until it was circular then stapled them.
One down, hundreds more to go…
She’d completed over a dozen of them before she took a break and flexed her hand. Apparently, Mr. Curtis had found the most ancient staplers in the school. Pressing down on it over and over made her hand hurt.
As if he heard her thoughts about him, Mr. Curtis strode out of the office, and Zoe sat up straighter, grabbing a piece of paper, appearing busy and unfazed by her sore hand.
Everyone looked up at him.
‘I’m going to make a quick phone call. I’m trusting you all to stay seated. Don’t force my hand in giving you another detention, okay, guys?’
‘Can you grab me a soda while you’re out there?’ Q asked with a smirk.
Mr. Curtis ignored him.
When their teacher left the room, the sound of staplers ceased to fill the space.
So much for working together to get out early.
CHAPTER TWO
ZOE
Everyone stared at the door. The moment suspended in the air was thick and made Zoe’s stomach harden.
The crack of Teddy’s stapler next to her shattered the silence.
Zoe had nothing else to do with her hands, so she continued, keeping her eyes on the project.
Q linked his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. ‘Who’s going to be the first to spill what big evil deed they did to get in here?’
‘Why do you care?’ Jackie asked. She lifted her purse from under the desk and grabbed a compact. She checked her flawless appearance before snapping it closed.
Q shrugged. ‘This is an eclectic group of individuals. I want to know what dangerous folk I’m spending the day with.’
‘If we were dangerous, we wouldn’t be in detention, idiot,’ Cece said.
‘Oh look,’ Q said. ‘A lucky volunteer.’ He put his hands down, drumming his fingers on the surface of the table before slapping them on it.
The girls jumped, and Teddy flinched.
‘Come on, princess,’ Q pressed.
‘Don’t call me that,’ Cece muttered.
‘Why not? Isn’t that what you are? The perfectly dressed little rich girl?’ Q asked. ‘Why aren’t you locked in your ivory tower this morning?’
Zoe couldn’t take her eyes off the scene unfolding in front of her.
‘What did you do?’ Q asked.
‘What did you do?’ Cece shot back.
‘I’ll show you mine when you show me yours,’ Q said.
Cece glanced around the table at each person except for Q. Her lower lip trembled.
Zoe knew what was coming next.
Cece was an emotional wreck over anything that didn’t go her way. Q’s nickname for her wasn’t far off. Even though she wasn’t close to Teddy’s valedictorian status, she kept her grades on the higher side. In the few classes Zoe shared with Cece, she’d seen way too many tears coming from that girl, and it didn’t have to be much to set her off. Once Cece received a B-plus on an exam, and she excused herself from class. Before she left her seat, she was already crying.
‘Maybe we should get back to work,’ Teddy said, picking up his stapler.
Q cut a look his way. ‘You’re next, nerd.’
‘I’m going to make sure Mr. Curtis gives you another detention,’ Cece said.
Jackie giggled from her seat. ‘You wouldn’t tell anyone. You don’t have the guts.’
Cece glanced at Jackie, open-mouthed. Whatever girl-power alliance Cece thought she had with Jackie disappeared into thin air.
Zoe could have told her that. Jackie’s wrath didn’t spare anyone, not even her friends. Over the years, Zoe watched the revolving door of ‘friends’ that Jackie kept in her tightly knit circle. One day they were laughing in the cafeteria together, and the next day one of the girls would be sitting alone or skipping lunch altogether.
Q grinned, and Zoe’s hand twitched, wanting to wipe it off his face. She hoped that no one else got in trouble so next week sh
e could get her quiet Saturdays back.
‘Come on,’ Q pressed. ‘I could always look at your record.’
‘No, you can’t,’ Cece snapped. ‘Those are locked away.’
‘I’ve never met a lock I couldn’t break,’ Q said.
‘Come on,’ Jackie prodded.
‘I cut class, okay,’ Cece said. ‘To go shopping. Not a big deal.’
Q scoffed. ‘You’re right. Now I regret starting with you.’
‘What about you?’ Cece asked him. ‘You’re always getting in trouble in class. It must have been something good for you to get detention.’
Q sighed, taking his time to answer. ‘Remember that fire drill on Monday?’
Jackie rolled her eyes. ‘That was you?’
Q shrugged, but his smirk gave away his answer. ‘I plead the fifth.’
‘Lame,’ Holly muttered.
‘What about you, Holly?’ Q asked, turning his attention to her.
Her eyes turned to slits. The two of them stared at each other for long enough to make it awkward before a loud crackling sound filled the room.
Everyone looked up toward the ceiling. It was a force of habit from morning and afternoon announcements.
Why would someone use the intercom on a Saturday when they were the only people in the school? If Mr. Curtis wanted to say something to them, he could do it in person. Maybe that’s why he left, to deal with some glitch in the system. No other administrators or teachers were at school, so he seemed the likely candidate to fix it.
‘May I have your attention,’ a hoarse voice said from the intercom. It didn’t sound like Mr. Curtis. Zoe listened harder as the voice continued, ‘The six of you were selected to be here today because you are all hiding something. A secret. One that eats you up inside each day. I’m here to set you free. Life is made up of a series of choices that come with consequences. Today you will all learn that each decision you make affects the world around you. You will each complete a task. One that has to be completed by you and you alone. If you cheat, I will know. And if you inform anyone outside of this room, I will know. The choice is yours.’
The crackling filled the room once again and then the library went silent.
‘What the hell was that?’ Q asked.
‘Who was that?’ Jackie asked.
‘That voice sounded like something out of a horror movie,’ Cece said, drawing her arms against her chest.
‘What did he mean by secrets?’ Teddy asked.
Of course, Teddy had no secrets. He was the most honorable person in the group. Straight-As with the opportunity to pick a college of his choosing. Zoe had no idea what he’d done to get there, but she was sure it wasn’t that terrible. At least not bad enough for someone to want to exploit it.
‘Q, is this your idea of a joke?’ Holly asked.
Q snorted. ‘I’ve been here the whole time.’
‘You could have had one of your friends do it,’ Holly said.
‘What friends?’ Jackie said with a snort.
Q worked his jaw.
‘Yeah,’ Cece said. ‘You’re obsessed with wanting to know why we’re here.’
‘Okay,’ Q said. ‘Now I know you’re full of yourself.’
‘The only one full of himself is you,’ Cece said. ‘You’re annoying and an attention seeker. You know pulling the fire alarm is a crime, right? I’m surprised you’re here instead of jail.’
‘It’s only a matter of time,’ Q said. He sounded proud of that fact.
Zoe tugged on her sleeves again, keeping her thoughts to herself. That voice was seriously creepy. If it was a prank, it wasn’t funny at all. She had no idea what he was talking about.
‘Can we get back to that voice?’ Jackie said.
‘And consequences?’ Cece said. ‘I swear, Q if this is some joke—’
Q cut Cece off. ‘What are you going to do, princess?’
‘Will you two stop bickering?’ Holly said. ‘If someone is messing with us, then we should take it seriously.’
‘We don’t know anything yet,’ Q said. ‘Where are these tasks?’
‘Guys?’ Teddy said, staring down at the table. He pulled out a slip of paper from the pile. It wasn’t like the rest. It was red while the rest were white.
‘What is that?’ Jackie asked.
‘Is that a pinky promise not to drink?’ Q asked with a grin.
‘Teddy,’ Cece said. ‘Your name is on the other side.’
Teddy swallowed hard as if he expected the piece of paper to jump out and bite him.
‘Why does it have your name on it?’ Zoe asked. Her voice cut the air like a knife. It was the first time the others noticed she was in the room. But no one cut her off. They all wanted to know what was going on.
‘There’s more writing on the other side,’ Teddy said, his voice shaking.
‘What does it say?’ Q asked, leaning across the table.
‘Is this part of what that voice said?’ Jackie asked, her voice warbling slightly.
‘Should we read through all of these slips to make sure none of our names are on them?’ Cece suggested.
‘I’m pretty sure there would be another red one,’ Teddy said, licking his lips and swallowing hard.
‘How would you know?’ Holly asked accusingly.
‘Because this person wants us to find it,’ Zoe said. This had to be what the voice wanted. A shiver ran down her spine.
‘You all need to stop being so dramatic,’ Q said.
‘What does it say?’ Holly asked.
Teddy looked around at the group then down to the paper. He read it, his mouth silently forming the words.
‘The suspense is killing me,’ Q said with an eye roll.
Teddy jerked as if he forgot where he was.
‘Read it to us,’ Holly said.
‘Yeah, Teddy,’ Jackie said, leaning forward.
Teddy looked at Zoe for a moment. His face was ashen. What could he possibly be afraid of?
Teddy tore his eyes from Zoe and read the note aloud.
CHAPTER THREE
TEDDY
Five Days Earlier
Teddy closed his textbook and was out of his chair before the bell finished ringing. It was the first day of the week, and already he dreaded the rest. All he wanted to do was sleep. He had too much to do, though.
He wasn’t sure how Mom did it. Getting eight hours of sleep between two days made him completely zoned out, while she could go a week with that many hours. But she did what she had to do to make sure Teddy had everything he needed to succeed. At the same time, he worked hard both at school and outside to ensure he’d be able to return the favor to her someday.
Teddy was almost at his locker as his peers entered the hallway.
He picked up his pace.
‘Get out of my way, loser!’
He didn’t need to turn around to know who that was. Everyone knew that voice, even the terrified freshmen and stuck-up seniors.
Teddy glanced over his shoulder to see Jackie’s next victim.
It was Holly. The new girl.
Holly crossed her arms and lifted her chin to Jackie. But with Jackie’s friend’s right behind her, Holly didn’t stand a chance.
Teddy turned around and slammed right into someone.
‘Watch it!’ she said.
Teddy’s eyes locked on a pair of dark brown eyes. Ones that he saw in his dreams sometimes. But in his subconscious, they weren’t as sad. Or in that particular case, pissed off.
The roots of her natural hair were showing through the fading red strands. And her drastic haircut finally started to look somewhat normal.
He had some idea why she cut all of her hair off but never asked.
‘Sorry,’ Teddy said.
Zoe pushed passed him and down the hall.
He hung his head. After every interaction with her, he felt worse. There was so much he wanted to say.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He waited until he got to his locker before he looked at
it.
Pick me up at 4.
Teddy spun the combination on the lock. He was about to open it when someone touched his shoulder.
He flinched and whirled around.
‘Whoa!’ Kevin Jensen said, scratching at his acne-ridden cheek. ‘Didn’t mean to scare you.’
‘You didn’t,’ Teddy said. Without asking, he knew what Kevin wanted. It was the same conversation after each big exam.
‘What did you get on the test?’ Kevin asked, his mouth spread into a wide grin.
And Teddy went with his usual response. ‘That’s none of your business.’
‘Aw, come on,’ Kevin said. ‘I bet I got a higher grade.’
‘Ninety-five,’ Teddy said.
Kevin clicked his tongue. ‘I got a ninety-nine. You’re slacking.’
Teddy received a perfect score. He wanted to stick it to Kevin. Make him relax. Then Teddy could be valedictorian. His ticket out of this one-horse town.
‘I have to go,’ Teddy said. He didn’t have time for Kevin today. And he hoped to stop at home before meeting Declan. It was the only time he could see Mom.
‘Don’t study too hard,’ Kevin said with a laugh.
Teddy opened his mouth to say the first thing that came to his mind. He stopped short, not wanting to continue any conversation with his academic rival.
Another text from Declan came through.
I need some $$.
He sighed and pressed the HOME button. He clicked on his bank’s mobile app and made sure he had enough to lend Declan.
There was always enough, but knowing the exact numbers eased his mind.
He flipped over to his messages and responded to his cousin: I want it back in a week. Or I’m charging interest.
He ground his teeth together. He wouldn’t have much time to go home and catch up with Mom now. Declan most likely needed the money right away. He always waited until the last minute, leaving Teddy to be the responsible one.
‘Mr. James,’ a female voice said to his right.
Teddy looked up from his phone. He stashed it away in his pocket by reflex.
His AP English teacher, Mrs. Hathaway, smiled at him. ‘You can use your phone. Classes are over for the day.’
Six Little Secrets Page 2
