Before I know it, everyone around me is singing and dancing to Olivia Rodriguez’s “Good 4 U.” I sit back, resting my hands behind me and laugh as I watch them all look like fools.
“Better get that ass up, Hailee,” Tiffany says as she approaches me. She holds her hand out to me and I slip mine into hers, getting up.
Next thing I know, the girls are surrounding me, singing. I can’t help but join in and sing along, arms in the air, pointing at the girls.
As the song ends, we all collapse onto the floor with smiles on our faces.
“I have to give you credit, Tiffany; this team bonding thing was a good idea,” I tell her.
“It would do you well to remember I’m always right,” she says with laughter in her voice. “Now come on, we better get back to work. The police do rounds at midnight, so we need to be out by then,” she says, making the team groan.
Everyone gets up and goes back to their projects and starts working at warp speed.
While this wasn’t how I planned to spend my night, I can definitely say it’s one I will remember.
For a couple of hours, I forgot about the pressure on me. I forgot about the drugs and the mystery I was trying to solve.
For a couple of hours, I was a normal teen again.
-
Twenty-Three
“Get up and get dressed.We are going out.”
My eyes pop open as I look up at Jacob. He has a smile on his face.
“What time is it?” I groan, trying to burrow farther beneath my blankets.
“Early, but I have a surprise for you. Come on. Let’s go.”
“You’re an asshole,” I grumble, but pull myself out of bed.
After a quick shower, I change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I pair it with my old pair of sneakers, ready to face whatever Jacob thought was important at seven in the morning on a Saturday.
“You better be getting me coffee,” I complain as I make my way to the kitchen.
“It’s on the agenda.”
As he moves closer to me, I give him an odd look. When he reaches around me, I almost step back, but then he grabs my phone from my back pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“You won’t need this today.” He drops it in the kitchen drawer before grabbing my hand to pull me out the front door.
“You’re being weird,” I tell him, but my heart is racing.
What if they text while we are gone? What if this blows my whole cover?
The anxiety of not having my phone is killing me.
“Don’t worry, Hailee. Everything is going to be fine.”
He doesn’t understand. No one does. I might walk around free, but I’m a prisoner. Whoever is on the other end of that phone owns me.
It’s not like I even care if they release the video. For me, it would hurt, but I would get over it. It’s not fair to Nate. He doesn’t deserve that. After claiming how much he hates me, it would ruin his reputation. Not only that, but it was in school. We could get suspended or expelled. Hell, they threatened to get him arrested.
That’s why I’m doing it. I might not have much when this is all over, but I won’t take anything else from him. He’s already given me more than I deserve.
