A few months later...
Frieda Goren, Daisy Watkins, and a familiar blonde-headed girl marched down the halls of Dakota Union High, turning the heads of anyone who was honored to be in their presence. Their footsteps were perfectly in sync, matching the ones of their auburn-haired leader, Frieda. Frieda Goren was on a mission: to get her two best guy friends to help out with the Journalism Club after school. Frieda needed a story, and fast. Otherwise, the next issue of the school newspaper wouldn't be printed, causing the club to lose more money, which was very dangerous since the club was always at risk of being cut due to the school's limited budget. However, Frieda knew Virgil and Richie were clever; they seemed as though they were constantly up to something. To this day, she still didn't know where they disappeared to, and at the most random times. She was still puzzled by it, but right now, it was of no concern to her. Virgil and Richie could help her find a story. Sometimes they found out about things that happened at school even before she did, and that was extremely significant, since Frieda was practically the head of the student body. Her charm, her enthusiasm, and most importantly, her persuasiveness, granted her control over the students. Even Virgil and Richie.
Frieda and company spotted the two best friends casually leaning against some lockers at the end of the hall, engrossed in whatever conversation they were having. Frieda did not spare a second to get their attention as she hurried down the hall to where the guys were.
"Virgil! Richie!" she barked. The boys turned around, only to find themselves with face-to-face with the famous (and slightly terrifying) Tsunami Trio, as they had secretly called it. The boys felt they needed a name for the girls' little clique, since Hurricane Frieda had two more additions to the eye of her storm. The blonde-ish girl was the most recent addition to the group - she was fairly new to Dakota, and she was yet another source of fascination for the two males. Zoey Parker was an interesting person—she wasn't one to reveal a whole lot about herself, therefore, they didn't know much about her. Not too long ago, she had mentioned her parent's divorce, but that was about it. It just made her all the more mysterious.
The guys studied the three girls and grinned. "Hey Frieda, Daisy." Richie nodded at the new girl. "And Zoey. The Zoey Parker. It is an honor to be standing before you, by the way," Zoey narrowed her eyes at the nerdy blond, trying to prevent a smile from creeping across her face. It had only been a few weeks since she had first attended Dakota Union, but she could tell that Richie Foley was a good guy. He was kind, funny, and although she would never admit it to anyone, he was charming, too.
"Right Zoey?" Frieda asked. Realizing that she had been spacing out, Zoey turned her gaze from the nerdy blond to Frieda, who was eagerly awaiting an answer from her fellow clique-member.
"Come again?" Zoey asked, trying to mask her embarrassment.
Fortunately for her, Frieda was un-phased by her lack of response.
"Are you going to help Daisy and I crack a case for the Journalist Club tomorrow after school?"
Frieda's eyes were burning through her skull, probably believing she had mind-controlling powers and could get her to say yes if she stared at her long enough. Zoey sighed, knowing there was no easy way out of it.
"Yeah, I'll help."
"Yay!" Frieda clapped her hands in approval. "You and Daisy meet me by my locker tomorrow."
However, it was obvious the gears in Frieda's head had not stopped turning. She then turned to look at Virgil and Richie with the same eager expression, which caused the two to take a minor step back in alarm.
"Would you guys be able to help as well?"
Virgil and Richie exchanged anxious glances, clearly uninterested in her offer.
"Uh..." was all Richie could say at the loss of words. Virgil tried crafting a response that wouldn't offend her.
"Well, you see Frieda..." Virgil began.
Before Virgil could say anything else, there was a loud boom, so powerful the school shook. People immediately froze and started frantically looking around, trying to find the source of the sound. Their gaze rested on a giant hole in the school's sturdy brick wall, which appeared to be smoking. A look of terror spread across the students' faces as they began to realize what, or worse yet, who, could have caused the gap. Their suspicions were confirmed as a young man with a tight red t-shirt and fiery red hair stepped through the hole. His glowing green eyes were shining with hate. After scanning the halls for a second or so, Hotstreak took a step forward inside the building, causing many pale faces to flinch. To everyone's surprise, Hotstreak had come with a purpose other than to intimidate his peers. He pointed a finger at the hall of students and declared, "I'm looking for Virgil Hawkins and Richard Foley."