(The Next Morning)
Wordlessly, Sabine and I trek outside after Strategies and I rub my eyes, trying to rub some awareness into them, "Couldn't sleep?"
"No." I shake my head at thin air. "Slept too well."
"Fall asleep too late then?" Sabine glances at me.
I nod. "Fell asleep watching TV. Didn't mean to."
"Doesn't sound so bad." Sabine beams.
"It wasn't bad at all. But I just can't wake up fully."
Sabine smiles as we near the crosswalk. "How was Mira after we talked?"
"Great. She calmed down when I gave her my phone case. Had dinner, was nice then passed out on my shoulder." I smile, then moving to pull up the picture of me at the dinner table holding Mira, who is completely slumped on my shoulder,
Sabine takes my phone, then smiles. "Aww. Milk drunk. Sounds like a great night to me."
"Yeah, they're both good kids. Mira's too cute to do anything else right now except learn about the world. I'm just glad she liked me."
"Of course she likes you." She beams. "You're her family. You let her have her dinner and eat your phone and sleep on you. I'd like you if you let me do that."
I smile. "I only check one boxes, the dinner. Metaphorically speaking."
"Huh?" Sabine says, face scrunching before her wheels start turning faster. "Oh, yeah. I guess so. How about her brother?"
"Jacen was good. Mostly played a game upstairs on his iPad while I talked to his parents and a friend of ours. We needed to catch up."
Sabine smiles before I hit the button to allow us to walk across the crosswalk. "I'm glad you have some family over here Ezra. It can get lonely by yourself."
"How about you?" I ask her.
"My family's coming for soccer. We have a family day thing in October. More of a weekend thing but they're going to fly in and all that. I'm looking forward to it." Sabine smiles.
The signals change from the red hand to the white walking man, as we lead a small crowd across that then disperses towards the various lecture halls. "Last call for Spanish."
"Nah." I laugh. "I don't have to skip after all. He cancelled late last night. Saw it this morning."
Sabine makes a face then replies "I wish I had a class that cancelled as much as yours did."
She's probably tired herself. Her schedule is a lot more full than mine.
"Eh. It's nice and it's not. I have to learn everything myself by the book." I lie, then soften my stance. "Well, most of it."
"And you are paying to get taught stuff. And now you're paying to teach yourself which isn't cool." Sabine observes.
I nod. "If I'm doing something wrong, I probably don't know until midterms, and by then my grade will be in the garbage for the semester, unable to be saved."
"Yup." Sabine replies calmly as we arrive at the Underground. "Same spot as last time?"
Absolutely, it was delicious.
"Sure, lead the way."
I hold the door as Sabine leads us right to Bojangles, the breakfast place then wait for her to say something.
She is the one who wanted to talk.
The line, about three people deep works all the way to the front before Sabine and I arrive up front and order the same thing as last time.
It's actually nice that Spanish is now because it's the perfect time. They're starting to serve lunch but still are making breakfast sandwiches. So I can get a chicken sandwich with an egg on either side, sauce it up with an orange juice.
"I got it." Sabine attempts to sneak in at the eleventh hour with her card, only for me to smile at the cashier and block her. Thankfully, he takes mine instead.
"Thank you." I smile as Sabine turns on her heel and walks away.
He smirks at her temper flash. "Call me old fashioned, but that's not right."
"I agree. And for the record—" I smile at him taking my cup. "I think you're right." Before I fill up my cup and spot Sabine sitting in the same booth as last time.
I barely get to sit down before she snatches up my receipt and moves to stand so she can at least bring my food to me while muttering something about "stupid boys".
"Good to see you last night, I can come anytime to put in that bookcase safe so you can move your weapons from your stashes around your apartment that Kanan mentioned into a safer spot. Just let me know. We can even go eat too. Glad things are going well." – Zeb
I laugh and beam at Zeb's text.
There's no price for people that have your back through thick and thin.
"I get done with classes at one today." I text Zeb. "Maybe after that?"
"Eighty Five!" Somebody yells, and I glance up in time to see Sabine step forward.
Zeb Orrelious – New iMessage
"1:30 sound good?"
"Yeah." I text back as Sabine plops back down across from me, setting my food in front of me. "Thank you." I say gracefully.
"You're welcome. That does smell good." She admits, then peeks up as I unwrap my sandwich.
I smile without looking up at her. "Jealous? I'm afraid this is too good to share."
"Rude." She frowns before taking a bite out of her biscuit.
Zeb Orrelious – New iMessage
"See you then buddy."
"So, uhm about last week?" Sabine starts nervously just as I take a bite of my sandwich.
She timed it.
I motion for her continue, and she sips her coffee nervously. "I, uhm, in soccer there's this bubble. You only meet people that play or around or referee or coach or anything. You don't get to meet many normal people. It's all soccer all the time." She begins, then sips her coffee. "That's how it's kind of been since I had my growth spurt and started playing travel soccer. Everyone I know and who are my friends are soccer people. So when I came here…" She makes an accelerated gesture. "I wanted to know some people from my classes. Normal students."
We all want what we can't have. Most people want to be special, and special people want to be normal.
"So first day of class, I plop down after a truly horrible practice because our coach is a asshole and knows it was our first day of class, and who do I meet, but you." Sabine smiles.
"Quick tangent." I cut her off. "Why would your coach do that? Seems illogical."
"Asshole." Sabine answers simply. "He wanted to know who wouldn't go to class and instead would go home and collapse. He made it clear at the start of practice that he had people everywhere to make sure we went to class. And I know he's had people in Calhoun's class." She sighs. "Anyway, I've been too locked in on the season, and enjoying my time with you Ezra, that I didn't think to put the pieces together. I've been lying to get out of things I didn't want to do for years. And not that I didn't want to see you Ezra, but I was across the country and took the easy way out as opposed to actually explaining why I'm not there."
Still not smart.
"Basically, I was eating with my family when you texted me about missing class. And I choked. Sorry." Sabine finishes meekly, then takes another bite of her breakfast.
"Okay." I say, mouth half full then swallow the rest. "Makes sense. Sorry I interrupted. People want what they can't have."
"And I goofed the introduction." Sabine sighs. "Are we okay? I know you're mad at me."
"I just don't like being lied to." I confess.
Sabine's eyes drop away from mine. "Sorry. Won't do it again."
"Good." I say simply, then sip my juice, causing Sabine to eye me anxiously. "We're good. Don't you play tonight?"
"Yup." She visibly perks up. "Last non-conference game of the year. There's even going to be a party afterward. You should come. To both."
"I've got something I have to do at 1:30. But I should be there."
Sabine smiles while picking up her second biscuit. "That's a lot of time. I'm expecting you there. And I promise I won't exclude you from my goal celebration this time."
"You didn't mean to the first time." I remind her. "I didn't say I was coming."
"Yeah!" She beams. "You jerk! Now all my teammates are saying 'I saw Ezra I saw Ezra!' and I'm over here like some idiot wondering what I missed.
I laugh, then toss my phone onto the table. "What's the big deal about that by the way? Your teammates staring, a trillion people following me on here—" I pick up my phone sarcastically then wait for her to explain.
Sabine sighs wearily. "Nobody knows you, making it some big mystery. And some of my teammates are nosy and get all up in my business. They wanted to know who my mysterious guy friend was."
"Can't wait for them to find out how lame I am." I joke, getting Sabine to laugh loudly.
"You're a fun hang. Don't sell yourself short."
"I'm not, I'm just being honest." I admit.
"Am not."
"Am too!"
(Fourteen Hours Later)
The wall seamlessly appears in front of me as the scene around me subtly changes to the sterile, light deprived polished concrete cell.
Our shooting range. Mine, really.
"Explain these powers again." Cayle asks me as I sit in the Jedi Temple's holding cell.
Three walls and a laser barrier.
"I don't really totally know." I confess. "You'll have to ask him."
He paces in front of the wall as his Master sits on the stairs in the back of the room, silently supervising. "The Architect."
"My father, yes." I nod. "I told you where to find him."
"And the Council is deliberating on your intel right now." His Master pops up, hair swinging around.
I roll my eyes then close them. "While you 'deliberate'—" I sarcastically put air quotes around the word then keep going. "He will find out what I did and get away. That bomb being detected wasn't a secret thanks to those leaks to the press."
"They weren't leaks. That's how freedom works. They're called reporters." Cayle answers firmly. "If there is news, they have a duty to the public and to the truth to report it."
"And that's how you will lose the edge on him." I hop to my feet, hands and feet still bound by the heavy metal handcuffs as electricity courses through them lightly, containing my powers. "If I had to bet, you already have. I handed you the gift that you've searched for and you put it down to talk about it."
Stupid.
Cayle's Master, the former apprentice of Skywalker glances at a tablet. "We're surveilling the town you told us about. He isn't going anywhere."
"Would you like to put money on that?" I ask her.
The room goes silent as she eyes me then looks to Cayle and back to her tablet. "You know, you're being less helpful all the time. We have a policy to exterminate Sith like yourself on sight."
"You are supposed to uphold peace and ensure justice in the world. Exterminating is antithetical to that mission statement."
"Points of view." She bites. "You are Sith. You aren't supposed to even know about us, like everyone else doesn't know."
"They know about the CIA. The FBI."
"Because they're standard law enforcement agencies." Cayle answers. "For normal situations. Groups that are below our pay grade."
Well you've got that right. The regular population is below our pay grade. Mine and theirs.
"So you admit there is a hierarchy." I look to him.
Cayle turns and slaps the wall beside my cell. "Are you here to debate me in philosophy or give us intel?"
"I don't know are you going to act on it?" I fire back. "Or am I going to sit in a cell for who knows how long? "
Cayle's Master hops to her feet, livid. "You have over five hundred kills that we know about. You are the youngest yet the most deadly Sith Assassin in decades. Probably a century. You're a weapon."
"That didn't have a choice!" I raise my voice. "It's my father, my family, everything I've known up until today. Or yesterday. You guys should have a clock somewhere around here."
"You don't deserve a clock." She spits at me. "You're drowning in blood and resting on platitudes. Your intel is the only thing keeping you here and not a colder, darker cell."
I smile. "Yeah, because this reminds me of where I learned to shoot."
AHHH!
Electricity shoots through the handcuffs and into my entire body, causing it to go stiff as Cayle's master scowls at me as I fall to floor, right on my face. "That's enough."
"Ahsoka!" A male voice calls out, causing both of them to jump and turn around to a strong man holding a prototype laser sword. "Stop it."
The one named Ahsoka, Cayle's master, cuts the electricity right away, leaving me face down on the floor as my muscles spasm and nerves scream in agony.
I can't get up.
And that's Skywalker. I recognized him the moment I saw him.
"Explain yourself." He demands of the woman named Ahsoka.
She maintains eye contact as Cayle looks to the floor. "I have no excuses. He was being unhelpful. Difficult."
"You sound like him. His kind. The Council." Skywalker frowns at her.
I open my mouth, attempting to speak only for my body to disobey me and make a strangled noise. The three of them look to me, followed by Skywalker taking her tablet, hitting a button and causing the laser wall to go opaque and their voices to disappear.
I'm the bad guy. No matter what.
"Ezra?" I hear behind me, and turn to the sound of my name.
Matt.
"Hi." I shift my position, leaning against the wall.
He smirks and raises a red cup in return. "How's it going? Didn't know you were here."
"Sorry." I smile. "Just looking around. Never really went to parties before."
"Not in high school?" He asks me.
I nod. "No, not really my school's thing. My folks were always breathing down my neck."
"You're from Georgia right? God doesn't like parties I guess?"
"Nah." I shake my head. "There were parties. I just never went because of my family. Big on grades and school, you know."
Matt nods knowingly, sipping on a red cup. "I get it."
"Besides, what can I say against it? It got me here. USC, California. City of Angels." I laugh to myself, getting a chuckle out of Matt.
"Gotta branch out though. You want a drink? They're in the kitchen."
Sure. Why not I guess.
"Sure. Thanks man." I smile at him, then push off my comfortable spot on the wall and walk into a crowded hallway before coming to a stop due to the congestion. I pull out my phone to pass the time.
"Make sure that tac team is hot." I text Cayle. "I'll have one drink."
Move people.
I bounce on my heels for a moment before my phone buzzes in my hand.
"Done, but I really don't think you'll need it. Your tolerance for everything is off the charts. And it's one cup of jungle juice. Let me guess, red cups everywhere?"
"Yeah. And people won't MOVE." I reply, then turn on my heel and turn to find another way through this random house.
I now know what 'dropping a pin' means. It works with my map feature so you can use it for directions. This place is ten minutes or so off campus, away from prying eyes of campus police and professors. After Sabine's game I barely had time to go home and clean up around Zeb as he installed my bookcase before she dropped the pin, texted 'You'd better be there.' And left me to follow the pin.
The game wasn't all that bad. Kind of boring, Sabine didn't score, she assisted on a goal, but didn't. People called it a 'hockey assist', whatever that means. USC won so it wasn't all bad.
The real problem is that they play Sunday and Tuesday. Sunday here and Tuesday down near San Diego. And after that they go to Oregon.
OREGON.
Friday and Sunday there. Drive back down as fast as they can I assume then make everyone go to class.
"Excuse me." I say as I slip past somebody, hugging the wall then grab a red cup near a cooler and pour myself something to drink.
"Ezra." I hear somebody say my name and turn around.
Oh boy.
A brunette, a blonde and red head all wave and smile at me. "You are Ezra! Hi."
"Hi." I smile nervously, then sip my drink.
Sweet.
"When did you get here? I think Sabine's looking for you." The brunette asks.
"Just now." I lie. "Are you guys on soccer?"
"Yeah." The blonde smiles. "I'm Ally."
The brunette waves "Jenna."
"Eliza." The red head smiles, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"Nice to meet you all." I smile politely.
"No it's nice to meet YOU!" The blonde, Ally says too enthusiastically. "Sabine's kept you a secret from everyone!"
"Not really. She's always busy." I smile again.
Jenna shakes her head. "Well any free time she spends with you it feels like. You're the only person she hangs out with."
"That's cool." I end their line of conversation pointedly.
"So, you have a girlfriend?" Eliza follows up their questions.
"No." I try to say easily.
"Why not?"
I sip my drink, then raise my eyes back to them. "I don't know. Can't find my girl."
"Well do you want one? For tonight, for more than that?" Jenna looks to Eliza.
"Obviously not Sabine, they'd have to face each other—"
"—but that would piss her off good and well."
"Yeah well she does need to get laid." Eliza mutters.
Ally smiles "And you're cute! And she's stealing all my goals and the hot boys in the process." She ruffles my hair.
"Yeah, uh, no." I stop her from touching my hair any further and try to suppress the urge to smack her wrist hard to drive the point home.
Keep your hands off me.
"How big are you?" Jenna asks.
Eliza slides off a barstool and stands next to me, at least six to seven inches shorter than me. "Maybe 6'5?"
"6'5?" Eliza blurts out, then all three laugh loudly.
I shyly laugh, then shake my head. "No."
"You're not the science and computer nerd she described either. She's lying to everyone."
What?
I open my mouth the respond angrily before somebody grabs my shoulder and say "Aye bro, c'mere."
"Sure." I say blankly as the guy has his hand on me and pulls me away from Sabine's teammates.
"Got him." The mystery guy says, a African-American guy a few inches shorter than me but built like a brick house. "They were waiting over there. Why'd you hand him over like that!"
Matt.
Matt smiles. "I didn't know. My bad."
"They have a reputation?" I ask.
Both Matt and his friend smile. "Yeah, but first. Ezra, Trey. Trey, this is Ezra."
"Wassup bro." he smiles, then slaps my hands in a friendly way. "And yeah, they're awful. Don't get too close. Snakes."
"Snakes in the grass." Matt adds.
Huh?
"I don't get it." I admit.
"Snakes in the grass. Can't see 'em until they bite you." Trey explains. "And by then, it's too late. We know who's been bit, so we warn everyone we like so they can avoid 'em too. Dumbasses."
Matt adds "Sabine's too nice because they're on the team too, but they're a problem at parties. Wanting to start shit. Say they don't want drama—"
"—then find themselves right in the middle of it, eating up every word."
Ahh.
"I gotcha." I smile. "Thanks."
"Anytime bro." Trey smacks my shoulder, then walks away. Matt gives me a wave, the drifts off into the crowd, leaving me by myself.
Well, I don't want to go back to refill my drink. So I guess I'll walk around.
I aimlessly start meandering around the house, slipping from bedroom to bedroom.
"Move them. Tac Team Daisy in position, eyes on the house. I'll text if cops get called. Got dispatch up while I'm on watch."
"Appreciate that. Seems like the perfect little world isn't so perfect. Interteam politics big time." I text Cayle back.
Moving upstairs, I drift to where to most noise is coming from, a beer pong table in a spare bedroom where the game seems to be tight.
"Of course, no large group of people get along perfectly."
"Teammates of hers trying to get me hooked with somebody or hook up with me themselves. Fun stuff."
"Next game next game!" A frat guy says loudly. "Get your asses off the table! You LOST! Move it!"
Two girls, giggling and laughing constantly take the losing team's spot ad the next game start getting set up.
"Sounds fun. But if they're politicking doesn't sound like that much fun. Probably a pass, but do whatever you want. If you want to leave a wake of destruction in So Cal be my guest. I'd pay to see that." Cayle replies.
"Thanks for that, jerk." I roll my eyes as I type. "Not what I meant."
This game's boring, those girls are too giggly to do anything.
I slide back downstairs, phone buzzing constantly.
Instagram: Allyson Fishcer (Allllllllllllyyyyyeeee) is now following you
Cayle – New iMessage
Sabine Wren – New iMessage.
Wonder what Sabine wants.
I swipe on Sabine's message, opening up that text thread.
"Are you here?"
"Yeah. Just came downstairs." I reply, then move to see Cayle's reply.
"I'm hurt you took the bait."
Yeah, whatever.
An icon flashes up on top of my screen.
Sabine Wren – New iMessage
"Oh boy." I say quietly to myself, sliding off to the side and setting my empty cup down.
"Can you come to the backyard?"
Without a second thought, I start cutting through the crowd, making it look nonchalant before opening the back door to see people playing horseshoes, sitting around a fire pit in lawn chairs and talking in small groups near the fire pit.
"Ezra!" Sabine says loudly, turning away from her small conversation. "Hi." She says before running right into a hug for me.
"Hi." I laugh. "Good game."
"I didn't do anything. I tried." She frowns dramatically, then smiles just as fast. "Did you drive?"
"Here?" I ask. "Yeah."
Sabine motions for me to come closer as everyone else has resumed their conversations. I comply, only for Sabine to stand on her tiptoes and whisper in my ear. "Can you take me somewhere else? I can't go to my room, the RA will know I'm drunk and stuff. I wanna sleep."
"Yeah. When?" I ask.
Sabine smiles and spins me around then shoves me toward a gate. "Now. Whoa." Clumsily, she stumbles after moving too fast.
"Easy, easy." I smile. "I gotcha. How'd you get drunk so fast?"
"Shots. Everyone did a shot for how many goals we scored and two for how many we gave up."
They won 2-1.
"Four. Yuck." I gingerly say.
The thought almost makes me sick.
"Fireball sucks." Sabine winces as I we slide through the gate. I laugh as Sabine latches onto me, sliding her arm around me and letting me guide her semi-blindly. "Sorry I got here so fast. I was planning on introducing you to some people. Parties are fun."
"I had fun." I say, fishing my keys out of my pocket before spotting a white TV repair van down the street. "Hey, give me your keys. So I know you won't try anything. You won't need 'em anyway."
As Sabine mutters something I use the distraction to motion to the van that we're one here and that they can wrap it up by putting my index and middle fingers up and moving them in a circle. Through the mirror closest to me, I see a two-fingered confirmation, then the van starts up.
The others are around here somewhere.
"Why's that van starting now? It's like midnight." Sabine says, sticking her keys in my lap.
I take her keys and slip them where my car keys usually are. "I don't know. Maybe they just wrapped for the night."
"Weird." Sabine gesticulates drunkenly as her face looks interesting.
None of her emotions lasts more than 20 seconds. One onto the next onto the next.
"Get in." I unlock my car, prompting Sabine to detach from my hip and stumble to my car door, catching herself with both hands then getting in.
I follow right behind, only for Sabine to be curled up holding her phone close. "I've got a water on the floor there I think."
It should be there after I went to the gym last.
Sabine fumbles around as I start my car and pull out into the neighborhood while starting my GPS to get out of my neighborhood.
Once I'm out I'm good. We're not that far from home.
Pretty soon, before I make a turn the sound of Sabine sucking on my water bottle something fierce gets a smirk out of me before she runs out of water, gasps in disappointment then goes back to curling up in the passenger's seat.
"This is a nice car. Sabine compliments as I shut my GPS off.
"Thanks." I smile. "I like it."
"What's his name?"
I shake my head. "It doesn't have a name. And it's a girl."
Sabine giggles, then stifles a quiet burp before saying "Excuse me. Gross."
"Not very lady like."
"You drive like my fucking Grandmother." Sabine snaps. "Hurry it up. This movement sucks."
Alrighty then.
I ignore her drunken irritation and pick up the pace a little, going three MPH over the speed limit of 35 before turning into my complex.
"C'mon." I order Sabine. "We're here."
"Where's here." She stands, dragging her feet to follow me.
"My apartment."
Sabine's eyes droop up skeptically. "You're lucky I like you so I don't scream bloody damn murder."
"Go." I point toward the stairs. Once she's out of earshot I mutter "Little Miss Punch-Drunk."
The peer pressure is big, sure. But four shots for somebody like her? Yeah, that'll take her out every time. She must have been like this last time when we fought. Except it's three shots because she scored all the goals.
Great. Hera was right,
"Why is she always right?" I ask nobody as I arrive at the door.
"Who?" Sabine asks, leaning on my door.
"My mom." I lie, then unlock my door. "Take a left. Bed's that way. I'll grab you something to change into."
"Yay!" Sabine cheers. "Bed!"
The two of us walk past the bathroom and right into my clean bedroom, where Sabine collapses on the bedspread. "It smells like Boy. Clean, generic, boy."
"Thank you?" I laugh as I start digging for a t-shirt and sweats for her to wear.
She can't sleep in the outfit she's got on.
"Ow. These damn shoes. Why'd I wear shoes that aren't tennis shoes after a game? My feet are gonna kill me tomorrow." She complains.
"I don't know." I admit. "Here. Change into this. I'll close the door behind me so you can go to sleep. Okay?"
"Okay." Sabine nods, then turns around to fiddle with her necklace.
As I promised, I walk out of the room, shutting the door behind me then walk to the opposite side of the door, obstructed as it opens where the previously blank wall now is a built in bookcase with all of my "favorites".
And apparently a note sitting on top of "Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Collection".
"Hope you have fun at that thing man. Glad to see you, didn't mean to be in the way as you ran around. You're busier than I thought! We'll grab food later. Text if you need me." – Zeb
He's the best.
"Thanks Zeb." I say, then tap on the collection of Sherlock, only for it to make an odd noise.
Yup.
A knock on the door just to my left causes me to jump straight up, then pivot angrily toward the door. An instant later, Sabine pokes her head out of my room. "Oh! Can you get that! It's mine, already paid for it."
"Paid for what?" I ask.
"Tacos."
TACOS?!
"You—how'd you get tacos here?" I blurt out, moving to grab the door.
"You had a bill on the bottom of your car." Sabine waves my water bill at me. "I have your address now. You're stuck with me."
I roll my eyes and open the door to find a guy my age smiling. "Hi!"
"Hi sir. I've got your order of tacos?"
"Yup." I nod, taking out my wallet. "They're actually my friends. But…here." I tip him five bucks. "Thanks."
"Thank you. Have a good night!" He smiles. "I put all sorts of sauces and napkins in the bag."
"Appreciate that." I smile before he turns to walk back down the stairs.
She. Ordered. TACOS. At like 12:45!
"Mine, thank you!" Sabine takes the bag out of my hand and starts toward the living room. "Load up Netflix, let's find something to watch."
"Load up what?"
Sabine stops in her tracks and her jaw drops. "Oh my, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"