Bball101: omg same like i hate cliffhangers but then i read the next chapter and its lovely

bet yall were expecting josh huh?

also for story purposes, the exchange is taking place november-the end of school, which will probably be may :) enjoy!

Chapter 12

"You're probably wondering why I'm here. I would be too I guess. I got recruited by a Blackthorne professor, he said I had a lot of talent and that I would make a good spy," Dillion said, scratching the back of his neck. They watched him hesitate over the word spy, sensing that word was a coverup. He tried to move a little closer, but was stopped by the three girls.

"Don't even try to get closer Dillon. We know what you did and that is just disgusting. Get out of our sight. If we see you talking to Cam again, it won't just be Zach fighting you, it'll be all three of us," Bex said, and ushered Cammie away. Cammie threw one last glance over her shoulder, making sure it actually was Dillon, before she let Bex drag her through the halls away from the cafeteria.

"Bex wait, I want to go find Soloman and figure out how this kid even got accepted into Blackthorne. He shouldn't be here, he's literally a civilian," Cammie said, trying to get Bex's iron grip off her wrist. "Bex let go!"

"No Cammie, we're going to visit one of our friends to see what he can find out about this, because he'll know Blackthorne and their recruiting system better," Bex answered, readjusting her grip on Cammie's arm.

"He? Who's he?" Cammie asked. Bex looked at her and rolled her eyes.

"Who else is good at hacking here at Blackthorne?" Bex said sarcastically.

"Ohhhhhh. You mean Jonas," Cammie said, finally realizing. "Is everyone else there too or just Jonas?"

"Well Liz and Jonas have gotten really close, you saw how they bonded over chemical formulas today. And I'm assuming the other guys will be there too, seeing as we are headed to their dorm," Bex said, adding the last part in so that Cammie couldn't hear. Cammie's brow wrinkled, trying to figure out what Bex had said, because Bex had gotten very good at talking quiet.

"What do you mean we're going to their dorms? I don't want to go see them. That's stupid," Cammie said, starting to drag her feet along the corridor. "Can't we just set up in one of the hidden rooms? It'll be less obvious if someone comes to look for us," she finished, and even Bex had to agree with this answer.

So they headed down to the boys' dorm, and motioned for Jonas and the others to gather whatever necessary electronics was needed. Following Cam, all eight friends walked down a series of hallways until Cammie spotted a gap in the mortar of the stone walls. She shoved her finger inside, and felt a button. Once pressed, a door made of the same stone slid out from the wall, showing a lengthy passage that was tall enough for everyone to stand up clearly in. After everyone filed in, Cammie shut the door. Zach waited behind everyone to walk with Cammie, making sure that she wasn't left alone in the fray. They walked together silently, each in their own world, until Cammie slid her arm around Zach's waist. She didn't say anything, just kept thinking about scenarios in which Dillon could have been recruited. If she had been looking up however, she would have seen Zach's shocked face once he realized Cammie's arm was around him. But playing it cool, he showed no reaction and put his bruised hand around her shoulders, a reminder of Dillon's comments.
Five minutes passed, and the passage slowly started to widen and become larger. Natural light started to flood in, brightening up the spacious room they entered. As the eight walked through the ending of the passage way, they started to look around the room. One wall was covered in windows, which was where the light was coming from. A couple carpets lay about the stone floor, and one corner of the room had a couple beanbags and a couch. In the middle of the room, there was a table with four chairs. Wires led around the room, plugged into various outlets around the space. On the other side of the room held a counter with another set of four stools. Across from the small island was a second counter holding a sink with some glasses and plates. A mini-fridge sat on the floor next to it, still filled with some food.
Cammie unraveled herself from Zach and went to look at the table. She looked at the underside of the wooden top, and felt around. Feeling carved initials, she traced out 'M.M' and 'J.S'. Her father and Solomans' initials. She let a faint smile creep across her face, then turned to look at the others.

"This was my dad and Solomans' hideout when they still attended Blackthorne. I think they used to come here to do homework and other various schemes they planned," she said. The girls walked over to her, sensing she needed a hug. They wrapped around her in a group hug, and stayed that way for thirty seconds. Once they let go, Cammie quickly wiped her face. She cleared her throat and started to move around again.

"Okay anyway, Jonas, why don't you start setting up and I'll supply information," Cammie said, starting to take charge again. She looked around the spot by the couch and found a blanket, which she wrapped around herself. Even though it was early November, Maine was a very cold place, and the stone walls did little to contain heat. She sat down at one of the chairs, Liz sitting in another and Zach taking the final spot at the table. He scooted his chair over near Cammie's and used his arm to pull her closer to him. She surprised him by resting her head on his shoulder. Bex managed to shove Macey towards Preston, who caught her before she face-planted on the floor. Macey gave a dirty look to Bex, who smiled innocently and sat by Grant.

"Cam? What should I start inputting to find out?" Jonas asked, pushing his glasses farther up his nose so they wouldn't fall. Liz sat by him, ready to add more information when needed.

"He's from Roseville, Virginia. His dad is Keith Jones. He went to Roseville High School and has lived in Roseville his whole life," Cammie said. "For fun he would sometimes gather the rest of the townies to make fun of us 'rich girls' and do things like vandalize our walls and moon the cameras. Real classy if you ask me," she laughed. She felt Zach's body shake as he chuckled as well. Jonas wrote down all of information in the notebook, and started to input it into Blackthorne's recruiters page.

"This might take awhile Cammie, so you might want to do something else while we wait," Jonas said, his fingers racing across the keyboard as he inputted information in the lines of code. Cammie nodded, and got more comfortable on Zach's shoulder. She closed her eyes, and Zach started to twirl her hair around his fingers, spinning the waves and running his hands through it. Bex punched Macey until Macey turned to look at the sight on the table. She looked back at Bex and silently squealed, and then poked Liz to get her sight off of the computer in front of her. Liz shifted in her seat to slap Macey, but saw her expression and turned.
She visibly melted when she saw Zach and Cammie together, and looked back at Macey to mouth, 'You were so right about them'. Macey simply shrugged and looked triumphant.

While Jonas and Liz worked on the recoding of the recruitment program, Cammie ended up falling asleep on Zach's arm. He let out a small smile when he realized she was out, and moved her head into his lap so she was more comfortable and wouldn't wake up with neck pain. Zach made sure the blanket was covering her body, then start to play with her hair again while she slept. The room nearly went silent, most of the kids going to rest up after the experiences they went through, and the only sound being the clicking of keyboard keys.