Chapter 4

The Conspiracy Club

The sun was shinning, the birds were chirping, and Rae's alarm clock was going off twenty minutes late. She sprang from the bed and blindly searched for some clothing. When she was finished, she looked like crap, but Rae's father was calling for her.

She found him and Tammy in the kitchen, "Jack just left."

"WHAT! How am I supposed to get to school? Why didn't you tell him to wait?" Rae was still a little grumpy.

"Oh, sweetie, he said he had something important to do," Tammy said as she licked pancake syrup off her fingers. Rae felt like throwing up on her.

"Well, I need someone to take me to school," she said defeated.

"I'll take you," said her father. "Be right back, honey." He winked at Tammy.

Wonderful! I look like shit, I have to go to a school that sounds like a hell hole, and my dad, who is going to do God-knows-what with a woman who isn't my mother when he gets home, is taking me on my first day. Peachy, fucking, peachy.

Notown Regional High School was one building with one floor, but it was humongous. It wove around and around itself forming some kind of hell high school maze. It was the kind of school where kids smoked cigarettes under signs that said things like "say nope to dope" and "crack is whack", girls walked out of boys' bathrooms with smeared lipstick, and teachers were scarcely seen.

Rae walked into the main office. Since it was her first year there, she would get her class schedule from there. It consisted of general and even basic classes, no honors. Like I said, her grades had fallen considerably. It went something like this:

8:20-9:00 Drawing I r.11 Perez, C

9:04-9:44 General World Lit. r. 206 Rose, M

9:47-10:46 Basic Spanish II r.303 Veress, J

10:49-11:25 Basic Algebra II r.313 Smith, K

11:28-12:04 Lunch

12:07-12:56 Advanced Theater r.4 Valentino, C

1:00-1:40 Study Skills r.4 Kelly, K

1:44-2:24 General Physics r.414 Gillroy, D

A general class was normal enough; they were for average students. Drawing and Advanced Theater were good. But Study Skills, Basic Spanish, and Basic Algebra! People would either think she was slow or a pothead.

But now to her next task: Finding room 11. Rae was walking around the hallways staring at the classroom doors when she bumped into someone.

It was a guy walking with a girl, "Hey! What the…" He had curly blonde hair and green eyes, skinny, and at least four inches taller than Rae. The girl hair dark brown hair and dark brown, pretty eyes. She was thin and shorter than Rae.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Rae said starting to panic because she was so thoroughly lost. But the guy, seeing that it wasn't anybody to have to be careful around, already had a playful smile on his face.

"Lost?" he asked knowingly.

"Is it that obvious?" Rae laughed, thankful that no one was going to shove her into a locker or whatever they did at NRHS.

"Well, let me see your schedule. Me and Buttons here can help you out," he held out his hand.

Rae, forgetting her less-than-wonderful schedule, handed it over greatfully.

The girl spoke up now, "Well, while he does that let me introduce us. I am Alex Lee, but call me Buttons, okay? And this here is Calvin Allen, but call him Peter."

"Peter, that isn't much of a nickname," Rae was kind of confused as to why someone's nickname would be another name.

"But doesn't he look just like Peter Pan. He's so sexy and all," Buttons explained.

Rae laughed and Peter looked up smiling mischievously, "Quite a schedule you got there."

Rae smiled sheepishly, although she already felt comfortable with these two, "Yea, oh well."

Peter gave her directions. Rae turned to go one way down the hall while they turned the other way.

Then she remembered they didn't know who she was. She turned around quickly, not wanting to lose the chance of making a couple new friends. "Oh, yea, "she shouted, "my name is…"

"…Raelyn," Peter and Buttons shouted back in unison. Buttons fell into a fit of laughter, and Peter said, "See you after school!" Buttons hit him playfully, and he grabbed her around the waist kissing her forehead as they turned a corner. Raelyn stood there totally caught off guard, but she tried to shake it off as she went in search of Drawing I. But no matter what she could get it out of her mind.

1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th , 6th, and 7th period passed without anything interesting. Just boring teachers talk about how boring this school year was going to be. It wasn't until 8th period that things started to look up. Because guess who was dubbed Rae's lab partner: Jinx!

"Look who it is, Raelyn Campi," Jinx teased.

"Oh, you remembered my name," Rae joked back pretending to make her eyelashes flutter.

And they spent the rest of the period talking and making fun of the teacher, Mr. Gillroy. But there was someone in the class Rae had unfortunately overlooked. But Thistle hadn't missed a minute of Jinx and Rae's flirting.

As they walked out of the classroom Jinx was distracted by a group of people, which gave Thistle the perfect opportunity. She backed Rae right up against the wall, "I thought I told you to stay away from him."

Rae hissed back so she wouldn't attract attention, "It's not my fault Mr. Gillroy made us partners."

"Do you think I'm stupid? Please, Raelyn Campi, don't underestimate me," Thistle snapped. "I warned you, and you didn't listen to me. I'd watch my back if I were you."

Then as Thistle walked away she shouldered Rae. Rae dropped everything. Thistle went to pick up her schedule.

"Retard," she laughed and threw it back onto the ground.

Raelyn groaned as she bent down to pick up her things. Surprisingly, there was another hand helping.

"Thanks," Rae said cheerfully, thinking she would see Jinx. But she didn't. Instead she saw another boy. He was maybe only 2 inches taller than her, with deep chocolate eyes and an intriguing smile.

"Anytime," he said. Once they had picked up everything, he held out a hand to her, "Racetrack Higgins is the name. Glad to meet you."

Rae shook with him in a state of awe. He seemed to have an air of authority about him that even the popular people didn't possess.

"Why don't I give you a ride," he more stated than asked, but at the moment Rae didn't care. Her mind seemed to be at a stand still. She just nodded and let him lead her to his car.

It was only when they passed her street that she noticed she wasn't going home, "Where are we going?"

"To my good friend, Endy's, house. It's where we hold all the meetings," and at his voice Rae calmed.
"Meetings for what?" Rae asked pleasantly.

"Oh, I'm sure I had Mouse give you a card. Well, might as well jog your memory. I do have this affect on some people," he handed her a card, and Rae thought she might melt, not realizing his last words had been rather arrogant.

Rae looked down and finally remembered. The Conspiracy Club those people on the beach had been talking about.

"We had been planning on having you join since you got here. And seeing how Thistle has taken to you confirms your admission into our humble home," he explained.

But Raelyn was still very confused, "How do you know who I am? How did you know I was even here?"

But Racetrack just smiled mischievously and pulled into the driveway of a sizeable house, "Here we are," he exclaimed, ignoring her questions.

The next thing Raelyn knew she was in the basement of the house. It looked like it had been made just for this club. There was a podium at the front with a screen behind it. At the other end of the room was a projector, and in between were many desks. Both of the sidewalls had big black boards on them.

Racetrack made Rae stand at the front of the room with him. And as each person walked in he told Rae about them.

The first to enter was boy a little taller than Race. He had brownish hair and piercing blue eyes. Rae really didn't want to get on his bad side.

"This is Chip Conlon," said Race. Rae could she the guy flinch at the name, " but call him Spot if you value your life. He is co-founder and second in command of the Conspiracy Club. Me and Spot make up what we like to call The Action. Basically we take the info, plan, and whatever the guys have set up and carry it out. Not all the time, mind you, but for the bigger attacks."

From then on Rae just listened mindlessly to what he said.

"Alaska, Milkshake, Endy, and Buttons (who I believe you already met) are our Actors. They set the stage for whatever the plan is, make sure people are where we want them. They are all great lairs, deceivers, and quick thinkers.

"Next there is Peter (who you also know), Zodiac, Soaker, and Quills. They make up the Snoops. They know everything you'll ever need to know about anyone in NRHS. That's where we get all our inside information. Also a sneaky bunch.

"And finally, Irish, Emotions, Sparrow, and Wolf are the Planners. Every idea and plot we have ever had was concocted in those four minds."

Rae nodded still absorbing the information.

"Now you have to we have some business to discuss about this weeks plan," he handed her a video tape, "That's yours to keep. I don't like to have people in the club till they know everything on that video front to back. So make sure to study this week."

Rae took the tape, "I need a ride home," was all she could think to say.

"I'll take you," said Spot.

Rae followed him out to the car. They drove to her house. Rae wasn't worried that he would find out where she lived and who with. Spot probably already knew.

……