Cassie

We were all on the highway in Antoine's car, heading back to school. With Antoine driving, Jake, Marco, and I were in the back seat as Rachel rode shotgun. And with the exception of Antoine, we all looked at Marco as he put his phone in his pocket. He looked around the car at us.

"What?" he said.

"Was that the girl from the mall?" I asked.

"Yes, it was, Cassie. Why?"

"It sounds like you two were getting along," Antoine said. He then looked up at his rearview mirror at Marco. "Trying to make a move tonight?"

"I'm just trying to make a new friend." Marco shrugged.

"Really?" I said. "Do you always flirt with your friends?"

"I mean, I flirt with Rachel all the time, and y'all don't say anything." Marco responded semi-jokingly, earning a glare from the blonde. I took in a breath to hold back my chuckle as Jake snickered. While couldn't see Antoine's face, I saw his shoulders quiver a little.

"Well, just be careful," Jake said. "You may never know what the real her is like."

"I hear that," Antoine said as he made a turn. "One thing I learned in college that is that not everyone is who they say. I ain't saying don't go after her. I'm just saying be on your toes, feel me?"

"I will, I will," Marco said with a smile. "But enough about that, though. What's the barbecue going to be like?"

"Don't expect anything major food-wise," Antoine replied. "Just the basic stuff – hotdogs, burgers, and soda. There'll probably be a DJ playing music. Other than that… don't be surprised if people from the different organizations on campus show up and tell you what they're about." He nodded. "It should be a fun time."

When we got there, it was exactly that. A lot of students were there, either mingling with each other or waiting in line for food. Some members of different organizations – clubs, fraternities and sororities, and the like – showed up as well, wearing their gear. As the DJ played some decent music, I stood under the pavilion, drink in hand as I watched some students play an impromptu game of volleyball on the sandy court nearby. I turned my head a little bit, looking at Marco as he chatted up Jada. He was apparently telling quite the story because the girl looked at him as if he was entranced. A hopeful part of me wondered if Marco found a keeper. The cynical side of me wondered if she – or the possible Yeerk in her head – was putting up an act. Then another part of me figured that if Rachel was seeing this, she'd peg Jada as an airhead for taking an interest in Marco.

That thought caused me to chuckle a bit.

"Those two are hitting it off, huh?"

I turned my head to see Jake as he walked up to me. He had a plate in his hand, which had two cheeseburgers on it. He held the plate out to me, and I grabbed one of the burgers.

"Yeah," I said. "I could almost see Rachel gagging at the sight."

"She's a bit preoccupied at the moment." He pointed a certain direction with his head. About 20 feet away, Rachel and Antoine were speaking with Tom and some other guy I could identify. I closed my eyes and took a second to breathe in. During that second, I felt my heart race for a moment. Keep calm, keep calm, I thought myself. I couldn't lose my cool here. Drawing attention to myself would only cause problems down the line. After breathing out, I nodded.

"The Sharing is here," I said.

"They indeed have a chapter on campus, with a building near the beach," Jake confirmed. "Antoine and Rachel got wrapped up in the conversation. The only reason I'm here because Rachel brought up how you were by yourself. So, I slipped away. But not before Tom brought up what happened with Antoine out west."

"Was it really that major?" As I said this, I looked at Antoine.

"Apparently, it was. He didn't look too thrilled to be talking about it."

They were wrapping up the conversation. After a few nods were exchanged, Tom and the other guy left Rachel and Antoine alone as they went to mingle with others. As Rachel and Antoine talked, I looked at Jake.

"How are you taking this?" I asked.

"My brother still being 'employed' by The Sharing, or him trying to recruit our prospect?" Jake responded.

I paused for a moment. "Both."

"The former… I just have to bide my time. But the latter? I just hope he's not interested."

"We'll see." I jerked my head towards the direction of Antoine and Rachel as they both made my way over. I looked them over. Rachel didn't look the least bit alarmed, and Antoine… he seemed… I couldn't quite place my finger on it. I wouldn't say he was annoyed. Perhaps mildly inconvenienced? Yeah, let's go with that.

"Your brother," Antoine said to Jake as he and Rachel reached us. "He's… something."

"I've been told he's like a Jehovah's Witness when it comes to The Sharing," Jake replied. "He's big on it."

"Good for him, I guess." He sounded rather disinterested.

"You don't sound too big on The Sharing," I pointed out. He shrugged.

"I ran into The Sharing a few times back west," he said. "It was during the time I left the football team and just focused on my studies." He paused. "I don't want to talk down on them or anything. I've seen them do some good work in the community, and they seem to be really about helping people." He went quiet after that.

"I can just feel the 'but' coming," Rachel chimed in. Antoine looked at her and nodded.

"…The thing is… I just felt like… they were too friendly," he continued. "And… well…" He paused again. "Whenever I played quarterback, I usually get this feeling in my gut whenever a rusher is coming from my blindside, you know? It helps me avoid getting sacked. It's not foolproof, and I ate my fair share of grass and turf still, but it helps you know? And… I got this feeling from them during the times I came across them. Just something about them doesn't sit right with me. It probably didn't help that the people who reached out to me brought up what happened with my previous school. I got a thing about being looked at like an abandoned puppy on the side of the road?" He frowned. "I know it's messed up of me to think that, since I don't any of them like that. But even standing with Tom, I got that feeling again." He looked at Jake. "No offense."

"None taken," Jake said.

"Look, I ain't saying don't join them or anything. Do you. But, I can't shake this weird feeling I get from them."

"It's all good," Rachel said with a smile. She then looked over to where Marco and Jada were having their conversation. Marco was apparently telling a joke, because Jada was laughing. "…Wow, she's actually having a good time with him. She must be an airhead."

"Be nice," I said with a chuckle. "He's having fun."

"Yup," Antoine said in agreement. "But hey, let's enjoy the rest of the barbecue, shall we?"

We stayed there until about 10 o'clock. That was when things winded down. Before that, Jada left a bit early, giving Marco a hug before she left. So, the whole group walked towards the parking garage, where Antoine's car was. Antoine figured he could give Marco and I a ride home. During the walk, Jake and I hung back some feet as we talked.

"So what do you think?" Jake asked in a low tone.

"I think he may be one of the allies he was talking about," I replied, matching his volume. "Are you thinking about telling him?"

"I am." Jake looked ahead at the group. "He doesn't seem to be a controller – not with the way he was talking about The Sharing. However, there's only one way to be sure."

Internally, I cringed.

See, Yeerks have to feed on Kandrona rays every three days for sustenance. Any longer without Kandrona rays, and they die. So, trapping a controller for three days is a sure way to free the host. However, there was a bit of a risk with doing so. Freeing the host could put that host's life – and the life of their loved ones – in danger. We got lucky with Jake since his infestation his accidental and unplanned, and no other Yeerk had any idea he was infested since we fought him. It also helped that the Yeerk that infested him was… well, that Yeerk wasn't as smart as he thought he was.

"We can't trap him," I said. "If he does have a Yeerk in his head…"

"I know." He looked at Antoine, who was apparently joking around with Marco. "…You think he trusts you?"

"I think so," I said. I tilted my head. "…Why?"

"Maybe you can hang out with him for three days?"

"And do what exactly?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I'd ask Marco, or even do it myself, but since he knows you a little more than he knows the rest of us…"

"He is a bit curious about me," I conceded. "I'll talk to him on the ride home."

"Okay. Just tell me what he says afterwards. And, be careful, will you?"

I scoffed. "What do you think Antoine is going to do? Charm me away from you?"

Jake's eyebrows rose. "W-what? N-not at all."

I laughed. "I'll let you know. I promise." I leaned over and kissed on the cheek, causing him to smile. "Not let's catch up to them."

As agreed to, Antoine gave me a ride back home. After dropping off Marco, we hit the highway, which was relatively empty. As he drove along, we listened to music and just talked. Once we hit the halfway point, I turned my head towards him.

"Hey, Antoine, can we talk for a moment?" I asked.

"We're talking now, aren't we?" he pointed. I tilted my head briefly.

"Yeah, but… I need a favor from you." At that, he glanced at me. He then turned down the volume a bit until the music was barely audible.

"Everything okay?" he asked in conern.

"…Sort of." I took in a breath. "…Remember when we talked at your father's house, and you asked what I been through?"

"Was that too personal of a question?" I asked. "If it was, I'm sorry. It's just that, well, before you even sat down, you looked around as if you were looking for possible ways out."

"There's nothing to be sorry about… and you're right, I was. I think I'm ready to tell you the reason behind that. But… this is where the favor comes in."

"Do I have to worry about a gang coming after you?"

"…No," I said, though, in a way, he wasn't that far off.

"I won't have to help you boost 40 cars in one night for some criminal with a carpentry hobby, will I?"

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Good movie, but no. I just need you to hang out with me for three days straight. The catch is, you can't leave my sight."

"…I'm sorry, what?" he responded in a way that wasn't at all unexpected.

"I know it sounds weird, I do. But what I want to tell you is going to be real heavy. And while I'm pretty sure I can trust you, I want to be dead sure about it."

Antoine glanced at me before putting his eyes on the road. He tapped the steering wheel with his finger a few times. He then shook his head.

"A part of me thinks you're crazy," he said. "…And yet, a part of me wants to oblige, so I guess I'm crazy, too." He paused. "…I don't have anything going on Friday through Monday. I don't know what you got in store for me, but I'll be ready, unless something comes up. Cool?"

I nodded. "Cool," I replied. "Just one more thing – I was wondering if you can tell me what happened to you. Back west."

"You talking about the reason I dipped?" he replied.

"Yeah. Jake said Tom brought it up."

"That whole fiasco dominated the news, and my name was smeared because of it." He shook his head. "How about this, I'll tell you everything when the three days are up, and you tell me what you've been going through for me to be attached at your hip for that long. Fair?"

"That's fair."

"Cool."

We didn't talk again for the rest of the car ride.