Chapter Seventeen

Abby's POV

I walked with Virginia to English after the turn of events. I knew there had to be something up with that Albert dork, but so far nothing had stood out, cept for the fact he was a total sleaze. Virginia walked in before me, but I was stopped by someone. I turned around, and Albert had a hold of my arm. I rolled my eyes at him, giving him the impression that he was trying to hard.

"Look, Abby ain't gonna give yo advice if that's whatcha want." I stated bitterly. He merely smiled wickedly. The glint in his eye was not of joy or happiness; it was pure evil. I knew he was up to no good.

"Oh, I don't need your advice woman." He said, pulling me away from the door and pinning me up against the wall. I struggled to get out of his grasp, but he was stronger than I assumed. "All I need is for you to…cooperate with me. Be with me."

"Hold up, how does Abby know she can trust ya?" I asked. "And what do you mean by 'be with'?"

"Oh, I'm sure such a fine young woman can trust me." His hand went up to my face, and it creeped me out. "Such a pretty face, and a very strong will. You'd be perfect to fight by my side."

I managed to pull my face away fro him. "Fight by your side….yo crazy man. Abby fights for no one."

He smiled an evil one, and pressed my harder against the wall. He made sure I couldn't move before he spoke. "I know about you Abby Lincoln, and I know your secrets. I suggest you either cooperate with me, or you face the consequences of my…counterparts."

"C-counterparts?" Was all I could get out. "What do you mean…"

"Is there a problem here?" We both turned to see Nigel standing in the corridor, his arms folded tightly across his chest. Though I couldn't plainly see his expression in his eyes from his glasses covering them, I could tell he was mad just by listening to his tone. Albert let me go, and pecked me harassingly on the cheek before strutting off. Nigel caught his eyesight, and stared him down as their paths crossed. Nigel hurried over to me, and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked, lifting the rim of my hat. I nodded.

"Abby's fine, thanks to you." I rubbed my arm from where the fancy boy had squeezed my arm. "But he is here for another reason. Though he didn't Abby much more. He threatened me."

When I spoke in first person, it usually meant I was very emotional. And at this point in time, I was both scared and angry about the previous event.

"He what?" Nigel seemed worried. "Well, while he's here, you don't go out of my sight."

"Don't worry boss, I'll be…"

"No buts Abby. You stay with me and that's final." He lowered his glasses. "If our intuition is right, he could be one deadly enemy."

Once we had reached the tree house, Nigel called a meeting. He thought it was best we tell the others about Albert, just to keep them on their feet. My arm had gone red from the encounter, which made Kuki jump on me with questions.

"Right, so we know an old ally has returned." Nigel started, silencing us. "But from a harassment today, we've found out he isn't loyal to us anymore."

"So, he's harassing our girls for fun then?" Hoagie asked. I knew he was implying that I was Nigel's and it seemed to tick him off. Though he let it slide.

"It seems so. He's obviously trying to find a weakness so they'll talk. Meaning you need extra care Kuki, not that I'm offending you or anything."

She gaped at his remark, but she knew she was a blabbermouth. "Fine, as long as Wally can take care of me." She wrapped his arms around his neck tightly, and both Hoagie and me gagged sarcastically.

"Guys, let's get serious now, alright?" Nigel cleared his throat. "Now, there has been suspicion about Albert working for the Delightful Teens, and unfortunately it might be true."

"So wait, he hit on you Abby?" Kuki asked.

I blinked a few times. "Wouldn't call it hitting. Call it threatening."

"But he did come onto you?"

"Well, if pinning someone up to the wall counts then yes."

"But he kissed you, so…"

"What is this, 20 questions?"

Kuki shook her head. "No, I was just seeing what we have to avoid."

Nigel slapped his forehead and slumped on the podium he was standing at. We fell silent, and he straightened up.

"Look, just keep someone close to you at all times. If he really is working for the Delightfuls, then we've a lot more trouble on our hands than we thought."

I met his eye, and I knew he was also talking about Lizzie. They hadn't broken up, but they were just taking a break. And if she decided to take him back…then he'd have a hard time running the mission. I nodded at him, indicating I understood how serious this was gonna be.