I had to change up this chapter a little too.
We had to circle the city three times before we could finally enter Gallagher (protocol isn't laxed).
Bex, Macey, Liz, and I gathered in my mom's office. To explain myself or to relay info of the day, I don't know. Mr. Solomon is staring out the window as we step over the threshold.
"Ladies, take a seat," My mother sits in her plush chair and fans her hands out on her desk. I sit directly in front of her on the loveseat with Macey and Liz. "Tell me, how was your day?"
"Good, Mrs. Morgan," Liz chirps. "It was terribly easy though, I can't wait to start the work assigned here."
"I don't think that was what she was asking," Macey leans against the couch's shoulder.
"Her question didn't leave that much ambiguity, I don't understand," Liz puzzles and her eyes become frantic as she searches for the intended point my mom was trying to get across.
"Our lifestyle is ambiguity, Liz," Bex settles then continues point blank. "We heard a rumor."
"Rumors are smoke and mirrors, ladies. We need something tangible," Mr. Solomon scolds.
"We have a name: Brandon Hurtz. A couple people say he has a group and there constantly getting in trouble and in the dean's and the principle's office. Some people called him a druggy. I have to admit, he looks like one too," I explain. My mom and Mr. Solomon make shifty eye contact.
"You've seen him?" Mom raises her eye brows.
"He's in our Spanish class- well he was for a minute. The teacher threw him out after he said something snarky. He went to the deans," Liz answers.
"It sounds like he's just another rebellious teenager, not someone dangerous," Solomon crosses his arms and leans back on the windowsill. His eyes are disappointed.
"We heard he also tried to steal the principle's laptop," Bex attempts to give them something of value.
"He could have been after important info," I aid. I just want us to have something successful to bring to the table.
"Or it could just be consistent with his rebellious character," Mom counters. "Either way, keep an eye on him." We all nod in return. "Is that all?"
I look back and forth on the couch, silently asking the other if they were privy to something else. It doesn't seem like it. The fruits of our labor today barely produce a rumor. A rumor of an untamable teenager, which is worthless when talking about high schoolers.
"That's a good start," Mr. Solomon pushes himself towards us. That's the best compliment he might ever give. "But I taught you better than to just settle on good. What were the teachers like? Who did who associate with? Who sulked in the shadows? And who seemed above average?"
Our good start wasn't good enough. Now he's got me thinking. Only two of my teachers were really awake or present in the class. From what I could gather the typical cliques were all there, thriving yet expectedly normal. The emos sulked, but that's what they always did before, so what's new? Who stood out? What do I have that's better than just good? Good…
"Goode!" I clap my hands together in a wide ark, almost knocking out Liz. The revelation I stumbled upon is so painfully obvious, we all should have noticed it earlier! It's not what's new, it's about who's new. And who I'm thinking about certainly stood out- not just because of his bright green eyes.
"Care to elaborate?" Macey is still holding Liz from when she pulled her away from my flailing.
"Everyone can be normal or at least pretend, but people will still be out of place," I smile waiting for it to hit the others like it did to me. They will be beyond mad at themselves when they follow my train of thought.
"Well that is the point, Cam, honey," My mom sighs. "So, who stuck out?"
"To put it simply," I stir the anticipation among them. "Us."
The look of pure concern flashes across my mom and Mr. Solomons' faces. So, I may have made it seem like we blew our cover, but I deserve a little entertainment before I give them intel.
"Oh no oh no oh no," Liz jumps and starts pacing. "Was it because I forgot to introduce myself to you? Was it because I talked about atoms too much? I just couldn't help it, that Jonas guy was just so smart, and he could keep up with me. I've never met someone else like that before. Oh god, I knew I wasn't cut out for cove-ops, I'm R&D through and through."
"First off, so close, but I don't mean us per say, I mean qualities about us. Including Tina and the others, ten of us show up at Roseville High, a school that doesn't get many new people. Not only do we flood in all at once, but we are also highly intellectually superior to the normal masses that surround us there. We are also far more physically capable. No one should have been able to be on our level, but there were people- three in particular!" The roll I'm on makes me feel proud and played. "Who are the three that share those aspects?"
"No! They're just the football jock type!" Bex grips her seat's armrests, experiencing what I had a moment ago. Mom and Mr. Solomon don't appear amused by our antics. I can see they're about to press for a really answer, but they're stopped short.
"Not all of them. Jonas is exactly like me. If Cammie is right, I could mean that in almost every way possible," Liz concedes.
"We need names with reasons, ladies," Solomon emits the vibe of hostility and impatience, but the pleased look in his eye tells me he's getting more than he expected from us. Now I just need to decide if that is demeaning or complimenting to me.
"Zachary Goode: highly intelligent as far as I can tell. He's also highly competitive with skills well above even the best athlete at that school. We took a stamina and speed test, and we were the only two to complete it. Normally I would leave it at classifying him as athletic, but it's also his first year at the school, coming from who knows where. He's exactly like me! And I'm not normal. I bet if we search into his background we'll find something, and if we can't he'll be even more suspicious!"
Mom gloats, deciding she'll pride herself on my ability to essentially find myself in other people.
"It's worth a look. What are the other boys' names? I'll run a search on them too," Mom pushes up the monitor to her laptop on the desk in front of her.
"Grant, but I don't have a last name to give you," Bex looks at us for conformation and assistance we don't have.
"The sooner you find out, the sooner we can narrow down our search. Elizabeth, did you mention a Jonas?" Mom's fingertips type in her beyond paranoid, long password into her computer.
"Jonas Anderson, and he's not like the others, ma'am. He mentioned he lived here for a while, I think, plus he's not coordinated- if you will. If he is somehow related to the others, it's by his brains, not his brute strength," Liz rambles, trying in vain to prove his innocence.
"We will keep that in mind. You did well girls, now from my understanding you are behind in the schoolwork truly fit for you. You are excused," Mr. Solomon ushers us out the door, notably rushed to get to the bottom of our speculation.
"Excellent job, girls. We'll have to talk more in the morning," My mom smiles from her seat and watches us leave. Once the door is closed, we all start walking to our suite, ready to retire from today.
"No matter how much it makes sense for everything to point to them, what you're saying, Cam, is pure speculation," Macey reminds me.
"I know it's a stretch, but it's a good one, right?" I ask the others.
"In theory, but I sure hope you're wrong," Liz shakes her head.
"Let someone else have the breakthrough this time, Liz," Bex guffaws.
"It's not jealousy," Liz is taken aback by the insinuation. "We can marvel in Cam's good work, but if it holds any weight, it means those boys that we all seem so infatuated with are enemy agents."
Oh. That not what a girl with a crush wants to hear. I'm totally not that girl though. That's Liz and Bex. Yep, definitely.
While Bex and Liz are certainly dismayed by this new reality, Macey in a wicked sense appears to find joy in this.
"Ha! You were fraternizing with the enemy! The CIA had to tell you to not form relations with civilians, but enemy spies! I thought that went without saying," Macey's shoulders shake with laughter as she puts her keys into our door. "And you, Bex, you just had to fall for the boy that wants to doom all those poor souls, god knows in what way!"
"I'm too graceful to fall," Bex chides. "And Cam isn't exactly fraternizing with the enemy, the enemy is fraternizing with her. One question to add on to our ever-growing pile now is why?"
"I have a computer and we have two names, let's see where my skills get us," Liz plops herself onto her bed along with her laptop. The rest of us set up shop in our respected corners.
All of Zach's behaviors from today now make sense. This prompts other questions to swirl around like water cyclones in my head. Does he know that I'm not who I say I am? What would he do if he ever found out?
It's weird coming back to this story after so long (sorry bout that again). I just feel like it's harder to get the characters accurate, but whatever.