"Leo! What were you even talking about?" Hazel asked.
Leo laughed. "You're too innocent. You don't even know half of the things happening in this neighborhood."
"Uh, yeah I do!" Hazel said indigently. "Like at the moment, Indigo's in the hospital because she had food poisoning and they are trying really hard to-"
"Really? Food poisoning?" Leo raised his eyebrows. "More like overdose of drugs."
"Drugs? Honestly Leo, you're funny." Hazel giggled but froze as she watched her friend's expression. "This…this isn't one of your jokes, is it?"
"No, Hazel." Leo said gravelly. "As I said, you don't know half of the things happening."
"But my mom said Indigo had food poisoning!" Hazel protested.
"I see, your mom trying to protect you." Leo nodded. "Typical. Hazel, your mom has been doing a pretty good job but you can't live forever under the covers."
"So you're saying people in our neighborhood do drugs, drink alcohol?"
"More than that." Leo drummed his fingers against the wall. "But I'll leave it for now. Mrs. Marshall just told us that her family has been involved with all the drugs and you do know drugs cost a fortune to get? They were probably in debt getting the drugs and did some illegal - like everybody else to get money to pay back."
"Cost a lot?" Hazel coughed. "Why would something harmful cost so much?"
"Because it's high in demand." Leo replied as if he knew it from personal experience.
Catriona laughed. "You sure you don't want a joint?"
"No thanks." Piper said. "I don't smoke."
"Come on!" Cat giggled. "It's fun. Just one joint?"
"Nah." Piper shuddered. Sure, she loved being Cat's friend but since they were friends years ago, Cat has changed a lot.
"Goody Two Shoes, Piper. I see you're still the teacher's pet."
"Teacher's pet say what?" Piper groaned. "That's Annabeth, biatch."
Cat flipped her hair. "Ooh, touchy. Seriously though, why do you hang out with those losers."
"Losers?" Piper felt defensive for her friends. "Once you get to know them, they are great!"
"To be honest, I don't even know why I hang out with Kaylee, Kerri, Brittany, Chelsea or London. They are just so, ughs."
"What do you mean?" Piper asked curiously. "Thought you guys were all bffs."
"They are just not fun anymore! I mean, all they want to do is homework and shit. I can bitch about every single one of them. Kaylee is just oh my god, she never shuts up. She thinks I should spend my whole life listening to her but honestly, I have my own life! Kerri doesn't even have a mind of her own. She goes with whatever I say. Come on, I bet she doesn't agree with half of the things she does. Brittany is a total bitch. She thinks she is oh-so-popular but really, without me she would be sitting with the losers. Chelsea tries too hard to fit in. She isn't the same as she was before. Now all she cares is about her image and reputation and don't even get me started on London." Cat sighed taking another joint on her cigarette. "I seriously had enough from that girl."
Piper sat there and listened half-heartedly to Cat's rant. If she didn't truly like her supposed best friends, does she really like her? Or does she bitch about her to other people.
"You're like one of the only people I met that's actually real. Not fake like Barbie." Cat smiled. "I like you."
"Uh, thanks." Piper muttered.
Cat looked at her intently. "You alright?"
"Yup. I'm fine." Piper answered grimly. Right, her mind reminded her. Not fake like Barbie. Totally as fake as Bratz.
"Oh my gosh…I have missed out a lot." Jason sighed.
"The world grew up, little bro." Thalia laughed. "It's not all unicorns and rainbow."
"One question, what does the Goode High Shooting have to do with Brad Marshalls?" Annabeth questioned. It's unusual for Annabeth to be asking, but when she does, normally nobody knew that answer.
"I don't know." Jason shrugged. "I just thought it might be related. I was a victim of the shooting after all and Dr. Marshall tampered with my tape."
"How do you know he tampered with it for sure?" Percy put on fake glasses and inspected Jason closely.
"Again, I don't know." He groaned. "I just heard a phone call - it's a theory. It's 80% correct, I guess."
"Percy!" Annabeth took off her boyfriend's fake glasses. "This isn't a time to dress up! It's serious."
"Okay, Wise Girl. Whatever you say." Percy smiled.
"Uh, guys! This isn't the time to get all cute and mushy and have one of those 'I love you more' wars." Nico gagged.
"We aren't even having them!" Annabeth muttered in protest.
Percy grinned. "Aren't you just jealous that you don't have a girlfriend?"
"So let's assume that Dr. Marshall knows something about the shooting." Thalia said ignoring the mini argument sprouting between Nico, Percy and Annabeth.
"Why is he hiding it?" Jason continued. "Why doesn't he tell the police or at least me about it? Or my dad?"
"I'm no einstein. Don't ask me." Frank butted in.
Leo bursted into laughters. "We weren't even asking you anything."
"You know, to avoid any eye contacts, questions or anything directed to me." Frank looked around and added. "Just in case."
"Okay, so let's ignore that." Annabeth gestured towards Frank who is seemed pretty embarrassed. "We have many questions and having no answers to any of them doesn't help our situation."
"Yeah, state the obvious." Leo rolled his eyes. "But guys, Mrs. Marshall told me that their family is involved with the whole drugs thing."
"You told us that!" Jason said interrupting his friend.
"Yeah but-"
"Now you're just bringing in a whole new topic. Okay, the Shooting, Dr. Marshall and now drugs." Percy frowned. "What is this? Are we living in an episode of Sherlock?"
"Well, you caught me." Rachel said. "Can't hide anymore."
"Honestly!" Annabeth cried. "Where were you the past few days? You just stormed out of my house and oh my god, I've been so worried!"
"What do you want from me?" Rachel asked ignoring her friend's questions. "You're keeping me captive so go ahead, tell me what you want."
Grover looked at Rachel. "Here's what I want. I want some enchiladas. I'm starving and I want a good grade for the environmental project we were working on."
"Grover, I'm sorry." Rachel breathed. "I'm not ditching you for a silly reason. You guys knew, I couldn't just show up and say hi."
"Know what?" Annabeth asked.
"Know about me. Rachel Elizabeth Dare."
"Yeah, we know that's your name. You said that like a bajillion times." Leo pretended to imitate Rachel's voice. " Hi guys, I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare! That's right, you'll have to call me Rachel Elizabeth Dare, not Rachel Dare!"
"That's not how I talk." Rachel frowned, she seemed to have returned to have original self.
"Whatever." Leo rolled his eyes.
"So Rachel, I thought you were a new student, why were you in the school - well, around when you were suppose to be in Texas."
"Boston." Rachel corrected. "I was never at Boston. No offense to anyone there, Boston isn't my type. I went there for a semester when I was 10 and I dislike that place."
"Okay, Boston. Please continue with your explanation?"
"Well, I was always here. Just not with you guys. The school is pretty big so you probably didn't notice me. My boss figured that out and helped me start new for the semester I was suppose to be a 'new student' in. He told me to befriend you guys - as I did."
"How about your old ones? Percy frowned. "Your old friends."
Rachel forced a laughter. "What old friends? I was a loner. Nobody noticed me."
"Wow, this is..awkward." Leo said.
"So who's your boss?" Annabeth asked intending to get a lot out of her supposed friend.
"I actually don't know." Rachel admitted. "He got a hold of my phone number and we communicated through phone calls. He never offered his name."
"A random guy you don't know of calls you and asks you to do him a favor, I'm guessing one that is really important and you agree. Without even knowing his name." Leo repeated. "What kind of logic is this?"
"He offered me popularity. You do not believe how many people in Goode High would want that. Befriending you guys is like a dream, also a one way ticket to fame throughout the school." Rachel replied dreamily.
Percy had a weird expression on his face which he normally does when he's confuse - which is pretty much all the time. "Then why don't you become friends with Cat? I think she might give you a better chance to become popular to us."
"The boss wants me to befriend you! Not Cat. Plus, you offer popularity in a nicer way. Cat is popular because she is mean and somehow manages to twist her beauty into making people want to be like her."
"Why did the boss wants you to become our friend?" Annabeth questioned.
"I don't know." Rachel sighed. "I'm still waiting for his instructions. At least, I was."
Grover who had been absent-mindedly eating a few pieces of grass dropped the grass and looked up. "Was? What? What did I miss out?"
"The boss has ears everywhere. He probably know about this conversation." Rachel said slowly.
"Then why does he need you to be our friend if he could just find something out himself?"
Rachel threw her arms wide open. "I don't know? Is somebody not allowed to be clueless here?"
"So what are we going to do now?" Leo asked, probably a question on everybody's mind.
Rachel closed her eyes almost painfully. "Either I'm going to get kidnapped and live my life in the Amazon Rainforest or I'll get killed."
"No." Annabeth breathed. "You are not. Come with me."
"Annabeth!" Rachel cried. "You don't know what you're doing! Keeping me is like keeping a grenade."
"It's not the first time I've done this and it certainly doesn't seem like the last."
AN: Merry (belated) Christmas! How were your christmases and what did you get? It's like over christmas but I'm still listening to christmas songs :P
~Kisses, Emily