"The tragedy of life is not death ... but what we let die inside of us while we still live."
Adalynn Stanton is accepted into one of the highest competitive schools in her state, the Greenhouse Academy. At first, all she thinks she will have to do...
"Cruel Can't escape you in my dreams But it feels so real to me When it's dark you're all I see, I see Cruel."
~ Cruel by McKenzie Small
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Adalynn looked up at the sound of the bedroom door opening. "Jackie?" she whisper-yelled, upon sighting her friend. "Have they come back yet?"
Jackie shook her head, a worried expression plastered on her face.
"Well that sucks," Hayley grunted from where she was cuddled up in a blanket next to Adalynn on the bed. Her eyes were fixated on the laptop screen as it played through the final season 2 episode of Stranger Things.
"How late is it?" Adalynn demanded, squinting to see the clock amidst the darkness shrouding the room.
Jackie pulled her phone from her pocket and consulted it. "It's 3:35," she muttered. "Something's happened. I just know it."
"Geez, if Louis finds out Max and Ethan have broken curfew outside of school grounds, well ..." Hayley huffed and shrugged. "Let's just say I'd hate to be in their shoes."
"I mean, Max is a nice guy and all, but ..." Adalynn hesitated as she studied Jackie's face. "What if he's up to something dodgy? Shouldn't Louis be the first to know about it?"
"No!" Jackie hissed urgently. "That's the whole point, Adalynn: we don't know what they've been up too. It - it could be something entirely different from what we're thinking, okay? Let's not jump to conclusions just yet."
At this, Hayley lifted her head and gaped at Jackie. "Since when have you cared about turning people in or not? I heard that you easily pulled in Julianne when you caught her cheating on last year's exam. You got her freaking expelled!"
"So?" Jackie raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "Julianne was a bitch, she deserved it ... but Max ... he doesn't seem like the 'criminal type', you know. I say we wait this out and corner Max later. It shouldn't be too hard to find out what's going on, but until then, keep your mouths shut! Both of you!"
Hayley and Adalynn exchanged glances.
"Fine," Hayley rolled her eyes. "I'll do it but I don't get the big deal anyway. I still think we should just tell Louis; he'll sort it out."
"Yeah, but Max might get suspended - even expelled," Adalynn piped up. "That's embarrassing enough for anyone as it is, let alone a Day One student! I agree with Jackie. We can't go tattling to Louis unless we have actual proof that they are doing something wrong. You never know, the truth might end up coming out all by itself."
Soft music began to play as the episode ended and it's credits rolled up the screen. Hayley stretched and yawned loudly before leaning over and slamming the laptop shut. "I - I can't stay awake for another minute. I'd better go otherwise I'll be nodding off in class tomorrow."
"Are they still partying out there, Jackie?" Adalynn questioned, trying to ease the tension in the room.
Jackie nodded glumly as she walked over to her bed and sank down on it.
"See ya guys!" Hayley murmured tiredly as she stumbled out of the room and down the hall.
"Goodnight," Adalynn called out after her as the door clicked shut. "So, what now?" she turned to face Jackie.
"We wait ... I guess," Jackie flung her hands in the air. "I dunno. I'm confused. I'm tired. I'm going to bed. We can talk more about this later."
Adalynn nodded. "Okay. Good idea. I - I'm just gonna go brush my teeth first."
Jackie mumbled a few incoherent words in response as she flopped down, face-first, on her bed. Adalynn, rubbing at her sore and sleepy eyes, dug around in her bag for her tank-top and toothbrush. Slipping silently out into the hallway, Adalynn crept down the passage towards the girls' bathroom.
She locked herself in one of the toilet cubicles and quickly dressed before stepping out onto the hard tiled floor and making her way over to the sink. She glanced up at herself in the mirror and shook her head when she saw how frizzy and out-of-place her hair looked. Pulling it out of it's ponytail holder, she fluffed it up and then brushed it down. Eventually she gave up, knowing it could never be tamed.
Humming a cheery tune, Adalynn squeezed some minty smelling toothpaste on her toothbrush. She was just about to lift it to her mouth when the sudden flash of headlights blared through the window.
She jumped, dropping her toothbrush onto the floor, wrong side down.
"Urgh, great," she groaned as she stooped to pick it up.
As Adalynn straightened, she cast a glance out of the window and froze. The same black SUV they'd seen leave earlier had returned and was now parked in the school's empty car-lot!
Her mouth and eyes wide O's, Adalynn tip-toed cautiously to the window and peered out, hiding herself behind the long, floor-length drapes.
Feeling around in her pocket, Adalynn grabbed a hold of her phone and pressed the RECORD button. She lifted it up to the glass pane as two boys stepped out from the vehicle.
A big, burly man held the door open for them as they clambered out. Once they were completely out of the car and under the spotlight of a street lamp, it was clear to see that the two figures were Ethan and Max. They conversed with the burly man for a few minutes; then, the man slipped a white paper packet into Ethan's hands before hopping back into the SUV and driving off. Ethan quickly looked inside the packet and nodded in satisfaction before slipping back into the shadows, Max not far behind.
Adalynn's brow creased into a confused frown as she lowered her phone. What the actual heck is going on?
Tucking her device into her back pocket, Adalynn turned away from the window as she muttered, "You want proof, Jackie? Well, here it is."
