Little Green Stars

Chapter 25- Liar, Liar

"Hey, Bundty!" I call down the hall as soon as overly bleached hair pokes out from her locker.

Bundty turns with the sway of her hips to stare me down.

"Can I help you?" she demands, slamming her locker shut as I arrive.

"Any plans tonight?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you have any plans tonight? You know...with your Mavey-Poo?"

Bundty squishes her nose at me and blinks fast as if all her senses are about to combust.

"None of your damn business," she says, turning to walk away.

"Well, I just thought you'd want to know..."

Bundty turns around, sighing in irritation. "What could a ginger freak tell me that I'd want to know?"

"Where your boyfriend is going to be tonight..." I turn to walk away, but as I suspected I would, I feel Buntdy's prissy hand grab my arm.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She demands discreetly as people passing by stop, taking notice of the impending battle between mortal enemies

"I just thought you'd want to know he's going to be at my house...with me."

"Fucking liar," she tries to laugh while her beady eyes narrow.

"Okay..." I say as a coy smile creeps onto my face. My plan is working.

"Why the hell would he be with you when he could be with me?"

"Well, let me see," I say, taking my phone out to scroll through my DM's, "Oh here," I begin reading aloud with air quotes Maverick's part, "I asked: What about Cece? To which he replied, she ain't got what you do."

I'm not a hundred percent if it's the reflection of my hair gazing back at me from her eyes or if Cece Bundt's actual eyes lit on fire, but all I see is red glaring back at me as she rips the phone out of my hand to scroll through the conversation.

"You ratchet bitch!" She yells, throwing my phone down and taking a giant lunge towards me.

Phones emerge around us as Bundty tries to hit me. She's full-on crazy, ranting things and swinging her backpack at me. I easily dodge her pathetic blows, only egging her on more. Soon, Mr. Dahl comes running out of his class, grabbing a possessed Bundty.

"OFFICE, YOU TWO, NOW!"

"Why certainly," I say, picking up my phone.

"You ginger freak!" Bundty yells as I skip off ahead of her and Mr. Dahl towards the office.

****

"Who wants to tell me why we're gathered here in my office today?" Mr. Hunderk says.

I wait for him to begin the predictability speech while Bundty crosses her arms.

"I'd like to think I'm predictable," Mr. Hunderk begins, but there's a knock at the door.

Ms. Greuner opens the door to reveal a very, very, very pissed off Maeve.

"Come take a seat, Ms. Shamrock," Mr. Hunderk says, trying to hide the sudden smile on his face.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, I discreetly take it out to look, it's from Jin.

Almost ready?

Give it 10

"I was just talking to the girls about predictability, and how I like to be so predictable that my employees, my students, my significant other, hell, even my hairdresser know exactly what I'm going to do, exactly when I'm going to do it."

I try not to laugh as Maeve's pissed face turns to me as the significant other part comes out.

"So, Vel, Cece, who wants to tell me how old, predictable Mr. Hunderk responds to fighting in school?"

"Suspension," I say, a little too quickly.

Bundty's eyes whelm with tears.

"I think three days would teach you girls a lesson. I need both of you to know it cannot happen again. Am I clear?" Mr. Hunderk says.

Bundty shoots me a dirty look before nodding yes.

"Absolutely clear," I say, getting anxious.

"I'm sorry for Vel's behavior," Maeve begins, "Just three days?" Maeve rushes her words, trying to hide her annoyance at having to see Mr. Hunderk yet again.

"Yes, I'll need you to sign her out before you leave and sign some paperwork per usual."

"I'm sorry for Vel's terrible behavior, yet again, Mr. Hunderk, I'm going to be late for a meeting, can I come back and sign it later?"

"Certainly," Mr. Hunderk jumps out of his seat to go open the door as Maeve and I rush out.

"I can't believe this, Vel!" Maeve scoffs while slamming her car door. "I mean, are you serious?! I don't have time for this!"

"Sorry," I mumble as I scramble to see if Jin's responded yet. He has!

Calling now!

Yass!

"Are you sorry?!"

I look over anxiously at Maeve's purse and wait, drowning out her lecture.

"Was this about one of those boys? It was, wasn't it? You can't keep making destructive decisions! I mean for fuck sake, Vel!"

Ringing interrupts the drowning of Maeve's voice, as she digs her hand around her purse to find her phone.

"Why hello, Mr. Caldwell!" she instantly switches to her fakey fakey voice as she pulls into our driveway.

There's a long, quiet pause where I can hear an upset voice.

"Oh, no! That's terrible..." she says, seemingly unbothered as she pulls into our driveway.

I sit, casually watching her face from my periphery, pretending to text as my heart races. This is it, the moment of truth. This is how I'll find out if Maeve knows something.

"I'm sorry, what did you say happened?" Her hand freezes on the shifter as soon as she places the car in park.

She gets quiet as she listens to the frantic voice. I watch as her eyebrow twitches, and her face goes white. Holy shit.

"Wow...I'm....uhh," she begins as the voice continues frantically on the other end.

"I...uhh...I can't think of anything or anyone that would specifically target..." Maeve continues with broken speech as her eyes widen as she discreetly peers over her right shoulder towards me.

"Mr. Caldwell, I'll have to call you back," she says before quickly hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" I ask, hiding my face down in my phone, my heart racing.

"Do you have anything you need to share with me?" She asks quietly, her eyes peering at me between my red curls.

"Do you have anything...you need to share with me?" I ask, my face lifting up to meet her wide, twitching eyes.

"Go to your room," she inhales some breath, fighting to keep a straight face.

As I stare back at Maeve, it hits me. She's terrified. Maeve is never terrified. She fucking knows something—something BIG.

"GO TO YOUR ROOM NOW!" She screams as she leans across me to thrust open my door, unbuckling me and shoving me out. I hit the ground only to see Maeve's car reversing down the driveway and then speeding away.

Jin! She knows

As I send the text, my hands shake. I can't believe I was right. I mean, I can believe Maeve has been hiding something from me, but I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that she somehow might know about Red Lady. I mean, she has to, right? My phone buzzes. It's Jin.

I'm coming to get you.

Where we going?

We need to find out what Maeve knows. I say we start where your mom was hospitalized...