The picture of Cece on the red slip of paper stared back at Zoe. It looked like her school photo, but with the red tint to her face it made her look creepy as hell. Zoe’s skin prickled, and the sensation crawled up her arms.
Teddy’s fingers gripped the money, crinkling the hundred-dollar bills in his hand.
Where did Teddy get all of that? His mom worked two jobs to pay all the bills, Zoe doubted they had cash lying around. The note for Teddy said that he cherished money which made no sense to her.
‘Why did you try to get into the office?’ Jackie asked Teddy.
Zoe was torn. She wanted to know more about Teddy, but the game was continuing no matter how much they talked about it.
‘Take it, Cece,’ Teddy murmured, ignoring Jackie’s question.
Cece shook her head, her hands clasped in her lap.
Teddy tossed it at her.
It floated in the air for a moment, suspended, before it fluttered down, landing on the white strips of paper scattered over the table.
‘If you’re not going to look at it,’ Q said, reaching for it.
Zoe lunged forward, plucking the paper from the stack.
Q cocked his head to the side, taking in Zoe’s defiance.
Holly and Jackie looked at her too. Zoe’s cheeks flushed. She wasn’t sure why she did it. She normally kept to herself, but for some reason, she didn’t want Q to get the paper. Was he doing this to them? He always tripped people in the hallway or played tricks on unsuspecting kids. This seemed like something he would do.
Zoe placed the paper in front of Cece and lifted her gaze to Q, daring him to say something. ‘It’s obviously for her.’
Q blinked slowly then his attention was back on Teddy. ‘I wouldn’t have destroyed the money either. Though by the way you ran, you looked spooked. What happened?’
Teddy licked his lips but said nothing.
‘Come on, Teddy,’ Holly said. ‘If this person is messing with us, we need to know what we’re up against.’
Everyone held their breath while watching the war taking place on Teddy’s face.
‘It’s not a big deal,’ Teddy said. ‘I work at night. I have a personal bank account for my money with mobile banking. When the time was up, I heard the app alert coming from my phone.’
‘Do you think this person got into your account?’ Jackie asked, leaning forward in her chair.
Teddy shrugged. ‘Or maybe it was a coincidence.’
‘It would be a bizarre coincidence,’ Zoe said.
‘Why do you have a personal bank account anyway?’ Q asked.
‘I have a bank account,’ Cece said matter-of-factly.
‘I’m not talking about a trust account,’ Q snapped.
‘I’m saving up for college,’ Teddy said.
‘Aren’t your parents going to pay for that?’ Jackie asked.
Zoe glared at Jackie. This girl was clueless about anyone outside of her little bubble of friends. Other than Holly, everyone in that room had gone to school together since kindergarten. Everyone—or at least Zoe thought everyone—knew Teddy only had one parent.
‘He doesn’t—’ Zoe started, but Teddy interrupted her.
‘It’s just my mom and me,’ he said.
Zoe’s heart went out to him. They had been friends through middle school, but once Teddy jumped on the fast-track to honors classes, he never looked back. Now she knew why. While his life in school wasn’t much of a mystery, his personal life was. And not for the first time, Zoe thought she should have tried harder to stay friends with him.
‘I want more out of my life than this place,’ Teddy continued. ‘I took the pittance my grandmother left me and started building it. If someone messed with my account, then I have nothing. No future at all.’
Zoe understood completely. She wanted out of this podunk town the second she held her diploma in her hands. But unlike Teddy, she had nowhere to go. She couldn’t leave, no matter how much she dreamed she could. She’d never be able to abandon her mom the way Noelle did. Her sister was just as selfish as their mother which didn’t leave Zoe with much choice. From the way Teddy talked about losing everything, he didn’t seem as upset as she would have been. He probably held onto the hope that this was a joke.
Zoe glanced at the office, where Mr. Curtis had his back to them as he typed on the computer. She wondered if he would make an exception and allow Teddy to check his phone. Other than coming to detention that morning, Teddy never got into any trouble. Ever.
‘What did the note mean about you taking from others?’ Jackie asked, bringing them all back to the situation they were in.
Teddy’s gaze lifted to hers. ‘I have no idea.’
‘I call bull on that one,’ Q said.
Teddy cut a look his way. ‘That’s your prerogative.’
‘Someone obviously has it in for you,’ Q said. ‘I think we need to get to the phones to figure out what happened. See if your money is still there.’
‘I doubt that’s going to happen,’ Zoe said.
They all looked at her as if she’d just ripped a Band-Aid off their collective bodies. It was the truth, even though she desperately wanted it not to be. Mr. Curtis could be strict when he needed to. He wasn’t a complete pushover.
‘Mr. Curtis locked the drawer,’ she said weakly.
‘So, we break it open,’ Q said.
‘How?’ Teddy asked.
‘He’s sitting right there,’ Jackie said. ‘And I’m not getting another detention because of you, Teddy. No offense.’
Jackie sighed and picked up another slip of paper, stapling the ends around the loop she was working on.
Teddy frowned and stared at the desk in front of him. He looked as if someone had just kicked his dog.
And then, without warning, he stood up. He walked over to the office and stepped through the doors.
Zoe strained to hear what they were saying.
Teddy motioned to the drawer as Mr. Curtis swiveled in his chair to face him.
‘Can you hear them?’ Jackie asked.
Cece and Holly shushed her.
Mr. Curtis crossed his arms. That wasn’t a good sign.
Teddy hung his head while speaking to Mr. Curtis. The conversation wasn’t going in Teddy’s favor.
Zoe’s stomach flip-flopped. She wanted Mr. Curtis to give Teddy the phone. She wanted to know if there had been a withdrawal from his account. If there was, then this person who targeted them wasn’t messing around.
Mr. Curtis looked through the glass windows at the others.
Zoe sank into her chair, not wanting to be roped into this.
‘Go sit down, Teddy,’ Mr. Curtis said, coming into the central area of the library.
Teddy shuffled across the space and flopped into his chair.
Cece reached up and grabbed the red slip with her photo on it, bringing it down into her lap.
‘Are you finished with the chain?’ Mr. Curtis asked. It was a rhetorical question since there were still slips on the table.
‘No,’ Jackie said, unnecessarily.
‘You kids and your phones,’ he said. He stood there for a moment.
Zoe grabbed her stapler and quickly stapled three slips to her chain.
She could feel his eyes on her, but she was used to that. She kept her head down.
He eventually walked away.
‘Why didn’t you tell Mr. Curtis about the book?’ Zoe asked Teddy. She kept her voice low so that Mr. Curtis wouldn’t come back out.
‘That voice said he would know if we inform anyone outside of the room,’ Teddy said. ‘I’m following the rules.’
‘You already lost,’ Q said. ‘Why are you worried about the rules? What are you hiding?’
‘Nothing.’ Teddy held Zoe’s gaze.
She was the first to look away. Without a father, Teddy always assumed the role of her protector. She didn’t deserve that anymore from him after she willingly let go of their friendship. So why was he still protecting her? Or had he changed so much that he was protecting himself? Did he expect her to convince the others that he had nothing to hide?
‘You just want everyone else to suffer,’ Q said.
‘He’s right,’ Holly said, defending Teddy. ‘Maybe things will get worse if we tell anyone.’
‘What if it’s Mr. Curtis?’ Jackie whispered, adjusting the chain in front of her. ‘He left the room before all of this started.’
‘That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard,’ Zoe said under her breath.
Jackie whirled on her. ‘What did you say?’
Q chuckled. ‘Girl fight!’
Zoe rolled her eyes. ‘Why would a teacher prank his students? I’m sure he has better things to do.’
‘Yeah, like getting to know his students on a more personal level,’ Jackie said with a smirk.
Zoe narrowed her eyes.
Jackie glanced around as if feeling the attention on her, milking it for all it was worth. ‘I hear he likes to spend his free time getting close with his students.’
‘That’s disgusting,’ Teddy said.
Zoe’s heart started to race as Jackie’s attention focused on the person sitting next to her.
‘Holly, would you know anything about that?’ Jackie asked with mock innocence.
‘I have no idea what you’re talking about,’ Holly said. ‘But I suggest you shut your mouth.’
Zoe noticed the slight hunch in Holly’s shoulders and her inability to look Jackie in the eyes. That made the hairs on her arms stand up.
‘Don’t you?’ Jackie asked. ‘I’ve heard otherwise.’
Holly sucked in a breath through her teeth. ‘You may have the rest of the school trembling in their shoes when you come around. But I’m not like them. I suggest you take your accusations elsewhere. You never know what might happen.’
Jackie stood up. ‘Are you threatening me?’
Holly lifted her chin. ‘If I were threatening you, you’d know.’
‘Will everyone stop arguing, please?’ Cece hissed.
With everything going on, Zoe almost forgot that Cece was next.
Cece still hadn’t said anything since Zoe gave her the paper. The instructions were on the back. What if it was another time-sensitive one?
Jackie and Holly held a silent staring contest for a few more moments before turning to Cece.
‘What does it say?’ Teddy asked, leaning forward in his chair.
‘Yeah, spill, princess,’ Q said.
‘If I don’t read it, then it doesn’t exist,’ Cece said as if she were trying to convince herself more than them.
‘Sure it does,’ Holly said.
‘Mine had a time limit,’ Teddy added. ‘I would turn yours over to check.’
‘Yeah,’ Jackie said. ‘Maybe your time is already up.’
Cece chewed on her lower lip for a minute as if it were gum.
Zoe’s hand twitched. She was as curious as the rest.
Then, Cece turned the paper over.