Twelve
I was looking forwardto meeting up with the girls after two more days of mindlessly going through the motions of classes. I took notes on autopilot and did homework with Gavin and Sky in the afternoons. Gavin created a program that was running through the information from Juliet’s phone and looking for any duplicate names, addresses, or phone numbers on Mr. Peters’. As the list grew, he was adding notes and details that helped pull together the entire puzzle.
It made me sick. There was no denying Juliet’s involvement with the AS, and I wondered what her end game was. How could she have known about me? What was the point in being my dad’s assistant? Why did she take things to the next level by dating him? I doubted those answers would come from her phone. Only she could tell me.
“There she is!” CeeCee waved me over to the table she and Gwyn had claimed in the corner of the cafe.
I crossed the room and saw a drink in front of the empty chair.
“We got you an iced caramel latte,” Gwyn said.
“That’s my favorite.” I grinned and took a generous sip.
“We remembered,” CeeCee said. “Gavin told me about your dad and his girlfriend, so you don’t have to update us. Just know we’re here if you want to talk.”
My shoulders relaxed, and I took another drink. “Thanks. It’s been the only thing on my mind lately, so I would love a break. What’s going on with you guys?”
“Oh, well, nothing with me, but CeeCee has a new crush,” Gwyn smirked.
“Hey!” CeeCee tossed her straw wrapper across the table. “I was going to tell her. You don’t need to do it for me.”
I leaned forward on my elbows. “Tell me!”
“Her name is Violet, and I met her online.” CeeCee smiled down at her mug. Her cheeks were bright pink, so I resisted the urge to make a big deal out of it.
“Very cool. Did you meet on a fan page or something?”
The two girls shared a look before CeeCee answered. “Not exactly.”
“What’s going on?”
“This is totally against the rules, so don’t tell anyone, even the guys.” CeeCee waited for me to agree before continuing. “I heard from my cousin in Florida that someone made a website for Society kids to meet and talk. I found the site and made a profile. That’s how I met her.”
I raised my brows. “That sounds dangerous.”
What if it was something the AS created to lure kids in and get their information?
“Don’t worry, we don’t use real names, addresses, or anything.”
I looked to Gwyn, but she lifted her drink and glanced away. So she wasn’t really supporting this either.
“So is Violet her real name?” I asked.
“Yeah, once we met and started talking, we decided to take it off the site and we gave each other our numbers. We’ve done video chats and calls and stuff, so I know she’s really who she says she is.”
I wanted to be happy for her but trusting a stranger? The weight of my history plus all that had happened this week made me wary. The AS had abilities too. They could easily pretend to be one of us.
“Be careful.” I smiled, and she nodded, too blissed out to recognize my concern.
Gwyn stirred her drink. “So, what about you? Anything new?”
I bit my lip and stared at the table. Should I tell them? They were the only ones I could talk to about what happened with Gavin, and I was dying to say it out loud. The only problem was I knew Gavin wouldn’t be comfortable with it. At least, I didn’t think so. I guess I could tell them without going into details and not telling them who it was with.
“I may have listened to what you guys said.”
They both perked up. “What do you mean?” CeeCee asked.
“That there’s a lot to do between kissing and sex.”