Between the lines

lor

assroom doors and sits in his respectiv

bsent,"

y Kyle that his absence is strange? The silence is refreshing, a

yle is

ter. "What is

*

I should listen to the part of me saying to forget about him and k

sment today, too," Olivi

skin from the rest of the meat, chewing ag

*

handle the mystery. I stare at the back of Ron's head as he slouches into his seat, sighing restlessly as the teacher speaks. I open my notebook

nothi

to messages,

m a little

a litt

e he's no

s out with such gr

o something a

what

I should do. Then the school bell brings me an idea. Our history teacher finishes up her lesson and leaves with a polite "Good mornin

er's going on in your head right now..

ve an

lete pushover if I had to ask him to get any informatio

tin

*

l guy, sitting on a moss green couch in the corner of the room, tapping away on his laptop. He has the same gigantic, baby blue glasses over his eyes that he'd managed

He looks up and stops tapping, fixing his

's been a while since you've l

ewsroom, sometimes and he was always a big part of news production. Then he went off in

ing to come in handy someday. Fortunately for me, being someone who always thinks three steps ahead, I h

the fact," I rep

ou for?" He asks,

I say. I don't exactly know

An

ol's system where they keep all the informat

hat it's like... illegal t

have chosen to be a smart

Justin Dean. I need the address of a

row. "Davidson

David

ing to get answers out of those big brain goodies in class s

racting voice, I can see him trying to focus on closing off tabs o

m planning to fi

er me in return for this as

I'll keep y

at me. "Wha

wouldn't want me to sell you out about what you've actually been doing on the computer when you used to

"Fine. I get to erase your blackmai

ave an entire folder of blackmail content that I can use against any one of the seniors. I'm i

me Kyle's current

. "I'll give you the address hop

d of to

you can do bet

logy teachers would know someone is hacking into the system while we'

atever. Thanks, Just

alory?" He ca

tter as I turn

t the leading roles for the A.F play?

e school press in on the business between Davidson and me, but I do

lowly. "Unf

How's that working ou

chainsaw down my throat. I want to deliberately bang my head a hundred times on a

w I need to find him. That's not the good part in my opinion, but I must. I'm not letting Kyle Davidson ruin my final year

Beverly's

e. "Bev's

l get you the address. Do you

o

I do

with Kyle Davidso

e thought of cal

really need it. But thanks, an

*

ho were seated at a table. They cease the conversati

es his br

them waiting in anticipation. I smirk. "I'

relief. "How do y

y of my life. "Most people hoard pictures or mu

on asks,

r revealed them to anyone –not

diculous! A genius, but

pping my pitch black hair and

e of her hands, "What's the plan

o go over there and

at me pointedly. "Malo

I ask, in

ow where that place is... what the neighbourhood is like... And when are you planning to go anyway? After

p into his uncle?

thought you said his

replied to me in days so I don'

g to do, then?" I ask

go. The th

messy situations and being a bad example. They seem to already think I'm not 'Chri

g to her, "and your parents will lock you in your room the minute they

I have something to do she gets at least a heads up two da

is out of the country, so there's really no protesting

ally bad idea to go alone

th Kyle Davidson." I poke the side of my forehead twice. "Think positive." I steal

*

over and I stand with Ron and Olivia a

at work in about an h

y's work has been handed over to another part timer for the while, so I'l

he paper agai

pull the slip of paper with Kyle's

escape my lips for the first time. "S

her..."

." Olivi

e a taxi to get th

an anxious tantrum. "Call immediately if there's tro

y eyes. "

fe," sh

he school compound to get to the main ro

*

ok at my surroundings. I'd nev

ll cream wall surrounds the compound and there's a guard booth connecting a large automatic

k anything like a ga

a gated community

uh

iddle-aged security looks down at me wi

ning, Miss

allow

I so n

ir. I'm here to s

place like this? How rich

young man has never had a guest of his o

t understand... Should I even be her

I reply with

o me. "Walk straight along the sid

the automatic gate opens and

me in so easily? Is this how these gated communities actually work? I guess the security here isn't really as tight as people wh

mpound as I walk down the sidewalk,

es I could see through that weren't surrounded by opaque walls. There are seniors playing golf in the distance, and some driving their golf carts. There is a pond shaped like

could be threatened –or at least

d floor –which is basically the roof. The rails of these balconies are adorned with glimmering bronze tiles. The accent colours of the house are

ont gate. There's a mailbox

ell three times and wait. There is no respons

receive no

Davidson! Are you sleeping or something? Seriously why

eat speeds up. I could feel my breaths becoming laboured. The first thing I notice when I proces

on in their abdomen but I hit the metal instead and groan into the cloth, painfully, as my elbow begins to throb. I scream, but there's no