by Raathi Chota
“Wow, I’m touched.” I fake smiled then put the shoe back.
“What about Timberlands?” Axel asked, and I looked at Levi once again. He placed his hands on his hips and gestured downward since he wore a pair.
“You know what? We’re looking at this the wrong way.” Levi said as he looked at our shoes. “We have Doc Martens, combat boots, and Timberland—”
“Actually, I don’t have Timbe—” Levi cut me off when he put his index finger on my lips.
“So you’re looking for a sneaker that is not Converse because pumpkin already got spoiled with that one.” Axel grinned at me while Levi rolled his eyes.
“What about Vans?” I asked then picked a high top.
“I already have a black and white pair,” Levi groaned.
“Yeah, but you don’t have a white and black pair,” I pointed out as I held up the white and black pair. “It has black laces.”
***
I knew Levi would agree to it because the first day I met him he wore a cute red and white pair. He got a new pair every third year, plus the ones he had looked worn out. Axel helped get our sizes and finally after ten minutes we paid and left with our Vans on and shoes in hands.
When we were in the car to our next destination, I watched in awe as he ticked off the one we wrote when we were seven. I was excited to see the next place we’d go—the aquarium. On the way, we picked up burgers and fries then sang along to old tunes.
Half an hour later, we arrived at the aquarium and strolled by the exhibits. We took silly selfies with the animals yet half of them swam away when we checked the photo. At least we still looked good. The rest of the evening was spent at home as we watched Shrek then A Bug’s Life. Luckily, my dad didn’t question Levi’s bruises or his bandaged arm since he slipped on a jacket.
The following day, I studied and packed the whole day. Even though Benny, Liam, Nick, and Ethan came back in the afternoon, I told them to rest up for tomorrow.
It was Friday, and Benny picked me up early to go to Liam’s place before we met up with everyone. Nick was there too as always, and we talked about the utility hole at Miranda’s house.
“Is he okay?” I pointed at Liam who was on the verge of breaking. His hair was in all directions, and it seemed that he hadn’t showered yet.
“Not really. When he heard about Marcus and the thing with Miranda, he went crazy,” Benny mumbled beside me. I glanced up at Liam’s crime board, which turned into a crime wall. He took it too far. His back was turned to us as he pinned things up. I looked over at Nick, who spoke to Liam’s grandma by the doorway.
“Liam, do you have everything for your trip? Should I make more savories for your friends?”
“No, Grandma, we’re okay,” he answered as he pushed up his glasses. She nodded and walked off. Nick closed the door then sat on Liam’s desk chair.
“Who’s looking after her?” I asked.
“My cousin Bethany,” he replied and slowly turned to us. “Should I be worried?”
“Only if you have cheese, bro.” Nick shrugged as we laughed. Silence filled the room once again as Liam looked at the wall. Nick played with a Rubik’s cube that was on the desk while Benny and I sat on the bed. We had to meet everyone at Carter’s house soon; from there, we’d go to the beach house. It was almost three hours away, and the weather looked cool today. I felt Benny’s hand caress my cheek as I turned to him. He immediately pressed his lips against mine, and I responded when I kissed back. I wanted to push him down the bed and make out like there was no tomorrow, but Liam and Nick were in front of us. Benny pulled away yet our foreheads touched. I slowly bit my lip as I stared at his hungry lips. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Liam turn around. We pulled away as Liam pushed his glasses up.
“Marcus is getting suspicious. He should stick to soccer and luscious hair!” Liam ranted.
“You hate his hair, don’t you?” Nick laughed. Liam seemed taken back as he placed a hand on his chest.
“No! I love his brown locks! I just envy it,” Liam exaggerated. “I mean, did you guys go through that phase before winter break where you totally didn’t notice the guy? I obviously noticed because of Miranda, but now he’s just popping out of nowhere!”
“I kind of agree. I only started seeing him a lot more when we began dating.” I looked at Benny.
“See! Makes him even more suspicious!” Liam exclaimed. We laughed as Liam shook his head then looked at the wall again. Benny kissed my neck, and I sensed his need. Liam spun back around so fast that Benny groaned and leaned his forehead against my temple. “What if he’s working for James?”
Suddenly our postures straightened as we stared at Liam. My mouth snapped shut because I didn’t know what to say at that.
“Think about it, he’s always on our case, and he pointed out the other manhole at his girlfriend’s house!” Liam added.
“Maybe he’s suspicious because it’s not every day a bunch of teenagers is dealing with…y’know…” Benny trailed off.
“Plus, if he were working with James, then we would’ve noticed when Mike dropped Liam’s shoe by Lana’s house,” Nick said. “He would’ve constantly been on our case.”
“He better not tell anyone because then it’s us who have to suffer seeing the evidence!” Liam groaned. I had to tell them about James when he called the other night. They’re involved too. Nick and Liam switched places, and I watched as Liam sat down and muttered things about Marcus. Nick’s back was faced to us as he looked at the map of the entire town.
“How was the State Championships?” I asked Benny.
“It was good, we only lost one game, but the rest were flying colors,” he said, and I moved in to peck his cheek. He was fast and turned his head so that our lips met once again. I smiled against his lips then ran my hands down his neck as he deepened the kiss.
“Check this out,” Nick said, and we instantly pulled away to see that Nick and Liam looked at the wall. Benny threw his arms up in exasperation as I laughed. “The first manhole is in the Industrial area, which is on the west side of downtown; the second manhole is by Miranda’s house, which is in the east; and the third sewer by Ethan’s house is in the north, so it cou—”
“Illuminati confirmed!” Liam exclaimed as Nick joined the strings.
“Dude,” Benny groaned, and Liam turned in his chair to high five me.
“Maybe that’s how Marcus got into the sewers. He used utility hole number two,” Liam suggested, and Nick shook his head.
“No, he followed us because when I went back with him, his car was there.”
“Plus, it looks like the one by Miranda’s street hasn’t been opened in a long time,” I said. Again, silence repeated itself. We had our thinking caps on as we stared at the map.
“Aidan just texted me. We should leave now,” Nick said as he read off his phone. Thankfully, I put all my bags in Benny’s car as well as Nick so it was Liam. He seemed packed when we got here, so he showered, and we left after we said goodbye to his grandma.
When we got to Carter’s house, everyone arrived. We did the final packing into the cars, and Axel and Tamia decided to drive on their own so they’d load more bags. Since Levi’s arm wasn’t suitable to drive, Keene drove his car. In their vehicle, along with Keene and Levi was Blake, Ethan, and Jaden. I drove with Benny along with Nick, Melissa, and Liam, while Carter took his truck and had Aidan, Miranda, Tiffany, and Marcus.
We drove immediately once everyone was ready. We followed Carter’s truck since he, Blake, and Aidan had been to the beach house before. It was fun being in the car with Liam, Melissa, and Nick. We had a pit stop an hour later to get gas, a bathroom break, as well as Liam and Aidan’s high demand for ice cream. I noticed since Jaden drove with Levi and Blake, he’d influenced them to smoke again. Well, at least it’s the longest they’d gone without a cigarette.
By the time we got to the road that separated the lake and the houses, it was near sunset. I opened the window, and the fresh smell of water
hit my nose. I let my hair blow in the wind. My legs were propped up on the dashboard, and I admired the white and black Vans that I matched with Levi.
“Holy shit,” Melissa said as we came to a stop. I looked out the window to see Ethan’s beach house. My eyes widened as I took it all in. It was mostly glass, and the reflection of the ceiling being blue made an illusion. I saw the staircase from here going up to the third floor. There were seven rooms, and I wondered if this was the beach house, how many rooms Ethan had at home. I somehow always stuck to the bottom floor. Aidan told me that the rooftop was openly used as a miniature golf course and incredible views on sunsets.
We got out of the car, yet Benny, Keene, and Carter stayed in so they could park in the garage. I grabbed my backpack and followed the rest up the stairway.
“Cool beach house.” Miranda smiled at Ethan as he let us in.
“Thanks, err…you ladies get the first choice of rooms, and us guys will just take the ones that are left,” Ethan announced, and Tiffany and Melissa immediately bolted up the stairs after they dumped their bags. Since most modern houses were open plan, I could see that most of the furniture was in oak brown. I didn’t know which was the living room since there were two sofa sets, yet they faced away from each other. On the left had a projector while the right had a big flat screen against each wall.
“Lana, can you come with me? I forgot my skateboard,” Liam said since everyone was in the house by now. I nodded and followed Liam as he took Benny’s keys from the multiple keys that were hung up on the wall. We walked to the garage, and Liam turned on the lights. He let out a low whistle, and I looked over his shoulder to see two sports cars.
“I love having Ethan as a friend,” Liam said, and I nudged him as we walked past the cars. “What? I love him because he’s a good captain, kind-hearted, and his cottage makes me feel like an investigator.” He shook his head. “Pfft…Lana Willson, how dare you think I’m a gold digger?”
I laughed as we stopped by Benny’s car. I placed my hands on my hips as I waited for him to open the vehicle. He suddenly froze as I stared at him.
“Liam, what is it—”
“Get Benny…and Nick,” he rushed out as he stared at the keys. “Call them over!”
I threw my hands up and walked out of the garage. Melissa, Miranda, and Tiffany were on their phones while Axel, Ethan, and Tamia were in the kitchen. I entered the living room to see that Nick and Benny were playing video games with Aidan and Marcus on the flat screen. On the other side, Keene, Carter, Jaden, Blake, and Levi spoke about the one and only Katherine Taylor. I awkwardly walked toward Nick and Benny. Thankfully, they were on a separate sofa, so it was easy to whisper and tell them that Liam needed them. Aidan and Marcus paused the game but conversed, so it was easy to walk to the garage.
“Liam, what is it?” Nick asked as we stopped by the car. He held up the keys he had, which I assumed wasn’t the right one since Benny drove a Toyota. From the corner of my eye, I saw Benny walk toward it and snatch it out of Liam’s hold.
“Benny, what is it?” I asked as he slowly stepped away from Liam and kept his gaze on the keys.
“These are my old car keys,” he said, and I swore my throat closed.
“Now how did that get here?” someone asked, and we turned our heads to see Marcus Sanders by the door.
Chapter Six
Lana
We stared at Marcus with wide eyes as he stood by the door with his head tilted. I watched as his eyes shifted from me to the keys. He stepped toward us, and I awkwardly stepped back to Benny and Nick.
“Why do you have your old car keys, Benny?” Marcus asked, yet I felt as if he already knew.
“I always keep my keys from my previous cars.” Benny shrugged and put the keys behind his back. I glanced down and watched him shake them. I quickly grabbed the keys and stuffed them in my pocket.
“That’s odd to bring it with you to a beach house,” Marcus pointed out as he stood right in front of Benny. Marcus might be a soccer player with a good body, but Benny and Nick still towered over him.
“Must’ve dropped them in by mistake,” Benny stated. I turned my head to see Liam lean against the car as he glared at Marcus.
“What’s your problem, dude? Why you always up in our business?” Liam snapped then folded his arms.
“Just curious, Sanchez.” Marcus laughed. “It’s not every day you find your friends lurking around the sewers, having weird photographs, and not to mention…having pictures of my girl. Are you stalking her?”
“N-No, I’m just taking pictures for the yearbook.”
“Is the yearbook just gonna be about Miranda?” Marcus hissed then grabbed Liam’s jaw so that they made eye contact. “Look, I don’t want you taking pictures of my girlfriend again or else…I’ll tell everyone what you guys are up to. I’m watching you.” He jabbed his finger in Liam’s face.
“Don’t touch me,” Liam warned as he shoved Marcus away. We watched as Marcus laughed then ran a hand through his hair. He straightened his posture then stared at Liam.
“Or what? I’m just telling you to back off.” He shrugged. “It’s kinda creepy.”
“Marcus,” I warned, and he turned to me with his eyes squinted.
“I’m being honest, Lana. We’re all friends, and friends don’t keep secrets from each other.” He raised his voice. “Especially ones that can get you into deep shit.”
I was about to open my mouth and speak but stopped when Liam charged toward Marcus and punched him. My eyes widened as Marcus landed against the car and groaned.
“You’re a douche,” Liam hissed then went for another punch, but Marcus wrapped his hand around Liam’s fist then twisted it. Benny and Nick tried to break the two up as they kicked and punched each other. I stood and watch the scene unfold. No matter how many times Benny pulled Liam away, he continued to throw punches. Marcus’s arms wrapped around Liam’s waist then pushed him against a car; Liam cursed then pulled on his hair. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw everyone walk in. They looked at me then the fight. Aidan and Keene jumped in as they tried to pull the two from each other. My gaze suddenly fell on Miranda, who walked in last. Her jaw dropped as she walked to the front and yelled at the two. After another minute, silence filled the garage apart from Liam’s and Marcus’s heavy breaths.
“What the fuck is going on?” Ethan demanded as he stood between the two. No one answered, and I noticed Miranda stroked Marcus’s cheek. His lip was busted, and he rubbed his hair because Liam pulled on it. I turned to Liam, who had a swollen eye, yet I noticed the pain in them as he stared at Marcus and Miranda.
“Liam, why would you do that?” Miranda asked as she stepped away from her boyfriend and toward Liam.
“H-He was…” Liam trailed off as Miranda turned to me with a questioning look.
“Who started it?” she questioned, and my mouth opened, but nothing came out. I felt everyone’s eyes on me, and I glanced around to see Blake narrowed his eyes.
“Forget it,” Liam said then threw his arms up in exasperation. We watched as he reached into the back of Carter’s car and pulled out his skateboard, which I thought was in Benny’s car. When he dropped it on the ground, I winced as it echoed. He hit the button against the wall to open the garage. I wanted to run after him, but Benny held me back. I glanced up to see him give me an assured look.
“Leave him. When he’s on that thing, he wants to think.”
“So? None of you are going to tell me what happened?” Miranda asked.
“It’s nothing, baby. Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said then swung his arm around Miranda’s shoulder. The couple walked out of the garage, and everyone else followed. Ethan closed the garage door which left us in darkness. I entwined my fingers with Benny’s and rested my head against his shoulder. He looked down at me as we walked out of the garage.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be back soon,” Nick said as he walked backward to talk to us. I nodded then took the keys out of my back pocket. I held
them in the palm of my hand and stared. I witnessed Liam picked it out of the multiple keys that hung together. I glanced up at Nick and Benny, who held the same expression as me. Nick ran a hand through his blond hair and let out a sigh. Benny slowly took them from me and shoved them in his pocket.
“We’re gonna go upstairs and check this thing out,” he said then turned to me. “Come up in ten minutes?”
I nodded and folded my arms. They casually walked upstairs as I entered the living room. Marcus sprawled out on the sofa with an ice pack pressed against his lip. Miranda was on the ground with her legs crossed as she faced him. I sat next to Melissa, who was busy on her phone. I glanced around the room and noticed a pair of eyes on me. Blake raised his brow and shifted his gaze to Marcus. As he turned back to me, I smiled.
“Hey, what happened?” Melissa raised her chin at me. I shrugged then let out a laugh.
“Just boys being boys.”
“Lana, I know a certain basketball player likes a certain blonde,” she said then turned her head to Miranda. I let out a huff as she squealed. “I knew he’d crack one of these days!”
“How’d you know?”
“Duh, Nick tells me everything.”
I slowly nodded and watched Melissa as she stared at Marcus. She bit her lip, and I followed her gaze to see that Miranda told him to take off his shirt since there was blood on it.
“Oh, my,” I breathed out.
“Oh my, indeed.” Tiffany joined us as she sat on the ground.
“What you three ogling at?” Carter came out of nowhere with a bowl of Doritos and sat next to Melissa.
“Nothing, Carter Halls, nothing that you’ll understand,” Melissa assured him. Carter opened his mouth to speak, but Jaden beat him to it.
“Yo, what are we having for dinner, oh lovely family?”
“I checked the pantry, and there’s a shit load of food to eat, so what do you guys want?” Tamia asked.
“Whatever’s your specialty, mama bear.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, if she’s mama bear, then who’s papa bear?” Levi laughed. Suddenly everyone turned to Axel and Keene.