Six Little Secrets

Q was quicker and grabbed the book.

Teddy launched up from his chair. He wasn’t sure what Q was going to do, but he wouldn’t risk it. ‘Give that back.’

‘Who the hell is Bert?’ Q asked, looking at the inside cover of the book.

Teddy’s heart plummeted. It was his copy.

‘My mom got it at a book sale,’ Teddy said, not wanting to delve into his personal history with the novel.

Q wasn’t going to listen. Teddy reached for the book and grabbed the back half.

‘Stop,’ Teddy warned.

‘What’s the big deal?’ Q held on and pulled back.

Teddy pulled harder and felt the book strain under the pressure. Then the spine split in half, leaving a part of the book in each of their hands.

‘Dude,’ Q said.

‘Give it back,’ Teddy said quietly, trying to control his breathing. Heat crept up his body.

Q smiled sheepishly and handed his half of the book.

‘Nice going, loser,’ Jackie said to Q.

It was bad enough that someone had broken into Teddy’s house to get the book, now it was wrecked. A prankster and Q ruined a part of his past.

Teddy sat down, and everyone else did the same. The room was silent for several moments. He placed the torn halves of the novel together, shoved the book in his bag, and immediately went back to the paper chain.

He was hyper-aware of everyone in the room.

Zoe sifted through the pile of paper in front of her. She probably still clung onto the idea that there were more red slips.

He couldn’t care less if there were more. He wanted the timer to tick down so they could see that all of this was some sick joke. Or else for the person to reveal himself. He bet it was his cousin. Declan always messed with him when he could. And taking Teddy’s money would be the ultimate prank for Declan. Teddy caught him numerous times snooping in his room. That’s probably how he knew Carrie was his favorite book.

Teddy sat back in his chair and started to believe that it had been Declan. Logistically, Teddy wasn’t sure how his cousin knew about the bank account, but he was the only other person who knew how much Teddy made on a weekly basis.

If he didn’t hide it away, his junkie cousin would probably have stolen all of the saved-up cash. There was no way Teddy would let Declan get one grubby finger on the money.

As everyone started stapling the chain again, Teddy noticed all of them glancing at the clock when they thought no one was looking.

Instead of staring at the clock, he started working too.

‘One minute left,’ Jackie said, breaking the silence.

Did this girl always have to be the center of attention?

Teddy looked up at the clock as the second hand made its rotation around the face. When the minute was up, he looked down at his bag and then gave a pointed glance to Jackie.

‘See, I told—’ Teddy’s words were swallowed up by a faint sound.

He held his breath, hoping that he didn’t hear it again.

The alert tone from his phone made his throat clench. Even from inside the librarian’s office, he recognized the sound. When he was out of school for the day or home on the weekends he always kept his phone on the highest ringer in case he was needed.

‘No,’ he said, standing up.

‘What is it?’ Zoe asked.

His chair toppled to the ground behind him as he leaped up and started for the office.

‘What’s going on here?’ Mr. Curtis’s voice boomed across the room.

Teddy whirled around and locked eyes with his teacher. Of course, he had to come back just when he needed to get to his phone.

‘I asked you a question,’ Mr. Curtis said, his eyebrows drawn together.

‘I, uh—’ Teddy mumbled. His mind raced for an excuse, but all he could think about was the alert on his phone. The one that sounded after he deposited or withdrew from his bank account. It wasn’t a coincidence that it went off the moment his time was up. He needed to see the balance of his account right this second.

But with Mr. Curtis in the room, Teddy knew that wasn’t going to happen.

‘I’m stretching my legs,’ Teddy said weakly, giving the first excuse that came to mind. ‘I have a cramp.’

Mr. Curtis narrowed his eyes, then glanced at the rest of the group. ‘Get back to your seat.’

‘Did you hear that announcement?’ Jackie asked Mr. Curtis.

‘What announcement?’ Mr. Curtis asked, eyeing the group.

‘It’s nothing,’ Teddy said, dropping back into his chair.

His heart pounded, and his armpits dampened. The hope that Mr. Curtis had caught the person in charge of the ‘game’ disappeared in that instant. Explaining what happened to Mr. Curtis wouldn’t get his book or money back.

Maybe whoever played this game with him knew the alert tone and was messing with him even more. He was the only one with the numeric pin to get into the account.

He glanced at the book and let out a shuddering breath. He was wrong. He wasn’t the only one who knew the pin. He’d written it down inside the book. The one that someone had stolen from him and cut up.

He tried to hold onto his composure, but dread pooled in his stomach.

His money was safe. It had to be.

He repeated those words in his head, not believing the alternative.

‘You didn’t hear anything?’ Zoe asked Mr. Curtis.

‘I don’t know what’s going on here,’ Mr. Curtis said. ‘But I’m trying to be as fair as I can. I have to work on the computer now to file some paperwork to the state for my teaching license, so I need to concentrate. Help me out, and I’ll try as hard as I can to get you out of here. All right?’

Everyone muttered their consent.

Mr. Curtis entered the office, and Teddy reached down into his bag for the novel. He opened it under the desk and lifted the stack of cash, counting it quickly.

He had sifted through nine one-hundred-dollar bills before he stopped at the last one.

This one was unlike the rest. It was a fake, printed on red paper. And someone else’s face replaced Benjamin Franklin’s.

Teddy lifted the paper and held it up.

The rest of the group leaned closer, each of them taking in the face.

Their eyes fell on the next victim.

It was Cece.

CHAPTER FIVE

ZOE

Saturday

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.’

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