Electric Truth

11 ALEX

"What did he do?" I asked, trying to figure out if I had misheard something.

We had been sitting in the library for a good half hour. During that time, I had been questioning Mia about various people from school. Since I was going to have my first day the next day, I wanted to be prepared. However, during our conversation, I realized that the information I had wasn't quite useful. Names, surnames, class, or comments about parents didn't reveal much if I wanted to dig deeper.

Thank goodness I met Mia.

She may not have been surrounded by those people, but she had knowledge and had heard a lot about them. She knew most of them since kindergarten. As she spoke, I discreetly took notes, planning to add the information to my files later.

"Really," she nodded, and a grimace appeared on her face. "Apparently, his father dealt with the matter for a whole week so he could come back to school."

We were talking about Hunter.

From her posture and the way she talked about the boy, I was curious about what had happened between them, although I didn't show that I had guessed anything. If she didn't want to talk about it, who was I to ask?

I also learned a thing or two about the twins. Justin was the one who had his nose broken a few years ago. Or rather, someone broke it for him. Jason wasn't any better, although he got into fights less often. They were always together. If one wasn't around, the other wasn't either. And when one was seen, the other lurked nearby. They shared everything, starting from clothes and ending with girls. When one got tired, the other took over. Or they did it simultaneously, if you believed the rumors about them - Mia's words, not mine.

In my mind, it sounded more like conjoined twins, but separated. Which was really creepy, if you thought about it.

"So, just because he had bad grades, he couldn't stay in the team anymore?" I returned to the subject, forgetting about the twins' disgusting behavior. "And after finding out about it, he vandalized the teacher's car, the one who failed him? That's stupid," I commented.

I was surprised. What kind of idiot does something like that? It was absurd. Especially since he didn't even bother to do it well or discreetly. He was caught immediately, and then he admitted to his deed. What a moron.

He probably knew his rich father would save his ass.

"Of course, it's stupid..." She turned her head away, and I furrowed my brows and looked at her attentively. Was there something more to this story?

Never mind, I scolded myself in my thoughts. It's none of my business.

And though I tried to restrain myself, something inside me was genuinely intrigued. It was hard for me to admit, but I extracted information from her not only to make my task easier but also... to know more about the lives of ordinary people.

Even though Hunter was an idiot, he was undeniably... free. He could do whatever he wanted and apparently didn't even care about the consequences. Not like me.

I felt a tightness in my chest and suppressed my envy right from the start.

"That's why you should stay away from them as much as possible," she turned to me again, and in her eyes, I saw something akin to determination. "Sure, they're popular and handsome..." She sighed softly. "...but getting involved with them only brings trouble, trust me," she snorted quietly and gloomily at the last words. "Maybe Derek is the only one who's okay, although he hasn't been at school for a few days, and everyone wonders what happened. They apparently had a falling out," she muttered, shrugging her shoulders.

I furrowed my brows. Did I mishear something? Who the fuck was Derek?

"With whom did he have a fight?"