RIVALS - Wally Clark

Chapter 17 - The Homecoming Dance

"So this is... Simon?" Jackie asked as she looked towards the boy, who was buying some drink from the cafeteria vending machine. His hair was long and dark, and he wasn't all that tall. But there was something about him that seemed interesting. "And he can see you and only you, why?"

"Jury is still out on that one," Wally answered for Maddie, looking over at the boy.

Jackie noticed Maddie's gaze stay on the boy for a second too long. "He's cute, no?" Maddie didn't respond, but Wally looked at her as if she had grown six more heads. She rolled her eyes in return.

"The girl on the left is Nicole," Maddie began, pointing towards the girl with curly dark hair. And the one on the right is--"

Jackie's gaze fell on the boy wearing a black jean jacket. "The cheating ex boyfriend who you thought killed you for a minute there? Adds up," said Jackie, her eyes on his unblinking, blue eyes. Maddie gave her a look. "What? I could see it."

"Don't mind her," Wally stepped in. "Jackie figured out how to use the old tv in the library and she's been stuck on crime documentaries all morning."

"Yeah, and nine times out of ten, it's the cheating boyfriend," she responded. "And I've only been watching because for some reason, the channel won't change."

"She's still figuring out the ins and outs of ghosthood," Wally said, his eyes on her. Maddie herself saw how his eyes seemed to soften whenever he talked with or about her. But Jackie was still learning how to cope and Wally didn't want to be the one to swoop in and confuse her on the way.

"And then there's Claire. A suspect of ours?" Jackie asked.

"Kind of," Maddie said, eyeing her friends sitting together at a lunch table. When Xavier walked towards the table, he literally looked like he had seen a ghost. So, Maddie waved Jackie along to follow. Wally, on the other hand, went to go grab food from the cafeteria.

"Claire said yes," Xavier said with wide eyes, allowing his lunch tray to hit the table.

"Told you it would work," Maddie stated as if the others could hear her.

"What now?" Xavier asked.

"Operation Claire, we crack her at the dance," Maddie said. Simon repeated this to Nicole and Xavier.

"Crack her? What does that even mean?" Nicole asked.

"Get her to admit what she did. We know she was blackmailing Anderson for grades, right? When we got that video, they freaked. And if Anderson didn't do it... We need to confirm she took Maddie's phone," said Simon. "And smashed it. And what else she may have smashed. Like Maddie's head." Everyone let out some sort of response to Simon's grotesque comments. "It's the truth!"

"Does the truth have to be so graphic while we're eating?" Nicole asked.

"You need to charm Claire into a confession," said Simon. "And record it on your phone. Get her to admit she dragged Maddie's body out the fallout shelter."

"Charm her? Last week she was pretending I didn't even exist," exclaimed Xavier.

"I don't even know why she said 'yes,'" Xavier sighed, picking at his food.

Simon shrugged, "maybe she still thinks you're hot."

"He's gotta look hotter," Maddie mentioned and Jackie simply chuckled.

"She did ask if I had a suit," Xavier said.

"Do you?" Nicole asked

"No."

Simon decided he was giving out orders. "Nicole, take him to the mall, find him a suit."

"Why? 'Cause I'm a girl?" Nicole asked. Xavier and Nicole both stood up, leaving to go get ketchup.