Benefits

Ch. 42: Trouble

"He- he said that you were in trouble."

"What?"

I shrug, my eyes looking down at the floor wide eyed.

Very very wrong.

"Why did you come to find me?" I ask, still deeply confused on that fact.

"Oh darling, you don't think I don't know where my brother goes late at night?" He asks sarcastically. I wrap my arms around my binder tighter than before. Still becoming nervous. "I can see it." He shrugs to himself as if he's answered his own question in his head. I leave that comment alone.

"What is going on, Terry?" I just wanted to know where Jake was. "I think I found blood this morning on the sidewalk, it seemed as if it was smeared like if someone was trying to wash it off." I recall the faint memory.

He licks his lips, his eyebrows furrowing deeper. He mumbles something inaudible, causing me to hum back at him to talk louder. Terry smacks his lips, his hand ruffles through his mess of bed hair the way Jake does. Making me miss him more each passing second. "You know he fights, right?" He asks hesitantly.

I nod, wanting him to just continue already. He doesn't, so I say, "Yes." I easily get annoyed by his slowness of words.

"Easy Cover Girl." He rolls his eyes at me, as he throws his hands in the air. Cover Girl. That's new. "Look I don't think I should be telling you this. In fact, I know I shouldn't be."

"Then why are you here?"

I can already see the similarities with both Jake and Terry. The way they hold "secrets" to themselves as if they want to tell the world, but at the same time keep it buried within them. Acknowledging the problem, but not doing anything about it.

"L..." He mumbles the rest.

"Huh?"

"Ledger." He says simply, as if it means something.

"Ledger?"

He groans loudly, looking up in the air. "The leader of the Underground."

"There's a leader?"

"There's a whole lot." He claps his hands together. "I shouldn't be telling you any of this at all. I shouldn't be here. In fact, I might end up where Jake's at right this very second." He pauses, his eyes producing a scowl, "Are their cameras on campus?"

"Just at the front."

"Good."

"Why?"

"I can sneak out from the back."

"School security is all around-"

"Not that Cover Girl." He waves it off. "Ledger."

"He goes here." My eyes widen.

"No." He laughs bitterly. "His brother does, but that whiny ass bitch barely comes to school, so I'm not worried. What I'm worried about is Ledger's birds. His eyes and ears on campus, that's what I'm worried about. I would tell you more, but I'm assuming Jake got mixed up with some rule breaking."

"What rules?"

"Now that's for sure I can't tell you."

"Why? Who am I going to tell?" My voice raising.

"Cool it. I'm not telling you for your own good. If one of his birds sees you around, and you're big mouth talks about it with anyone... such as my cousin Alice, they will know. Outside this very room."

"How come only this room you can say all these things. There could be a wire?" I cross my arms.

He laughs without humor. "Because this is the only room on campus that doesn't have one. Jake broke it a couple months ago, for whatever reason. That is why it isn't used." I try to interrupt him, but he stops me. "You don't think the school isn't in on it to, sweetheart. Ledger is everywhere. No clas-"