Partners In Crime

Part 1:Introduction to the disaster.

The buzzing of the alarm clock echoed through the room. Meghan groaned, rolling over and slamming it against the wall with a frustrated sigh. The clock, however, was built to withstand it all—nothing was going to break it. She reluctantly climbed out of bed and opened her closet, wondering what to wear for her last exam. Rubbing her head, she grabbed her clothes and got dressed, going through her usual bathroom routine before heading downstairs for breakfast.

"Morning..." she mumbled, barely awake.

Her mom greeted her with a warm smile. "Good morning, honey. Here's your breakfast."

"Thanks..." Meghan replied, her mind still half asleep.

Despite it being her final exam, Meghan wasn't in the best of moods. It was a math exam. And she hated math—probably more than anything. Or anyone. Especially Zack.

"Good morning..." Zack greeted her as he entered the room.

"Now my day's been ruined even more..." Meghan muttered.

Her mom, trying to be optimistic, spoke up. "Oh, come on Meghan. It's only two hours, and then it's over. After that, university is waiting for you."

"Yeah, but until then, I'm dead. Anyway, I'm off. Bye!" she said, grabbing her earphones and pen before heading out.

She made her way to school, trying to focus on how Pythagoras' theorem worked, but the thoughts of the exam were too much. Once she got there, she nervously realized she hadn't written her name on the test paper, but shrugged it off—after all, they'd figure it out from the number. Or maybe it would matter? She didn't know. Either way, she finished the exam and left, heading for Blue Moon.

Zack was already waiting for her outside.

"You're late," he said, his arms crossed.

"Bitch, I finished my math exam. I needed to reward myself," she shot back, shaking the coffee she'd brought on her way.

Zack rolled his eyes, and together, they entered the club, which was closed for the night. It was their usual meeting place. Lay and Noah were already there, sitting at the basement table. Lay, being the leader, was the first to arrive, while Noah was just a close friend of Meghan's.

"Finally, somebody," Noah said when they entered.

"I'm finally done with school!" Meghan exclaimed, dropping into a seat.

"Congratulations, girl!" Noah responded with enthusiasm.

Zack, sounding a bit annoyed, asked, "Will the others come, or is it just us?"

"They said they'll come," Lay replied.

Meghan shrugged. "Well, they're not loyal," she muttered under her breath.

"Let's not talk about it," Zack said, and Meghan agreed.

Although she was often critical of the others' loyalty, she knew she wasn't the most reliable either. But right now, she was just focused on being done with school.

"Meghan, what's new?" Noah asked, clearly interested.

"Nothing. Oh, wait, I see what you're getting at. Nope, nothing for you," she replied with a playful smirk.

Noah groaned in frustration, and Lay cut in, "Okay, we'll go ahead with four people, and I'll inform the others. So... we've been invited to a car race."

Meghan lit a cigarette and listened carefully as Lay explained the plan. After their meeting, Meghan went to the mall with Noah. They were close friends—just friends.

"Can I ask you something?" Meghan suddenly asked.

"Yeah, feel free," Noah replied.

"Aren't you afraid?" she asked, her tone serious.

"Afraid of what?" Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Afraid that one day, all of this—the gang, the races, everything—could just disappear with a snap of a finger?"

Noah paused for a moment before responding. "I don't think about it much. I focus on the here and now. The future? That'll come when it comes. No need to analyze it right now."

"So you're not afraid of losing me? Or anyone else from the gang?" Meghan pressed.

"If you or anyone else doesn't want to lose me, then you'll fight for me, just like I would for you," Noah answered, his tone resolute.

"Isn't that kind of egoistic?" Meghan asked, skeptical.

"No, I see it as a test," Noah said, offering a half-smile.

Meghan nodded slowly, contemplating his words. She took another bite of her burger as they continued their conversation. Around 4 PM, she headed home. Lay had said that the race was tomorrow, so there was no need to go to the bar tonight. It was going to be a Netflix night for her instead. She grabbed some snacks from the kitchen and settled down in front of the TV.

Zack usually left for races around 7, and her parents worked late, often returning after 4 AM. Meghan was used to being home alone during the evenings. As she watched an episode of "Lucifer," she scrolled through her phone, texting and catching up on YouTube. By 3 AM, she had finished all her snacks and checked the time—Zack still wasn't home. He had promised it wouldn't take long, but something didn't feel right. Feeling uneasy, she texted Noah, but he didn't respond. Lay was the same. She decided to go to sleep, hoping it was all just her overthinking. But as she lay in bed, sleep wouldn't come. After a while, she got up, dressed, and went to Noah's place to check on him. When he wasn't there, she tried calling everyone again—no answer. Feeling more anxious than ever, she returned home, and soon, exhaustion took over, and she finally fell asleep.

In the morning, her parents woke her up, their faces serious. Meghan was still groggy when her dad broke the news.

"Wake up, Meghan!" her mom said urgently.

"Huh? What happened?" Meghan asked, still disoriented.

"Your brother, Zack, got arrested for being at a car race. He's involved with a gang," her dad explained, his voice full of concern.

"W-what?" Meghan stammered, shocked by the news.

Her mom's expression darkened. "Tell me you're not involved in this, too."

Meghan quickly shook her head. "No, I'm not."

Her dad let out a relieved sigh. "Thank God..."

Her heart raced in her chest. Her bad feeling was right. Something had happened. After spending some time with her parents as they took control of the case, Meghan went to see Zack.

"Meghan! What are you doing here?" Zack asked, his face lighting up when he saw her.

"Where's Noah and Lay?" Meghan asked urgently.

"They're making some phone calls," Zack replied, glancing around.

"What happened?" Meghan asked, her voice trembling.

"Someone from another gang tipped off the cops," Zack explained, looking frustrated.

"I called you a hundred times! Why was your phone turned off? Zack, I was scared," Meghan admitted, her anxiety pouring out.

"Don't worry, Meghan. We'll protect you. Especially you. But, listen... I'm probably not getting out of here anytime soon. I'll need your help."

"What? You have a plan?" Meghan asked, her eyebrows raised.

"If you help me," Zack said, a serious look in his eyes.

"Of course I will, are you dumb?" Meghan replied, determined.

Zack smiled slightly. "Alright, listen carefully..."