The Guilty ↝ ÉLITE ³

TWO

CHAPTER TWO
Tension Rising

          THE NEXT DAY Arlo sat in the car on her way to school with Diego and Izzy on either side of her. The former was flipping through one of his picture books while Izzy was on her phone, as usual.

"Lo?" Diego called.

Arlo turned to him and moved some of his hair from hanging over his forehead. "Yeah, honey?"

"I heard mommy and daddy say you were leaving in a few months." Diego said and Arlo froze. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet." Arlo informed truthfully and next to her, Izzy stopped texting and watched the two talk. "I still have to decide on a place. But...it'll be for school."

"Will you be gone for a long time?" Diego asked.

Arlo swallowed. Leaving him and Izzy was not something she wanted to do. "No. Because if I was leaving, I'd visit you every holiday and bring you back loads of treats."

Diego grinned. "Cool."

Once Julio dropped Izzy and Diego off, River bid him goodbye before she climbed out the car and entered the school building. She glanced down at her phone to see no notifications from anyone and she tucked it into the pocket of her blazer.

She jogged to her locker and took out what she needed before she turned around to see Samuel walking down the hallway, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched.

"Whoa, whoa, hey. What's going on?" Arlo questioned as she pulled Samuel's arm back. "I know that look. It's the 'something's bothering me but I'm not gonna tell anyone and just brood all day' look. What happened?"

Samuel huffed. "My brother called yesterday."

Arlo's eyebrows drew together. "What? Is he okay? Has something happened?"

"No, no, it's nothing like that. He's fine." Samuel explained. "He's actually doing really well– too well to the point where my mom wants us to go over there and join him."

"And what do you think?" The girl asked, scared to hear the answer. "Do you want to join him?"

"It doesn't matter what I want."

"What are you saying? Of course it does."

"Yes, okay? I wanna join him." Samuel admitted. "But I can't. Not until Polo is in jail."

"Samu–"

She was cut off when the bell rang and he grabbed her wrist. "Come on let's go to class."

The two sat down in home room, mulling over their personal problems in silence as students filed into the room to sit at their desks. Ander walked in and flashed a small but hesitant smile at Arlo who waved slightly as he walked to his own desk.

Azucena strode in after him and grinned at her students. "Tomorrow, university officials are coming to talk to you. They don't have time for all of you, so please indicate your first choice. They might interview you. We'll come around to collect your forms in just a minute."