My phone rang out shrilly, jolting me from my sleep. I groggily groped for my phone and looked at the screen, which was lit up with a caller ID.
Thomas. I thought to myself, and my throat was awfully dry all of a sudden. I picked up and held the phone to my ear.
"Good morning, Grey!" Thomas said cheerfully, which was surprising.
"Hi," I said quietly.
"Come by in about... let's say thirty, shall we? The Big Guy has a job for you all ready," Thomas said, and I sighed.
"Alright, Thomas. See you there."
...
"This better be worth me waking up before seven on a Saturday morning," I growled, holding a half-draken coffee in hand.
"Oh, it is," Jack said, smiling that charming smile of his at me. It made me want to punch him in the nose.
I settled on the couch and replayed last night's events in my head. I could feel a smile spreading across my lips at the thought of Echo.
What would she think— I cut the thought off.
No. She'd hate me. And I can't risk that.
Thomas settles beside me, relaxing with his arms spread along the length of the back of the couch.
Remember those toxic friends I mentioned earlier?
Yeah, well here they are. Jack, Jordan and Thomas. "Boss wants us to start scouting for new recruits," Thomas began. "And since your...you know. He wants to put you on that job for a while." I groan, just great!
"This was so not worth the drive why couldn't you just—"
"That's not all," Jordan cut in. "They're looking for you, Grey. You can't just keep bringing attention to yourself like that."
"Like what?" I said, genuinely confused.
Jack snorted out a laugh, his beer slightly slipping. "You broke into a bloody ice cream truck, man!" Jack took another swing of his beer. "That's bad press on the Big Man!" Jack had to make just about everything into a joke. It was kind of annoying, but whatever.
"That was on the news?!" I spit out, flabbergasted.
"This is Los Angeles, shit spreads fast." Thomas chimed in. "Anyways, just don't let it happen again." Thomas adjusted and cleared his throat, "Back to business."
I slowly sank back into my seat and had no choice but to listen.
...
As I stepped out of the house, papers in hand, my screen lit up with a text from Echo. Good morning. It read, and I felt a familiar sensation settle in my chest as a smile spread across my face.
This girl—one I've known for a day—makes me smile like an idiot. Really, it's interesting to think about.
"See you around, Grey!" Thomas yells, and I don't even give him the dignity of an acknowledgment. At this point, I don't care about any of them.
Are you up for grabbing dinner tonight? Another text from Echo read. An explosion of happiness lit inside of me. I long to see Echo again, though I saw her less than twelve hours ago.
Sure. I texted back and began driving.
EVERYONE KNOWS GREY BROKE INTO AN ICE CREAM TRUCK HAHAHAHHAHA
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