"My name's not Storm," he grumbled out. He took the stool beside her. The blue hood jacket he was wearing today aided his hair to hide part of his face. "Made your order yet?"
"Why do you care?" she snapped.
"Hmph. Anyway, you better get a table. It ain't good to eat at the coun—"
"I know that, Allen." She refused to look at him, eyes fixed straight and forward.
"Still mad at me, huh."
"Thanks for stating the obvious. I'd want to know what you're doing here, but I guess you'd say, 'don't ask questions'. Am I right?"
"That was a question, but I'm gonna answer it. Yes, you're right."
"But I really want to know...." She angled her body towards him, still not looking at him. "What the hell are you actually doing in Miami?"
"Can't a guy and his family move into a place without ulterior motives?" He sighed and rubbed his forehead with fingertips. "I guess you've been watching too many dark movies. It's not healthy, you know. Especially if you believe everything you see."
"Go away, Allen." Her frown instantly disappeared when she saw the old lady return with a steaming bowl of pork chops and another bowl of salad.
"The puddings will be ready soon," the woman said, setting the food and drink on the counter. "I'll go get the paillard."
"How long are they gonna take?"
"Give twenty, twenty-five minutes and your babies will be ready." Her eyes shifted to Allen. "Ah, young man, how may I help you?"
"Do you still have those steak from caribou, bear, elk?"
The elderly lady's silvery brows rose high. "They come at a tough price, young man. This ain't the place for such kind of meat."
"I know," he began patiently. "But last time I was here, you guys had the caribou and elk. Just want to know if you still have them."
She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but we ain't got nothing."
"You do."
Jess faced him with a scowl. "Allen, you just heard the woman. They don't have it. What's your problem?"
She looked between them with wide, surprised eyes. "You two know each other?"
"Not that much," Jess bit out the same time he murmured, "I think."
She stared at them much longer, Jess particularly. "Well... But, um, the steak is reserved for a special guest."
"Who is Mr Donnelly," he cut in. "I'm Mr Donnelly's son, though we don't share the same surname."
The woman looked at Jess for proof. "Is he?"
"Yeah," she drawled.
"Fine then. I'm getting your steak ready." She disappeared back in the kitchen or back room or wherever the hell they made the food.
Jess took her food, slid off the stool, and went to a table. She didn't expect Allen not to join her. It seemed he'd set aside today to be a pain in her ass. He came over a minute later. They sat at opposite ends.
Silence weighed upon them heavily. Jess didn't mind the weight. She'd take it over having an idle conversation with the boy sitting with her. She couldn't believe that some years back, they'd been inseparable best friends who told each other everything. Now, he constantly pushed her away and treated her with two-sided friendliness. He was both weird and infuriating right now.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Jess blinked. She didn't realise, until now, that she'd been playing with her food. She stopped turning her fork in the salad, and took to a bite-size portion to her mouth instead.
"You don't need to know what I'm thinking about." With her mouth full, she couldn't sound snarly.
"No problem." He reached up and fiddled with a lock of chestnut hair that fell over one gray eye.
She almost blurted out that he needed a haircut, but quelched the urge. Allen had no use for her in his life. They'd stopped needing each other six years ago. Simple as that. No longer best friends. Not even friends. So, they couldn't even share remotely anything.
"What is it?" he promptly asked.
She sneaked a peek at him. He must have sensed her discomfort. "Nothing. None of your concern."
He sighed deeply and leaned back in the mahogany chair he sat on. "Come on. Where's the food?"
Again, she wanted to ask a question. Like, why he was in a hurry? However, she put another forkful of salad and shrimp into her mouth. There—that was what she should be doing instead. Eating, not prodding her ex-BFF for unwanted information about his life.
Soon, his steak and her paillard and puddings arrived at their table, along with her milkshake. Before the waitress left, he ordered a turkey club and two slices of lemon cheesecake.
The two teenagers ate in silence. The same heavy silence.
Minutes after his other orders had come, the door of the diner jingled the bell. Another customer.
"Jessica?"
Jess concentrated hard on savouring her puddings. She took the last bite of the first one.
"Jessica?"
The urgency in Allen's voice made her look up at him. "What?" she mumbled.
"Are you done? Let's go."
She looked down at her half-empty plate of chicken paillard, one banana-and-chocolate pudding on a paper plate, little portion of salad, and half-filled glass of milkshake. Then, her eyes shifted to his empty plate, cheesecake crumbs on another plate, and almost-finished club. Her hard brown gaze locked with his studious gray one.
"Thank you very much, Allen Storm, for trying to deprive me of dinner."
"We have to leave," he averred, not caring that she wasn't ready to.
"Why?"
"No ques—"
"You know what? Get out, Allen. Out of here, and out of my life. I don't care or want to know the reason you're hovering around. Just... leave." The grip on her fork tightened. "Now."
He clenched his jaw and ground his teeth harshly. She inwardly wished the enamel would wear away, and his perfect dentition would be ruined.
The silence became heavier. The two of them stared each other down, none making a twitch. Several seconds ticked by before he finally dropped his cutlery and noisily stood up. Then, after giving her one last glance, he walked out of the diner.
Jess returned to her meal. When she was done, she gave the old lady a one-hundred-dollar bill, and told her to keep the change. She left immediately after receiving a slew of words of gratitude.
Right before she climbed onto her bike, she got a weird feeling. She looked around the parking lot. There was no one here. Lots of cars and few bikes lined the lot. The night crowd was starting to arrive at this hour. Nothing felt out of place, except for a Koenigsegg Agera in the midst of Toyota and Honda cars. So what was making her feel weird?
She checked her own bike. Nothing abnormal was on it. She shrugged, mounted it, and started the engine.
Just as she was about riding out of the lot, she caught a glimpse of someone staring at her from inside the diner right through the window glass. And the very brief eye contact caused a shiver to run down her spine.
*****
"How did it go?"
The man puffed out smoke through his nose and from between his lips, without looking at his comrade. Comrades for the sake of a pointless mission. Well, pointless to him, anyway. "Did it. I put the stuff there."
"She'll find them."
The man frowned. "Then, what's the point?"
"For her to find them. She'll solve the puzzle and come looking for us herself."
"Is that the plan?" He threw the cigarette butt on the greasy ground of the restaurant backyard, and crushed it with his foot.
"Most of it. The rest will unfold when she comes to us." The person started walking away.
"So, is my job done?"
"For now, yes. Be careful, though. Don't let Nolan Paolini find you."
"Why? And who the hell is that? Your boss?" The man felt uneasy at the fact that there might be a problem in the form of another person.
"No. Just don't let him find you." His comrade opened the back door that led into the kitchen of the restaurant.
He put his hands in the pockets of his shorts. His fingers fiddled with the new packet of cigarettes in his left pocket. "Well, I don't know who he is. And I don't give a fûck about him."
"And... that's the problem. You don't know him, but he knows who you are. He might also be looking for you, so don't let him find you." The person disappeared into the heat and chaos of Ritter's kitchen.
*****
"Have you made up your mind?"
Jess knew what the question was about, but tried to ignore Karen.
They were walking to Einstein Hall behind a group of chattering students. It was time for the meeting, and most people were excited. Jess was supposed to be, but her thoughts had been plagued by the mystery behind the strange objects she'd found in the garage on Tuesday evening.
"I'm still thinking about it," she finally replied after a long time and when they were already at the threshold of the door.
"Well, it's this weekend."
"I know."
"If you go, make sure you come back with juicy details." They took two chairs in the fifth row. Personally, Jess wanted to sit in a row way back, but conceded to stay beside her friend. And with Doudall, John, Craig, and Steve.
"That's if there'll actually be anything juicy." She stared glumly at the stage. No one had come yet, except for a few excited students piling in.
Karen moved closer to her ear and whispered, "Since Eric won't be going, I guess there'll be nothing juicy."
Jess didn't have the muscle to correct her assumption. Eric, fun? Hmph. He sucked excitement out of any room he graced with his presence. He was the epitome of a party pooper. Besides his good looks, she didn't find anything interesting in him. Not that she found him good-looking, she hurriedly amended in her head.
Karen noticed her silence and gloominess. A slight frown marred her pretty face. "What's wrong? You haven't said much this morning."
"I get it, Karen," she snapped. "I'm a talkative. But don't use it to judge my moods or personality."
"Actually, I should 'cause you're unusually quiet." She studied her face closely. Her long, blonde hair fell to the side. "Are you... sick?"
Jess took a deep breath. "No. Aunt Flo visited."
She blinked. Then, understanding dawned on her in seconds. "Oh. Do you have cramps?"
"Not yet." They would come later. With a fury and vengeance that would dismantle Jess' tough exterior, in a minute. No doubt about that. It was like this every month. For five days. Five horrible days in a month.
The meeting began. To Jess' dismay, none of Starling Techland's excos was here. Except for the PR officer. The rest were representatives.
The speeches were brief. Everyone got the message, though.
Each student in Einstein High, no matter the field of concentration, was encouraged to partake in a science project on anything. Research, hardware or software development, gadgets, or even just putting down a viable idea. Everyone's work would be submitted to the company's reps when they returned on October twenty-fourth. The school announced that they would all be working in pairs with their classmates.
After the meeting, all the students returned to their classrooms. Most went to the changing rooms to change out of their formal attires. Jess changed, as well, into simple cotton bell bottoms and a crop top. And carried out another necessity in the bathroom.
She entered world history class looking worse than ever. Some stared at her dishevelled state, but said nothing. Most of her locks dangled out of the supposed ponytail she'd put them in earlier. The laces of her heeled boots were partially tied, and she was in the danger of tripping on them. Her crop top was rumpled badly. Each time she moved, it rode up, exposing more of her flat brown abdomen.
Many eyes turned to her as she trudged from the door to an empty desk beside Karen. She didn't even come in with her notebook or handbag. She just slumped there, onto the chair, waiting for Mrs Demirci to drone on till the next warning bell.
However, the woman slid to her side, tapped her shoulder, and ordered her to sit up. Her response was a groan, which came out like a growl.
Eric's brows rose.
"Sit up, Miss Snowden. You're causing a disturbance in class."
I'm not snoring, woman, she sneered in her head. How the hell am I bothering anyone with my sleep?
"I said sit—"
"She's not well, Mrs Demirci," Karen cut in.
"Then, she should be in the clinic if she isn't. The nurses there can take care of her. Or rather," she added on second thought, "she should've stayed at home." She turned abruptly, marched to the front, and continued her lesson.
After history class, Karen helped Jess gather herself up and head for geometry class.
"Why can't we have one elective today?" the tired girl groaned out.
"We do. Fifth period. This is third period."
"Will there be recess?"
"Of course." Karen slammed her locker door. The bang jarred Jess a bit, making her wince. "Let's go."
"Don't support me. I can manage on my own." She ran her hands through her hair in an attempt to arrange it. It only came out worse than before. Then, she tried to walk with more force, to show that she was fine.
Karen shook her head behind her back with an eye roll. Tough girl indeed.
Mr Esquivel also happened to be their geometry teacher. It was the first class in the course they were taking for that semester.
Before he began, he asked them, "Have you selected partners for the project?"
"Yes." "Yes." "No." There was a majority of "yeses".
Karen nudged her friend with a fist. "We'll do this together, right?" She beamed at her tired face.
"Yeah," she dragged out.
In the middle of the lesson, someone came in to interrupt Mr Esquivel. They talked briefly in hushed tones. Then, the man—Mr Harvey Cho—faced the class. He was holding a sheet of paper in his hands, his glasses firmly perched on the smooth slope of his nose.
He cleared his throat.
Though she wasn't feeling well, Jess felt a sense of foreboding.
"This message is from the principal, Mr Polka, and the board of directors. Although, I don't know how the previous arrangement must have been made, but this is how things will go from now.
"Due to some attributes considered in the following students, they will work in pairs on the Einstein-Starling Science Project." He focused on the paper. "Jake Long and Jacques Bertrand. Huseyn Seyid and Sophia Hathaway. Logan Beecham and Barbara Gomez. Eric Ashers and Jessica Snowden...."
"What?!"