Lola kept her head down as she walked past the school doors and headed for Damien's jeep in the school parking lot.
Lola and her friends usually took the bus by the side of the school. The crowds that hung out around the parking lot were usually the intimidating ones - seniors and stuck up juniors.
She spotted Damien leaning by the side of his black jeep, playing with his phone.
"I don't know why I feel so nervous," Hanna muttered.
"Damn, he looks picturesque just standing like that," Nalini murmured.
"Hey," They said in unison once they reached him.
Damien stood up straight and adjusted his shades. His light brown hair gleamed in the sunlight and Lola could have sworn she heard Nalini sigh out loud.
She smiled at him politely and hit her best friend discreetly, not wanting her to embarrass them.
"Come on, get in," Damien said and then he hoped into the driver's seat.
The girls looked at each other, excitement and apprehension apparent in their eyes.
Lola noticed the entire student body in the parking lot staring at the odd combination. Instead of ignoring her instincts she turned her head and saw Eva and her posse standing by her convertible, staring at them.
Her eyes were fixed on Nalini and they narrowed when the tall, wiry girl got into the back seat.
Lola then caught another pair of eyes on them and she turned to the entrance of the school to see Tyler Raeken staring at her as well.
Her Tyler.
Hanna jumped into the back as well which left Lola to sit in the passenger seat in front. She glared at her two friends who shrugged at her innocently before trudging to the front.
Once she took a seat, she cast a wary glance at Damien and then she looked out the window.
Tyler was still staring at them and her heart was beating frantically in her chest when she noticed this. It was only once they exited the car park did she relax a little.
The car ride was awkwardly silent to say the least and Damien tapped his fingers on the wheel, she could tell he felt just as uncomfortable.
She glanced at him just as he did the same and they smiled at each other politely before looking away.
"So what kind of music do you girls like?" Damien asked while he fiddled with his sound system.
"Kpop!" The girls answered in unison and Damien stared at them blankly.
"Umm sorry, don't really have that but I do know BTS," He offered pathetically. "They're kind of a big deal in the US, right?"
"Try the world," Hanna scoffed proudly. "But there are many other groups that are really good as well like Ateez, Blackpink, Itzy, Twice, Exo, I could go on forever. I can play some for you if you like."
Her hopeful words were quickly shot down by Damien's confession.
"Actually I'm more of an alternative rock kind of guy," He said and then he put on an Arctic Monkeys song.
"Me too," Nalini said enthusiastically and both her friends eyed her disbelievingly, catching her lie.
"Really? What's your favourite song? Maybe I have it," He asked.
Nalini's eyes widened in panic, having not expected to elaborate more. "Umm, it's too alternative. I don't think you would," She mumbled after a failed attempt and then turned to look out the window in embarrassment.
Damien grinned at her through the rear view mirror and concentrated on the road but he nearly swerved over a divider when Nalini jumped in panic.
"We need to get something from my house! It's urgent!" She half shouted and then apologised to the other panicked people in the car.
They stopped by the corner of her street and she ran along the side walk and then into her house.
"I hope this is important. She nearly gave me a heart attack," Damien complained and then he leaned back against his seat.
"Must be some homework," Hanna suggested.
They watched as Nalini ran out of her house and down the street with a small box in her hand.
"That's not homework," Lola said.
"It's sweets. We never go to someone's house empty handed. It's rude," She said smiling.
"Indian sweets?" Damien eyed the box curiously.
"Barfi, the best you will ever have," Nalini said proudly and he immediately took out one. He snarfed it down and smiled at her gratefully.
"You remind me of my grandmother. She used to give me these all the time," He said and then he started driving again.
"Just what every girl wants to hear," Nalini muttered under her breath and Hanna burst out laughing.
They reached Damien's large suburban house after a while and the girls got down slowly as they took in the luxurious landscape filled with greenery and colorful well kept bushes of flowers. His house was angular and wide, the walls a dark grey, it reminded Lola of those edgy designer houses she sometimes saw in magazines.
Damien walked in and they followed him through the house to the back. Lola's nerves were on edge as she spotted the pool house.
"Wow, this is some place," Hanna murmured, her eyes raking over the glistening blue pool and the barbecue pit next to it.
"Where are your parents?" Lola asked Damien as he took out two cold beers from his fridge.
"They're on vacation. You guys want some beer?" He gestured to the many other bottles lying idly in the fridge.
Lola eyed the fizzy looking yellow drink, feeling oddly curious. She'd never tried beer before and now she was seriously contemplating his offer.
When would she ever get another chance like this?
"Oh they don't drink." She whirled around to see Julian walking into the kitchen, wearing some loose pants and a white t-shirt. He looked better than she remembered but his tone was so judgemental it caused a prickle of irritation to run down her spine.
She remembered the way he had insulted her for not letting him smoke in her room.
He could really be a dick without even trying.
"What makes you think we don't?" She put her hands on her hips and stared at him crossly.
Julian took a step back and raised his hands innocently. "Just a guess."
"I'll have one. Thanks." She grabbed a bottle from Damien, with her eyes still glued to Julian's.
"You should drink because you want to. Not just to prove a point, Lola," Julian said sternly.
The two of them had a stare down while their friends could only look on, not knowing what was happening.
"I'll do what I want, thank you very much," Lola snapped.
"Woah, easy there tiger. It's just beer, it's not like she's jumping off a cliff or something," Damien said to Julian. "Come on, we have a lot to discuss."
"We'll share some with, Lola," Hanna said apprehensively and Nalini nodded.
Damien grabbed some chips and lead them past the pool and garden, into the small pool house behind.
There was a large bed, a small table, a sofa and a television with a play station console lying idly by the counter top. The room smelled of cigarettes and something else which made Lola scrunch up her nose.
She had to admit, this was way better than hiding out in her room. She caught sight of a large board by the side of the bed with a map like drawing in the center.
"Lola, I'm sorry if I offended you back there," Julian whispered from beside her and she looked up at him.
"It's fine but I don't think you should make assumptions about me when you hardly know me." As if to prove a point, she uncapped the bottle of beer and took a large gulp.
The bitter liquid filled her mouth and her eyes squeezed shut. Why do people drink this stuff? It's the worst thing she has ever tasted. She wanted to vomit it out but her pride made her swallow it down painfully.
She opened her eyes only to see Julian staring at her skeptically and then they both burst out laughing. She placed the bottle in Nalini's hand.
"You girls should try," She said in an evil voice.
They sat down at the small table in the pool house and Lola's stomach hurt with laughter when she saw her friends drink down the beer with pained expressions on their faces.
"How have you been?" Lola asked Julian the question that had been on her mind since last night.
"I've been good. You were right about sticking around. I've had a lot of time to think as well," He replied.
He stood up and walked to the drawn out map on the blackboard by the bed.
"Damien and I have been discussing and we want to try and figure out this mystery. I told him about the erased footage you girls found and if we find out who the actual killer is then I won't even need an alibi."
"You guys are trying to solve the murders by yourselves?" Nalini asked in disbelief.
Damien nodded eagerly and gestured at the map."We already have a list of suspects. All the people who hate Julian."
Lola stared at the board and was surprised to see the science whizz Mady, computer genius Edward, baking queen Adela and a few other students from their year. All really nice people who used to be bullied or made of by Julian and his friends.
"Edward? Are you serious? The guy's fingers are literally stuck to a computer board. I don't even think he can hold a knife," Nalini exclaimed.
"I'm sorry but what do you need us for? We're not exactly the school detectives," Hanna asked.
"Yeah, but you girls were super badass with your findings of the park footage," Damien exclaimed and Julian nodded in agreement.
The two boys were staring at the three girls like they were superheroes or something.
Lola wasn't going to lie, being called a badass by the most popular jock in school was something new. She could tell Nalini felt the same way by how she was staring at him with goo goo eyes. But what made her happier was that Julian had actually heeded her words and taken her advice.
He wasn't going to run away.
You were right Lola, I shouldn't run, I want to stay and fight," Julian said, his eyes burning with resolve.
Lola couldn't help the smile that had spread across her face.
She looked at her friends and they started a mini telepathic conversation with their eyes.
She raised her eyebrows and Nalini nodded confidently while Hanna looked a little unsure.
"We don't know if there's anything we can do but your list is definitely all wrong," Hanna said. "We know half those people you bullied and none of them are capable of murder. They are too focused on school and their projects."
"Do you have anyone else in mind?" Damien asked her and she remained silent.
"I think we need to dig deeper," Nalini mused.
Julian picked up his beer and held it out to the rest.
"So we're really doing this?" He asked hopefully.
The girls held the bottle they shared while Damien held out his as well and all of them cheered.
"Let's do this shit," Nalini said passionately and everyone cheered in agreement.
The girls took turns to take a sip, their faces scrunched up in distaste while Damien and Julian drank down their beers like water.
Lola grabbed a Barfi and ate it to get rid of the bitterness but this was her first time drinking and as she stared at her friends having fun with Damien and Julian, she couldn't help but feel that her first time had been perfect.