Armani’s POV

  The small glass window on the nurse’s office door is foggy, or maybe it’s just that textured privacy glass that keeps you from seeing what’s going on inside. I lean against the cold ceramic wall, arms crossed tight. I can only make out white shadows moving around. Maybe it’s the old nurse and her assistant; maybe it’s just the curtains blowing in front of a cracked window. Who knows? What’s even the point of putting glass in a door if you can’t see through it?

  The girls are sitting on these hard, hospital-style benches. No one is talking. The waiting room is dead quiet, so quiet I can hear the muffled chattering inside the office and the girls’ breathing. I can’t tell what the nurse is saying, but she sounds confident. Most importantly, Jaiden is alive. I can hear him in there, whining and talking back to her.

  I’m relieved as long as he’s still breathing, but something else is making my chest tight. What if they take the bandages off his left hand? They’ll see the tattoo and immediately call the cops. I don’t know what I’d do then. Run? Jaiden can’t sprint in the state he’s in. Drug them? No, that creates more problems. Should I call Bryan and tell him someone tried to poison Jaiden, or would he think I’m tripping? I squeeze my eyes shut. Every option makes things worse.

  Is the person who did this really sitting right here among us though? My head is spinning and my limbs are freezing. I look down at my hand and realize I’m shaking. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen myself do that. Is it really this cold in here?

  If Kevin were here, this would already be over. He always knew who to grab, who to blame and who’s secretly messing around. I never had to think when he was around. I could just lean into him and let him decide. I guess that's why my body always felt warmer back then.

  Laura appears right in front of me, startling me with that pathetic frown she’s wearing. She’s always so silent, moving around like a spy. I can’t even keep up with her. I don’t know how long she’s been standing, but she reaches out and puts a hand on my forearm.

  "You should go have dinner. I’ll stay here," she says. "The cafeteria might run out of food soon."

  The girls already went to eat and came back a while ago. I didn't move. I’ve been standing in this exact spot since we brought Jaiden in. I don’t know how much time has passed, but there’s no way I’m leaving him like this.

  "I’m good," I tell her.

  Laura glances over her shoulder at Zoey, who’s staring back at us, then takes a step closer to me. "I have something on my mind."

  "I know," I whisper, leaning toward her. "That bitch is the one behind it."

  "I mean…" She pauses. "She already cheated at the game to frame you as an asshole, and you know how much Jaiden likes her."

  I exhale. I’ve been thinking the exact same thing. I knew she was up to no good, especially with the virus vessels in her room. I no longer believe that they’re still untouched in her closet. She must have used one of them on Jaiden. She’s been on my list since the day Bryan told me I'd be working with her on this job.

  "What happened to our plan, by the way?" Laura asks. "Didn’t we say we were gonna make her fall in love with you and all that?"

  "I don’t know, Laura. It just didn’t work."

  "We make it work." The determination in her grey eyes is piercing through me. "We try again until it works. We can’t leave her with Jaiden anymore."

  I nod, but to be honest, I’m not even sure if it was Zoey who poisoned him. She seems to like him back. I know she’s good at martial arts—just like Hunter and Bryan—so if she really wanted to take Jaiden out, she could’ve done it without messing around with chemicals or viruses. But then again, who else in this place has access to that kind of stuff besides her?

  "Look. I know I talked shit about the game and everything you said, but now I think you’re right," Laura says. "I see your point now: no one else except the five of us can kill us. It’s gotta be one of us. And I already have a pretty good idea who it might be."

  I snap out of my own head for a second and see the look on Laura’s face. It’s cold and evil. We’ve been friends for a while, and I know what's look—pure hatred.

  "Why does Zoey make you so jealous?" I ask.

  "What the fuck? No way I’m jealous of that bitch." She says it loud enough that Annie, who was spacing out, looks over at us.

  "Then why do you hate her so much?" I wonder. "She hasn’t done anything to you."

  The anger on her face vanishes, but her jaws tighten. "I don’t. I’m just assuming she’s the one behind all this. Duh." She shrugs it off.

  I know she’s lying, but I nod anyway.

  "Don’t look at me like that. I wouldn’t be jealous of Zoey out of all people." Now she looks really pissed.

  "Yeah. Sure," I say, giving her another nod.

  "Anyway, I’m gonna make new papers for the game and give everyone a slip so no one can cheat," Laura decides. "If we play it right, we can figure out who’s messing with us."

  I hum. Annie walks over slowly from behind her, her voice barely a whisper. "Guys, did you hear about that creep who walks around the school in the dark? Don’t you think maybe that person is the one after us?"

  "Yeah, I heard," Laura says. "Everyone’s talking about it. I wonder who it could be?" She glances over her shoulder at Zoey, who frowns instantly.

  "There’s really a creep in this place? I thought it was just a joke." I look between the two sisters, and they both nod.

  Annie looks genuinely worried. "Maybe that’s the person Bryan sent to kill us." It sounds more like a question than a fact.

  "I still can’t wrap my head around the idea that Bryan wants us dead," I say. "If he really wanted me gone, he would’ve done it a long time ago."

  "If it’s not Bryan, then who?" Laura asks.

  "The question isn’t who—it’s why," I correct her. "Why would someone want the five of us dead?"

  "We did horrible things to people." Annie has this look of guilt on her face.

  "Yeah, but we weren’t the ones calling the shots," I counter. "That was Hunter and Bryan. If someone wanted to clap back, they’d go for the big brains, not the pawns. We are just pieces on the board."

  "Hey," Zoey’s voice rings out across the nearly empty room, catching the attention of the passing by nurses. "Are you guys done talking shit about me?"

  "Almost," I call back. She rolls her eyes.

  Annie takes a step closer to me, her face all pouting. "But we really did do bad things, and those people will never forgive us."

  "Don’t be dramatic, Annie," Laura snaps. "They just got sick for a few days and then went back to normal. It’s not like we killed anyone." She shrugs it off.

  Annie opens her mouth to say something, but only a sigh comes out.

  "Exactly," I agree. "Like I said, if someone was that pissed off at what we did, they’d go for the guys in charge. Not us."

  The two girls nod and take a breath, maybe finally letting the weight of the situation sink in. Or maybe they're trying to figure out if I'm right.

  "So," Laura says, cutting through the silence. "What do you think? About all of this?"

  "I can’t make sense of everything," I say. "But I can tell you what’s going to happen next."

  The two girls stare at me, their eyes fierce and focused, holding their breath. Even Zoey leans forward in her seat, eavesdropping on us.

  "Someone tried to get me, but they missed. They tried to frame Zoey, but she spoke up. Then, they tried to get rid of Jaiden. I mean, he’s kind of an idiot—he found a bag of gummy bears by his door and ate them without thinking. Which leaves us with the most likely scenario…" I look up at them. I can see the fear starting to set in. "You two are next."

  "We’re next?" Laura repeats the words slowly.

  I nod. "It’s either you survive… or you don’t."

  Annie gasps for air. She steps closer and grips my T-shirt with both hands. "We need to stick together then."

  "The more we stick together, the worse it gets," I push her slowly. "But at the same time, you won’t survive alone."

  "No, no," Laura mutters, trembling. "This can’t be happening. We can’t die in here."

  My brain goes straight back to Kevin. If he was here, right in this spot, what would he say? I take a deep breath. My ears muffle as I see Kevin’s face flashing inside my mind. I can see his fair face and hold contact with his stunning eyes. I can hear his voice ringing inside my skull. You can do better than me. A weird trail of warmth goes down my shoulders. It spreads across my chest, but it stings my heart.

  "We’re dealing with a… dog," I say as I look back to the two girls. "A dog that knows everything about us. What we’re doing, where we’re going, what we like and what we don’t."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  "And it's one of us?" Annie asks.

  "My best guess is yeah, it’s one of us. But a dog is loyal—it can’t work alone. They have to be working with someone, or maybe a few people. Someone who gives them directions and orders," I explain. "Think about it. If they actually could kill one of us, how are they gonna get rid of a body by themselves?"

  "A dog? Not a pawn like you said?" Annie frowns. She’s a little slow to catch on.

  "Look, a pawn finishes the job, gets paid, and moves on. A dog is loyal. They’ll do anything to please their master. They’ll work their asses off to blend in with their enemies, and at the end of the day, they go back to lick their master’s feet."

  "Aren’t they basically the same thing?" Laura asks quietly. “A dog, a pawn, whatever. At the end of the day, they both get paid to hurt others.”

  "No. A pawn works for money. A dog works for love."

  Zoey’s voice cuts in from behind us. "Why not both?"

  We all turn to look at her.

  "Like, there’s a pawn and there’s a dog, and they’re both controlled by the same master," she says, her eyes not blinking. "The master gives orders to the pawn, and the pawn gives orders to the dog. That’s how the chain works."

  I stare at her over Annie’s head. "No one asked."

  Her shoulders droop, and the spark in her eyes vanishes instantly. "Seriously?"

  Her theory actually makes sense. It explains a lot, mostly because I refuse to believe that one of us hates the rest of the group enough to do this—unless it’s Zoey herself. Then I wouldn't be surprised at all.

  The nurse swings the door open. "He’s all good now. You can go see him, but he’s staying the night here." She starts to step past us, but stops when our eyes meet.

  "You." she points a lazy finger. "You’re the drama queen who came in here screaming that you’d been shot. No wonder your friend is in there claiming he’s been poisoned."

  My face heats up. I can feel Laura looking me up and down, clearly trying to smother a smile.

  "Yes, ma’am," I say, avoiding the nurse’s sharp gaze. "I’m the drama queen."

  What else am I supposed to say? These assholes lost the bullet I was shot with. Of course I’m a drama queen to her now.

  "Why didn’t you come in for your check-up, Mr. Drama Queen?" she asks, a hint of sarcasm in her voice and a tiny, annoying smile on her face.

  I don’t really have an answer for that either. "I’m good now."

  "I want to see you tomorrow," she says, her half-assed smile widening. "Before you get a papercut on your finger and call it a stabbing."

  She walks away before I can even think of a reply. That was the worst joke I’ve heard in days, which says a lot because it makes Jaiden’s humor sound top-tier. I hear Annie chuckling and see Laura pressing her lips into a thin line, trying her best not to let out a laugh.

  "Was that really funny?" I mutter.

  The two girls shake their heads and agree it was lame, but they’re still grinning. I sigh and lead the way into the room. The girls follow close behind, and even Zoey hurries to catch up.

  Jaiden is resting on the same bed I was in a couple of days ago. He’s stuck in one of those thin hospital gowns with an upside-down bag of clear fluid connected to his left hand. I notice the bandages are still intact, covering his tattoo, and I let out an exhale. He’s got a bowl of grapes on the counter next to him as well. He sits up as soon as he sees us approaching.

  "Man, I am never eating gummy bears again," he complains.

  "You shouldn’t have eaten them without knowing who they were from," Laura says, hopping onto the bed on his right. Annie sits down next to her with a tiny smile.

  "I thought Armani left them for me," Jaiden whines. "I didn't think someone was out there trying to get my ass, bro."

  I sit on the edge of the bed beside him, and he shifts to make space for me. "Do you really think if I found a pack of gummy bears, I’d give them to you?" I reach over, snatch a couple of grapes, and pop them into my mouth.

  He grins and gives my arm a weak slap. "I should’ve known you were an asshole."

  His gaze drifts to something behind me and stays there. His breath catches in his throat, and his whole face softens. I glance over my shoulder, following his eyes. Of course. He’s locked in a look with Zoey. She’s standing behind Laura, but she quickly looks away, tucking a strand of her wig behind her ear and staring at an empty air.

  Laura catches the look, too. She turns to me with a smirk that says everything. She pulls out her phone and types something fast, and a second later, the phone in my pocket buzzes. She couldn't even wait until we leave the room to talk shit about Zoey.

  Annie glances at her own phone, and her face suddenly brightens. She jumps off the bed and moves fast. "Gotta go. My club team is waiting for me."

  "Why are they waiting for you now?" I ask.

  She mumbles something I can’t quite catch and hurries out of the room. I’m not in the right headspace for Annie and her drama right now. I pop a few more grapes in my mouth.

  Jaiden nudges me. "One of the nurses told me you missed dinner because you were standing outside the whole time. She said she’d bring us both something to eat."

  "Cool," I say, still chewing.

  "That Chloe girl Annie’s been hanging out with," Laura says and I immediately choke on the grapes in my mouth. "She’s totally taking Annie away from us."

  "Chloe?" Jaiden repeats, his eyes narrowing as he looks at me. I can’t believe he remembers her.

  I swallow hard and lean in to whisper to him. "That bitch is crazy. She broke into my room and kissed every single inch of it. She didn’t even spare my clothes."

  Jaiden leans closer, his voice low. "Can you give me one of the shirts she kissed?"

  "Bro, what the fuck?" My voice comes out way louder than I meant it to.

  "Come on, man," Jaiden whines. "Just one shirt. I’ll give it back, I promise."

  "I don’t trust you with my clothes."

  "Ugh… what are you guys talking about?" Laura asks, giving us a judging glare.

  I follow Jaiden's gaze back to Zoey again. She’s still standing there with her phone, but she’s clearly been watching us the whole time. "You know you can sit down, right?"

  Jaiden leans over to catch her eye, flashing a smile. "You can sit there." He points to the edge of the bed on his left.

  Zoey locks eyes with me as she walks over. "It's not like I was waiting for your permission."

  "Oh, really?" Laura barks. "So, you’re not telling me the tea, huh?"

  I look at her. "Guy talk. You really want to hear it?"

  Her face twists with disgust. "No, thank you."

  Jaiden turns his attention to Zoey. His voice suddenly drops into this weirdly soft, deep tone he's been using recently when he tries to be smooth. "You wanted to say something, right?"

  I glance at Laura; she’s noticed the attitude shift. She silently mocks him behind his back, mouthing his words and facial expressions. I can’t help but laugh silently.

  Zoey takes a deep breath. "I was thinking of a plan."

  I look at her. She sounds way too confident for someone I'm pretty sure is stupid. She glances around the room to make sure the door is shut. We all follow her lead, checking to make sure no nurses are here.

  "There are five of us, and we’re assuming someone among us is trying to hurt the others, or in the worst-case scenario, kill them." Her eyes are on Jaiden like no one else is in the room. "At the same time, we still have a job to do in this place."

  "We’ll split into two teams," she continues. "Team A will work on the virus—verifying it and planning how to spread it. Team B will focus on finding the traitor."

  I can hear Laura rolling her eyes behind me.

  "That’s impressive!" Jaiden says with a huge, dumb smile.

  It’s not that impressive. I was thinking the exact same thing earlier, maybe this morning, or yesterday. I don’t know, but I did think of it. It was only a matter of time before I said it myself.

  "Since I have the most knowledge of microbiology, I’ll be on Team A," Zoey says. "I just need one other person to help me."

  Jaiden sits up, looking a bit too excited. "I'm on your team."

  "Actually," I cut in, flashing Zoey a smile. "The A in Team A stands for Armani. No one’s on that team except me and you."

  Jaiden glares at me.

  "I don’t want you on my team," Zoey objects, her wig shifting slightly as she speaks. "You’re too dumb to understand how viruses or basic science work. And you’ve never actually made a real virus."

  "I might not have made a virus," I say, "but I’ve spent plenty of time in Bryan’s basement messing with chemicals and drugs you don’t know anything about. If you’re the microbiology expert, then I’m the chemistry Godzilla. Right, Laura?"

  Laura doesn't miss a beat. She lets out a dramatic gasp. "Oh my god, you didn’t know?"

  I turn around to watch her go for the Oscar.

  "Armani is good with chemicals and meds," Laura continues, her facial expressions and fake enthusiasm are top-tier. "One time, I got sick, like really sick, and he gave me some paracetamol. I was totally fine in a couple of minutes."

  What the fuck is paracetamol?

  "You definitely need him," Laura adds with a tiny, knowing smile. "It’ll be like having Bryan Black himself on your team, trust me."

  "Paracetamol?" Zoey asks, looking skeptical.

  Jaiden slumps back against his pillows, crossing his arms and giving me a look of disappointment.

  "I’ve got all kinds of that stuff," I add, turning back to Zoey. "I would’ve brought it all with me if I could. But, you know, Bryan didn't like the idea. Said no need to flex my chemical expertise."

  "All kinds of paracetamol?" She pauses. "There are different kinds?"

  Fuck you, Laura. Now I’m cornered.

  "I make the different kinds myself," I nod, trying to sound cool like Bryan. "We call them… variables. Or variants. Something like that."

  "You mean variations?" Zoey frowns.

  "Yeah, variations. Exactly what I'm talking about."

  Jaiden mutters under his breath, "Bro, you have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about."

  Zoey breaks eye contact, looking like she’s sinking into deep thought, or maybe just arguing with herself in her head.

  "It’s settled, then," I announce before she asks anything again. "Me and Zoey are Team A. Jaiden, Laura, and Annie are Team B. We’re starting tomorrow."

  "Cool," Laura says as she stands up. "I’ll go find Annie and make some new slips for the game. We’re replaying the first-round tomorrow, and this time, we’re gonna be dead-focused on exposing whoever’s betraying us."

  "Sounds like a plan," I say.

  My eyes meet Jaiden’s. It stings, seeing that look of betrayal on his face.

  I put a hand on his shoulder. "You can join us whenever you want, man." He looks away.

  Laura excuses herself and heads out, leaving the room feeling a lot quieter, and a lot colder.

  "Come on." I give Jaiden a little shake. "Don’t be jealous. I told you, you can jump in whenever."

  "Shut up." He pushes my hand off. "It’s not about that."

  "Not about that, huh?" I look at him. He doesn’t reply.

  "Okay, look," I say, shifting closer and lowering my voice. "Tomorrow at breakfast, I’m giving everyone their new roles and explain how this is gonna go. Trust me, you’ll be surprised. It’s not what you’re thinking."

  He still looks disappointed, but at least he’s listening.

  "Come on! It’s not like we’re going on a date," I continue, my voice even lower. "We’re just gonna work. Remember how Bryan used to mix up drugs and stuff in the basement? It’s gonna be like that. And you can join whenever you want."

  His face finally softens, and he lets out a long exhale.

  "I know you’re fantasizing about getting laid, but not today." I grab a few grapes and shove them into his mouth before he can complain.

  He swears at me under his breath, chewing through the grapes.

  Suddenly, Zoey’s muttering gets louder. She’s staring down at the floor tiles as if there’s someone down there.

  "You good, fam?" I ask, looking over at her.

  She frowns, her eyes snapping up to meet mine. "Paracetamol doesn’t have variations."

  Important announcement: Arc 2 is over!