Nico twirled her pencil between her fingers, looking at everything but her partner sitting across from her. As the silence progressed between them, her partner became more annoyed and decided to start talking.
"So, since we are partners, I think that is it only right to introduce myself. My name is Zane Peters," He spoke up, leaning toward sticking his hand out, waiting for her to shake his hand, but instead, Nico tilted her head to the side with a confused look painted on her face.
"I know who you are," Nico stated. Zane looked at the girl confused and slowly brought his hand back.
"Oh, really, I've never seen you around," Zane asked, rubbing his chin, trying to remember.
"Are you serious?" Nico looked at him in disbelief, but Zane just sat there still confused, making Nico scoff. "Wow, just wow," Nico said, leaning back crossing her arms.
"What, I'm just honest," Zane said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You don't know," Nico said.
"Know what? Did we have any classes together?" Zane questioned. Nico stared at him at a loss of words, and she shook her head, running a hand down her face.
"Yea, in fact, we also have math together. I sit behind you," Nico answered, crossing her arms across her chest with a dull look now painted on her face.
"Oh, really, I never notice," Zane asked. Nico to roll her eyes and rested her elbow against the windowsill staring out the window muttering something Zane didn't make out clearly."What was that?" Zane asked, leaning closer to her to hear her better.
"I said I can't believe you still didn't figure it out," Nico replied, proceeding to gaze out the window.
"Figure what out," Zane questioned and watched Nico turn her head to him and propped her elbows on the desk, resting and folding her hands together before resting her chin on top of them. She looked at Zane with an unreadable look on her face before answering him.
"That we are not just your day-to-day classmates," Nico hinted at, but Zane still wasn't registering anything.
"I don't get it," Zane said. Nico closed her eyes, and a sigh escaped her lips.
"You live on 457 Willows Road. You have a blue-painted house with rose bushes placed in front of your house and a white picket fence wrapped around your yard. It looks new like it was just painted. Your dad drives a black Toyota that is always in the street," Nico said. Zane started to feel uneasy and felt the panic rise in his chest as he looked into Nico's unreadable eyes.
"H- how do you know this? Have you been stalking me?" Zane managed to get out, raising his voice slightly.
"Now, how about I answer your question with one of my own? Why would I waste my own time following you?" Nico asked, leaning back in her chair, not breaking eye contact with the panicked boy across from her.
"I don't know. How would you know where I live?" Zane questioned with anger and disgust in his voice. Nico sighed and shifted her attention back to the window, leaning her elbow back against it resting her chin in her hand.
"Well, that's pretty simple," Nico stated, and Zane started to become more impatient because of Nico's vague answers.
"How about this either you tell me what I want to know or I go to the police about you stalking me," Zane demanded, slamming his fist on her desk, gaining the attention of some students that were around them, and Nico rolled her eyes looking out of the window.
"I know you live at 457 Willows Road is because I live at 456 Willows Road. I'm your neighbor. Dumbass," Nico said, muttering that last part, but Zane heard her and slammed his hand on her desk, now grabbing the rest of his classmates' attention.
"Bullshit, I would've known if you lived next door to me!" Zane shouted.
"You didn't even know that I sat behind you in math until I pointed it out, and if I knew any better, I would say that you don't even know anybody else in that class besides your oh so popular friends," Nico said, glancing at Zane from the corner of her eyes. Zane looked stunned, like he was just slapped in the face, but before he could say anything, it dawned on him that he was still in class, and he now had an audience. So Zane glanced at everyone, staring at him visibly gulped before leaning in towards Nico so she could only hear want he was saying.
"I am going to tell you this once you stay away from me. If I catch you anywhere near my house, I won't stop until I make your life miserable," Zane said in a threatening low tone before storming off back to his seat, slumping into his chair before he was surrounded by most of his friends questioning what just happened. Nico rolled her eyes and watched the colored leaves fly across the window and out of sight feeling everyone fixing their gaze on her. Nico closed her eyes, hoping they would mind their own business and leave her alone if she wished hard enough.
"Well, that was some show, " Nate said, sliding into the chair that her anger partner used to sit in.
"What can I say? I love to perform. At least Zane can go home happy that he experienced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Nico said, shrugging off what happened.
"Oh, but of course. You know this is the happiest I've ever seen, Zane," Nate said, chuckling to himself. Nico fell silent as she continued to stare out the window with an unreadable expression on her face that Nate couldn't make out but sense that something was off with Nico.
"Hey, Nic," Nate began but was soon interrupted by the bell echoing throughout the classroom. Nate stayed seated and watched Nico slowly rising from her chair, collecting her stuff off her desk before shoving them into her bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder.
"You coming?" Nico asked, returning to her usual self, well, almost her usual self. She still had a look in her eyes that gave Nate a feeling of uncertainty. Nate could only nod his head, getting up from his chair before grabbing his bag at his desk and following Nico out the door, thinking that now was not the right time to get her to open up. The rest of the day went on; it just felt like a blur for Nico. The only thing that stood out for her was the new glares and comments about Nico being a stalker, but she started to tune it out after a while. When the final bell had rung, Nico began to head towards the locker to grab her things before she headed to her bike to go to work. When she got to her locker, she started to put her combination in and heard someone calling her. Nico glanced to her right and saw Nate making his way through the sea of people trying to get to her.
"Hey, Nic," Nate called out, walking out of the crowd, and stepping towards his best friend.
"What's up, Nate," Nico said, shifting her attention back to her locker.
"You free tonight. There is someone I want you and Emily to meet," Nate responded with excitement.
"Unfortunately, I am closing at the bookstore tonight," Nico said, opening her locker and retrieving some books from inside before shoving them inside her bag.
"Ugh, you work too hard. You deserve a break," Nate dramatically said, throwing himself upon the locker next to hers as one hand clutched his chest and the back of his other hand rested over his eyes, looking in distress.
"You are so dramatic, Nate," Nico said, rolling her eyes and pulling her helmet out of her locker before shutting it and heading toward the parking lot with Nate walking alongside her.
"Well, I did get it from you cause of the show that you and Zane performed this morning," Nate said, and Nico rolled her eyes.
"That was Zane all on his own," Nico stated, tucking her helmet under her arm, maneuvering her way through the crowd as Nate mimicked her movements.
"Well, it did seem like it did bother you when his friends started spreading the rumors about you being a stalker," Nate said, looking at Nico with a worried look on his face.
"I'm fine. Besides, there is nothing they can say that would make me upset. I have more important things to worry about," Nico said, shrugging her shoulder as they reached the lobby.
"Like what?" Nate asked, pushing the front doors open.
"Like making sure I make it to work on time," Nico said.
"Nic, it is okay to be upset," Nate said.
"I am fine, Nate. I am," Nico said, looking up at Nate.
"Fine, but you can tell me if something is wrong if not me, then you can talk to Emily," Nate said.
"I know, Nate, but tell me about this guy," Nico said.
"Well, a guy I met at the public library," Nate said.
"Since when do you go to the public library?"Nico asked.
"Since I saw him walking in the library," Nate said, biting his lip.
"Well, as much as I would love to continue this conversation, I have to stop at the diner to grab my dad his dinner before going to work, and I don't want to be late," Nico said, walking towards her bike.
"You know your boss is pretty reasonable. I think he wouldn't get mad if you were a little late," Nate said, crossing his arms at Nico.
"Well yeah, but I wouldn't be okay if I was late," Nico said.
"You know you work a lot in all seriousness Nic. When was the last time you went out and had, oh, I don't know, fun?" Nate stated, and Nico stopped turning to Nate.
"What are you talking about? I have fun all the time," Nico said.
"Yeah, right, Nic. I know you have to go to work, but I am telling you this because I love you, and someone needs to tell you this," Nate said.
"What?" Nico asked.
"Nic, you spend more time at work than spending time with your friends or for yourself. I know you have responsibilities, but I miss hanging out with you, and I feel like you don't want to spend any time with me anymore. I'm sorry for being worried about you," Nate said to Nico. Nico started to feel upset because she knew that work was consuming most of her time, and she never had any of it to spend with her friends. It is not like she didn't want to spend time with them; she did. Nico ran her hand down her face and looked and Nate before closing her eyes and sighing because she knew he was right even though she would never admit it well, not to his face as at least.
"Saturday," Nico announced.
"What about Saturday," Nate asked, confused at Nico's vague response.
"That's is the only day I can ask off since the store not normally busy, so if you want to do something, I can schedule off that day," Nico said, looking at Nate with a blank expression on his face. Suddenly Nate broke out into a huge smile, his eyes practically sparkling as he pulled out his phone, texting whoever before looking back at Nico. Nico felt a slight buzz in her back pocket before turning back to her bike, hopping on, and starting her motorcycle.
"Okay, now I have to go. I got myself a hot date tonight with the guy from the library," Nate said, sliding his phone back into his pocket and reaching into his bag to grab his keys.
"You know it is a Monday, right? Don't you have homework or something?" Nico asked.
"Oh yes, I have a big text on human biology, and he is helping me 'study,'" Nate said, winking at Nico.
"Well, you go do that. I have to grab my dad's dinner," Nico said.
"Well, have fun with that and tell Em I said hey and don't forget about Saturday," Nate said as he started to head to his car.
"Trust me. I won't. I'll see you later," Nico called out before sliding her helmet on, looking at Nate one last time, shaking her head at his antics before pulling out of the parking lot.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway as the young man ran like he was being chased, trying to reach the door at the end of the hall. He ran to the door at the end of the hallway and turned the doorknob before throwing open the door, revealing an older man standing in the middle of the room with his back facing the younger male.
"Captain, we just received a phone call," the younger man said, hunched over, trying to catch his breath. The captain turned to face the more youthful male with a look of confusion at the tired officer.
"About," As the young male caught his breath, he closed the door behind them, the captain said, concerned about the urgency of the officer's voice.
"Mrs. Slivers called because her daughter hasn't been home in almost a week," the young officer said. The older male took a step forward with a look of worried painted across his face.
"Why did she call now," The captain said.
"W-well, from what Mrs. Silvers told us, she said that she thought that her daughter was at her boyfriend's house this entire time, but she just received a call from him because he hasn't seen her too," the younger male said worriedly.
"This isn't good," the captain said while running a hand through his dark brown hair before turning around, walking up to the wall behind him.
"Sir, what are we going to do," The young officer said, walking up next to the older male staring at him, looking at the wall in front of them.
"Well, if this is like the others, then we are racing against the clock," the captain said. The younger man looked upon the dozens of pictures under a big sign that said, missing in bold black lettering. The young man sighed, hoping that the young girl's fate didn't end up like the others.