"I can't imagine that they would think you of all people would cheat!?" Rosa gasped, her head inclined forward in disbelief.
Jack, Loui, Rosa, Cherry, and Kay sat cross-legged on the floor of Kayla's condo parlor. Laptops were in front of the four hackers while a book was in Loui's hands.
Cherry nervously glanced at the trio, shifting uncomfortably. She felt so out of place but Kayla said anyone she was comfortable telling about Jack's balls mayhem, is a friend.
"They don't think that I would cheat. It's that fucking Professor Maynor!" She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Why would he think that? What did you say or do to him to add you to his hit list?" Jack asked, typing away on his laptop. They have been trying to retrieve some kind of footage that would prove that Kayla was indeed innocent.
"Jack! I did no such thing! If I did, I would have remembered. I just think someone is using him to channel their frustrations. Some like Reigna. She's the only one that has a real issue with me."
"I'm sorry this might seem odd but when you first invited him, I didn't believe it. I thought it was a joke. Most people don't like you in our class and the school, generally." Kayla thought it was impossible for Cherry to ever yell. Her mother would approve of her in an instant. 'Hastings never raise their voice.'
"I know people don't like me after the whole game but shouldn't they blame the dimwitted boys?" Kayla rolled her eyes.
Louisa shook her head at her friend. "I am not even socially active and I know that people never liked you even before the game. No one was willing to speak up for you during your 'trial'. You are the most amazing friend in the entire world but not everyone knows that because they are too afraid to get close."
"Same thing I told you when we first had our conversation last year. It always seemed like you walked with your head above everyone else's. No offense." Rosa smiled sheepishly.
"It's because of how sharp your features are. You just make everyone cower in your presence like an Alpha-type shit," Jack added and Louisa's eyes brightened.
"You read werewolf stories or omega verse ones?"
"No, I don't. I just have a younger sister that obsessed with that. Back to the point, people are afraid of you."
"People always think that being pretty equates to being mean and all we think about is having the hottest boys to fuck around with. It's annoying that people make assumptions about me without trying to get to know me!" She said exasperated.
It was hard sometimes to ignore the looks that people had for her. She just pretended not to see them as that was what was best for her mental health.
"Well you did date Wyatt Hudson Parker," Rosa gave a pointed look, and when Kayla sent her a seething look she raised her hands.
"I didn't date him because we went on one date! Sheesh!"
"Then what about Boweski? You dated him, didn't you? Sorry, baby but Mean Girls did a number on everyone." Jack clicked his tongue.
With that, all of the hackers began looking for clues to help Kayla prove her innocence.
Louisa looked between all of them, familiarity dawning in her eyes as she said, abruptly, "Deja Vu."
Kayla looked up and asked, "What is?"
"Remember when someone almost framed me for hitting a man while driving and I almost got arrested? Then you also stayed up all night to prove my innocence." It was the time when Louisa got very drunk after Cole's death. The man she supposedly hit died at the impact but she wasn't the one to hit him.
Kayla helped recover the footage but she didn't remember the person that got arrested nor did she care. As long as her bestie wasn't in prison, then she didn't give a fuck.
"Wait… wait… I think I got something." Cherry informed them with wide eyes hitting Jack repeatedly.
"What the fuck? Why am I always the one getting hit!?"
"Because you're the only man here." Rosa replied as a matter of fact before turning to Cherry, "What did you find?"
"Who sat beside you during your exam?" She asked and Kay looked up, lost in thought.
"I don't know his name. All I know is that he likes skinny jeans was dating a girl from the same class and cheated on her with her sister."
"What!? That's a whole lot to unpack."
Cherry turned her laptop and showed them the boy with Professor Maynor doing something that made all of them want to throw up.
"The actual fuck!? Maynor and skinny jeans are fucking!?" Everyone gasped. She had no moral compass because she was dating a professor but this was different.
"This is the fucking hallway! I use the hallway to get to the lecture room on the third floor!" Jack nearly had a heart attack. "Fuck! This is damning enough already."
Kayla typed speedily on her laptop and pulled up Maynor's information. Christian Maynor, 46, graduated from Delacre University. Son of Tarrif Maynor and Kelce Maynor. He is married to Ritchie Hansford Maynor.
Has only one sibling, Bella Maynor married to Evans Powers.
"Fuck I was right! Reigna was involved! Maynor is her fucking uncle!"
"This is like an episode of The Vampire Diaries gone wrong." Louisa shuddered. "God, Kay, you're going through so much." She side-hugged her best friend.
"No time to get emotional. Let's assess the situation. Maynor is sleeping with a student which is completely against the rules so he's going to get fired plus he's cheating on his wife but how does all of this help Kayla's case?" Cherry questioned, her cute face serious as she spoke.
"This guy sat next to me. As we are hackers, all we need to do is hack into his phone to see if he has anything to incriminate himself."
"No, Kay. Since Reigna might be behind this how can she be careless?" Kayla groaned at Loui's words. "So all of this for nothing!?"
"Not exactly," Jack smirked.
"What's on your mind, ninja?"
"We can use this evidence of him with a student to blackmail them to come forward and tell the truth," Jack explained his plan.
However, Kayla frowned. "I have a better idea. Why don't we tell the Dean and still blackmail them that way we won't get into trouble if the Dean knows." If Oliver knew. Fuck he would be pissed that she didn't tell him but it was for the best.
If he found out… she shook her head, not wanting to think along those lines. He wouldn't find out and that was how it was going to be.
"You think they'll give up Reigna?" Rosa raised a brow. Would they?
"To save their skins they might."
"But why would she come after me? What did I ever do to her? It's not like I've met her before." Lines formed on her forehead. She would pay back tenfold what Reigna did. How dare she?
"Who knows? Some people are just loco. The important thing is that you won't get expelled anymore!" Rosa clapped her hands. "We make a wonderful team!"
"We do, don't we?" They all smiled at each other.
"And thank you, Cherry. I know we aren't that close so I'm grateful to have your help."
"You don't need to thank me. You are very nice contrary to everyone's beliefs. I mean you bake us cupcakes every day so why wouldn't I help you?" The adorable girl's smile brightened everyone's mood.
"This mystery was akin to the same person that is trying to chip away at our security system. I wonder what they want." Jack rubbed his eyes.
"Oliver's company is under attack? That's strange. He hasn't told anyone about this." Louisa adjusted her position on the floor.
"Are you close to our professor?"
"Yes. We are friends with the 'Big Six'. More like we are friends with people who are and some of them we are actually close with. Except for the guys. They don't seem to like people very much." Louisa explained. "But I am worried. Rory and Nate have a secret project that they are keeping there too, so I hope it won't be a repeat of last time." Her lips formed a thin line.
"It won't," Kayla assured her. "Oliver has the best security systems and we are working on a new one that would be almost impenetrable."
"Really? You're saying this about Oliver? Wouldn't you have called Rory and told her to change ships?" Her eyes narrowed at the auburn-haired girl.
Kayla tucked her hair behind her ear, evading Louisa's questioning gaze. "I work there now so you know?"
"Wait. What happened the last time?" Jack asked.
Louisa and Kayla glanced at each other, chuckling. "How about we tell you over a late-night dinner?"
"Sounds perfect to me! I am starving!" Rosa was the first to jump to her feet.
"You are a big foodie you monkey!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
Kayla laughed as her friends fought each other. She loved them together and having fun. Soon she wouldn't be here to have this. She smiled weakly shrugging off all the bad thoughts.
Louisa had class early in the morning but she didn't leave without making a good luck for breakfast.
She was getting ready to present her case to the Dean, about to leave the house when an impatient knock sounded on the door.
"Loui? Did you forget something? I told you to "She flung the door open and her breath caught in her throat. Her brows shot up.
"Professor!" Oliver Wilde stood at her door, face darkened. The way his eyes capped at her rang all her alarms. He was enraged.
"Why didn't you tell me what happened? Why!?" The accusation threw her off guard. She blinked trying to form words. She gulped. Fuck. This.