Ethan gestured for Maddie to hide at the corner, and she nodded, hiding under the desk.
Ethan took a deep breath and opened the door, his expression flaring with impatience, but whatever he was about to say died in his throat.
George, looking like he'd just gone twelve rounds with Mother Nature, stood in front of him. He had dirt smeared on his face, his shirt looked like it went through war, and his hair was a mess of twigs and leaves.
Behind him, Nina smiled sheepishly. She looked equally disheveled, with her clothes streaked with mud and random foliage clinging to her hair as if she rolled around in the bushes for fun.
Maddie's peeked, and her eyes lit as she spotted her best friend. "Nina!"
Nina's lower lip quivered, and in a blink of an eye, Nina burst into tears. "Maddieeeee!" She wailed, flying into Maddie's arms like a broken bird that found home.
They hugged each other dramatically, as if they hadn't seen each other in years, even though it had only been like, what, twenty minutes?
"Nina, are you okay? What happened? Why do you look like you fought a tree?" Maddie asked, pulling back to inspect her friend's new earthy aesthetic.
Nina sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. "It was George! He tackled me! Like, full-on NFL style! I think I have a leaf stuck in my bra."
George, standing behind them, rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I saved you, Nina. You were running around with a torch like we were in the Hunger Games."
Ethan looked from George to Nina, then back to George, his face a mixture of disbelief and resignation. "Bro… What the hell happened out there?"
George shrugged, looking almost proud of the dirt on his face. "She was about to set the entire racetrack on fire. I stopped her."
Nina whipped around, glaring at George. "Stop me? Stop me? You tackled me like I was your personal crash dummy!"
George threw his hands up in defense. "You were waving a torch over your head like a crazy person! What did you think was going to happen?"
Nina ignored him, turning back to Maddie and clutching her arm. "He literally threw me to the ground like I was some kind of rag doll. My life flashed before my eyes."
Maddie gasped. "Oh my God, George, you hurt my friend!"
Ethan, who watched this exchange with growing irritation, grabbed Maddie's wrist and pulled her away. George, with an exasperated sigh, shoved Nina deeper into the room. The door clicked shut behind them, and Ethan locked it, again.
"Seriously? Again with the locking?" Maddie snapped, turning to Ethan as she pointed at him. "Do you like locking women in rooms? Is that your thing? Should I be worried?"
Nina, still in full drama mode, plopped down on the floor, legs splayed out in front of her. "Maddie got a point. This whole thing is starting to feel like one of those creepy Netflix documentaries. You know, the ones where the girl gets locked in a basement by some guy who says, 'It's for her own good.' Like George saying, 'He tackled me for my benefit.'"
She gave George a dirty look.
George, clearly fed up, ran a hand through his dirt-covered hair. "Nina, I didn't tackle you for fun—"
"Oh, really?" Nina interrupted, crossing her arms. "'Cause it sure felt like you were living out your linebacker fantasy. You know what? I should've stomped on your face instead of your manhood."
At this, George winced, his entire body tensing up as if he'd just remembered the traumatic event. Ethan, standing beside him, glanced down at George's crotch, eyebrow raised in a silent question. George gave a quick, pained nod, as if to confirm—yes, it still hurt.
Ethan's lips twitched, but he wisely kept his mouth shut, though you could almost see the 'dude, tough break' written all over his face.
Maddie, meanwhile, was still in full rant mode. She whirled at Ethan, jabbing a finger in his direction.
"And you! You think you're some kind of god, don't you? Just because you're tall and broody and have this stupid 'I'm too cool for everyone' vibe going on, you think you can just lock me up and tell me what to do?"
Ethan's face darkened by the second, his jaw tightening. "I'm not trying to be a god, Maddie. I'm trying to keep you from getting yourself killed."
"Oh, so now you care?" Maddie fired back. "Well, maybe I wouldn't be in danger if certain people didn't drag me into their underground car racing shenanigans!"
"Shenanigans?!" Ethan repeated, his voice rising. "You showed up here on your own, Maddie! This isn't some kind of game. You think you're on a little adventure, but this place is dangerous. How many times do I have to tell you this?"
"Oh, dangerous," Maddie mimicked, rolling her eyes. "You keep saying that—"
"Maddie," George cut in, rubbing the bridge of his nose, clearly at the end of his rope. "This isn't just some club run by the student council. This is where the powers play."
Maddie blinked, suddenly thrown off by George's serious tone. "What?"
"This place," George continued, his voice low and a little ominous, "is more than just some underground racing scene. It's where the real power at Ivy Hills gets flexed. You think this is just about cars and bikes? This university churns out high-ranking people—CEOs, senators, even three freaking presidents. Heirs, second-generation rich kids, and even old money play here. Do you really think we're just playing around here?"
Maddie and Nina exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"This is where the future leaders of the country hone their skills," George went on, his face darkening further. "People who will dominate an industry come here. There's no room for people like you two to just stumble in and start messing with things. You're out of your depth."
Nina, who had been sitting quietly for once, raised a hand like she was in class. "Uh, question."
George sighed. "What?"
Nina gestured between the two guys. "Okay, so this whole 'power game' thing sounds super intense or whatever, but that still doesn't explain who got Lila pregnant."
Maddie turned to Ethan, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah. We're not just going to let that go."
"Okay, Ethan said he didn't know Lila, so here's a picture for you to see." Maddie grabbed Nina's necklace and showed them the picture in the locket.
"See, that woman in the middle is Lila," Nina pointed.
George and Ethan stared at the picture, then glanced at each other as if they were silently communicating.
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck, looking visibly uncomfortable. George, on the other hand, shifted from foot to foot, clearly wanting to be anywhere but in this room.
"Look, it's... complicated," Ethan muttered, avoiding Maddie's gaze. "I didn't know she was the 'Lila' you were talking about."
"Complicated how?" Maddie pressed, stepping closer to him. "Like, 'the baby has two dads' complicated or 'you're all in some weird secret society and can't talk about it' complicated?"
Nina gasped dramatically. "Oh my God, is it a cult? Is Lila pregnant with the chosen one?"
Maddie sighed, looking at Nina over her shoulder. "Nina, please."
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly trying to keep his patience. "No, it's not a cult. And no, she's not pregnant with the chosen one."
George groaned, sinking onto the nearest chair. "Why are we even talking about this right now? This is not the time for cult theories. We should be talking about how to get them out."
Nina gave him a pointed look. "I mean, you're the one who tackled me and dragged me into this room, so maybe it is time."
George opened his mouth to argue but then quickly closed it, probably realizing that Nina wouldn't even bother to listen. He slumped in defeat.
Maddie, however, wasn't letting Ethan off the hook. She stared him down, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You know who the father is, don't you?"
Ethan hesitated, his expression conflicted. "I... I don't know for sure."
"But you have a guess," Maddie said, narrowing her eyes.
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Look, Maddie, this isn't something you can just... fix. Lila's situation is complicated, and getting involved here—"
"Is dangerous." Maddie finished for him, rolling her eyes. "Yes, you've mentioned that. But Lila is my best friend, and I'm not going to stop until I find out who's responsible for all of this."
Ethan stared at her, his jaw clenched, clearly realizing that Maddie wasn't going to back down. George, from his chair, groaned softly, as if resigning himself to whatever chaos was about to unfold.
Nina grinned and gave George a little nudge with her foot. "You know, if you hadn't tackled me, I'd probably still be out there, running around like a maniac."
George glared at her. "I regret nothing."
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "This is going to get messy."
Maddie grinned, her eyes lighting up with determination. "Good. I thrive in messy."