Maddie, Nina, and Aileen hid behind a tree, peeking at a locker room that was thirty feet away. They had a clear view of Ethan, Killian, and George. The boys chatted casually as they walked to the room.
"Okay," Maddie whispered, leaning on the tree trunk. "They're heading in. Just stay low and—"
Out of the blue, George turned around, and Maddie ducked like he caught her committing murder.
"Jesus!" Nina hissed as she clutched Maddie's arm. "He looked right at us! I swear, he has eyes at the back of his head. They're probably actual functioning eyes."
Aileen snorted, staring intently at Nina. "Relax, Nina. He's not the spider man with his spidey senses." Then, she muttered, adding, "But if he has the ability, it would explain a lot."
"Pfft, yeah," Maddie giggled, shrugging her shoulders. "If he has eyes at the back of his head, it will work only for you. You and him seem so…" Maddie brought together her two ring fingers, teasing Nina.
"What?!" Nina's voice jumped an octave. Maddie and Aileen looked at her with grins. "Never!"
"We said what we said," Aileen teased. "I mean, it's obvious. George is always so nonchalant as if he doesn't care about anything. But when you're around, he's suddenly, I don't know, alert. Like a golden retriever who just heard the word 'walk'"
Maddie barked playfully, and Nina slapped her arm.
"Stop!" Nina's blushed, her ears and cheeks going red. "What are you guys on? That guy doesn't care about me. We don't even talk, okay?"
Aileen raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please. He's a walking advertisement for a walking red flag. He sleeps around, flirts with anything that wears a skirt, and doesn't care about anyone... except you." She tilted her head, studying Nina. "So, yeah. You're the only exception. Trust me, he wouldn't give a fuck about us crashing Velocity, but he went out of his way because it's you."
"I don't care about him," Nina declared quickly, crossing her arms. "He's a jerk. A player. I wouldn't touch him with a 10-foot pole. There's no way I would believe you."
Aileen wanted to highlight another point, but Maddie grabbed her arm, yanking her. "Focus! They entered the locker room. Let's move."
They darted across the campus, trying to look casual, which meant they looked like people who were about to commit something bad. Nearby, a group of students are sitting on the ground and looking at them weirdly. The trio awkwardly plopped on the grass, pretending to join their conversation.
"Hey, how's life?" Maddie grabbed a random book from the student's hand. She opened it and flipped through the pages. "Wow, this is… uh… super interesting."
"You're holding it upside down," the student commented, pointing at the book.
"Oh, right!" Maddie laughed, slapping her leg and flipping the book. For two seconds she read, but her mind was a jumbled mess. "You know what? This is really my vibe. Thanks, though!"
The group stared at her like she'd grown a second head.
"Smooth…" Nina grimaced, rolling her eyes.
"Shut up," Maddie whispered, grabbing Nina by the sleeve. She glanced toward the locker room and found Ethan, George, and Killina walking out. And yes, finally, Killian didn't bring a bag with him!
"Yes!" Maddie pumped her fist. "He left it. We've got this."
Aileen nodded; she squinted, staring at the boys. Like a general ready for battle, she instructed them, "Alright, let's go over the plan again. I'll keep an eye on the boys at the field. If they head back, I'll call Nina. Nina, you distract them. Maddie, you're on bag duty."
Nina immediately panicked. "Why am I the distraction?!" Why was it her?
"Because you're the only one who can talk to George without spontaneously combusting," Aileen said matter-of-factly, raising an eyebrow. "You can talk to him. Maybe tell him things he might want to hear. Like how handsome he is, how smart he is, etc."
"That's not true!" Nina protested, shaking her head vehemently. "I can't even look at his face without wanting to punch him. If I say those things, he won't let me live it down."
"Perfect!" Maddie clapped her hands, pointing at Nina. "Use that energy. Just like this, channel it into a conversation or something."
Nina groaned, burying her face in her hands. "This is the worst idea ever. This is the death of me. If I die, I'll haunt you."
"Welcome to my life." Maddie fist-pumped with Aileen and Nina, but the latter stared at her, doing nothing, looking resigned.
"Ok, I'm going!" she waved and started toward the locker room, but Aileen grabbed her arm.
"Wait for a while," Aileen whispered. "We wait fifteen minutes. Let them get thick into the game. Otherwise, someone might come back early, and it will be a disaster."
Maddie groaned but sat back down again. "Fine. But if this goes sideways, I'm blaming both of you."
---
Fifteen minutes later, Aileen's voice crackled through Maddie's phone.
"Game on, Bag Lady. The locker room is clear. Go, go, go! Save my book from the hands of capitalists! We're fighting for freedom here."
"Don't call me that," Maddie muttered, slipping inside the locker room. "And please don't make some random speech about capitalists!"
The smell hit her first. Sweat, deodorant, and something metallic that she didn't want to waste brain cells on and think about. Maddie wrinkled her nose and scanned the room. Killian's locker was open, just like Aileen said, but the bag wasn't inside. Instead, it was sitting on the bench, surrounded by four other identical black bags.
"Damn it!" Maddie whispered under her breath. She pressed the phone to her ear. "Aileen, there are five bags here. What should I do?"
"Five?" Aileen sounded genuinely distressed. "Why does he need five bags? Is he smuggling gold bars or something?"
"No idea, maybe this isn't all his," Maddie said, pacing nervously. "But none of them are labeled. Should I just… open them all?"
Aileen hesitated. "I mean… yeah? We don't have a choice."
Maddie groaned, crouching next to the bench. She unzipped the first bag, rifling through it. Cleats, a water bottle, and a towel. Nothing incriminating.
She moved to the second bag, then the third—still nothing.
"Hurry up," Aileen whispered urgently. "You're taking too long."
"It's not exactly easy, okay?!" Maddie snapped. She opened the fourth bag and froze. "Oh my God."
"What? What is it?" Aileen asked.
Maddie pulled out a notebook covered in glitter stickers and hearts. "I found your Book of Handsome Men."
"YES!" Aileen practically screamed through the phone. "Grab it and run! Don't waste time!"
"Wait, I need to check the last bag," Maddie said, her curiosity winning. She set the notebook aside. She reached for the fifth bag just as Aileen's voice turned panicked.
"Abort! Abort mission! Ethan's hurt, and they're heading back!"
"What?!" Maddie hissed.
"Why are they coming back?!" Nina's voice joined the chaos.
"Ethan's limping off the field," Aileen explained. "I think he twisted his ankle or something. They're coming over. Nina, distract them! Now!"
Nina froze, her heart pounding like crazy. "What am I supposed to do?! I can't just—"
"Improvise!" Aileen and Maddie shouted in unison.
Nina groaned, running a shaky hand through her hair. She spotted the boys and moved, stepping directly into their path.
"Hey, George!" she blurted, her voice cracking slightly.
George stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Uh… hey?"
Nina's brain scrambled for something—anything—to say. "Uh, so, um… what's your favorite… color?"
Killian and Ethan both stopped, looking at her like she'd just asked the dumbest question ever conceived.
"My favorite color?" George repeated, clearly confused.
"Yeah!" Nina laughed nervously. "I just realized that I didn't know. And, you know, it's like… super important."
George tilted his head, his lips twitching in amusement. "It's black."
"Cool, cool," Nina said, nodding furiously. "Black is, uh, a solid choice. Very… versatile."
Killian crossed his arms, smirking. "Is this some kind of weird survey, or…?"
Nina suppressed a groan. "Nope! Just… curious."
Meanwhile, in the locker room, Maddie was frantically rearranging the bags with the book in hand. "Aileen, I'm almost done. Tell Nina to keep stalling!"
Aileen's voice came through the phone, barely suppressing laughter. "She's trying, but I think George is onto her. Nina's not the smartest cookie in the bag."
"Great," Maddie said under her breath, zipping up the last bag. "This is going so well."
---