BESIDE YOU

Chapter 17

HAYDON

"You were busy with your girlfriend. I didn't want to interrupt, so I left"

I immediately slap my forehead in frustration.

Why does everyone jump to this conclusion?

"She's not my girlfriend. We are just two friends who like to hang out", I say.

" She likes you"

"And who told you that? "I say, annoyed.

"It's pretty obvious from the way she looks at you",

" What-", I begin

"She's pretty and she likes you. Isn't that enough"?

What on the earth? This is too much, I think.

" You don't get to choose what is enough for me and what is not" I am starting to get angry.

"Whatever Hay-hay"

Ughhh

" Unbelievable ", I mutter under my breath.

We reach my house. I park the car and get inside the house.

I immediately know that my mum is baking her special choco-chip cookies. The house is filled with its buttery fragrance.

"We'll go to my room "?, I ask.

"It is okay if you leave the door open and sit at least 6 feet away from me"

I roll my eyes.

Did I look like a creep?

"Fine. We'll go to the music room"

I take her to the basement which has been converted into a music room. It had cost a bit to set it up, but it was completely worth it.

"Nobody comes down here other than me and my mum calls my name before entering. So this would give us more privacy", I say.

"Fair enough"

I notice that she has chosen to leave a lot of distance between her chair and mine. It feels like everything she does is to remind me to never break any of the rules she has set.

As if I'll even try to break them. I don't have a death wish.

She pulls a table between us and spreads out a paper on it. And then she switches from depressed Demi to business Demi.

"We are going to focus on the main hallway. It is pretty long", she says

"But aren't there quite a lot of cameras watching what's happening?"

"There are 6 cameras throughout the hallway. We are going to focus on the lockers which are located in the middle of the hallway"

I nod at her. She seems to have worked everything out.

"We are going to shoot the cameras with paint ball guns and we are going to wear thick masks".

"Okay"

"Now, we are going to need paintball guns and spray paint. After we are done, we'll leave through the back exit because there are only 3 cameras and one is broken"

What the hell?

"How do you know so much when you don't even go to my school?", I ask.

She chooses not to reply.

"We are going to buy all the necessary things tomorrow and you are going to come with me"