Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

22. Jax Flores

Jax (Male P.O.V) 

Date: October 2, 2238

"I still don't think..." Nova said before falling quiet when I opened my dorm door. She and Troy watched me from their position beside our desks as I carried my basket full of freshly clean laundry inside. Neither of them so much as uttered a word, leaving an awkward silence to settle over the room.

Growing increasingly worried with each passing second, I set the basket at the foot of my bed and turned to face them. "Um...Did I interrupt something?"

"Not really. No. But uh..." Troy scratched his cheek, glancing briefly at Nova. "We need your help with something."

"Okayyy," I said, purposely elongating the word. "What is it?"

He doesn't answer me straight away as he goes to shut the door before returning to Nova's side. "Can you pull up the footage I recorded with your glasses so we can see it?" he asked, slipping the glasses from his pocket.

Wait, had he had them all this time and just watched me tear up our room searching for them?

I immediately crossed over to him and attempted to take them, but he snatched his hand back. "Did you have them this whole time?!"

"No-" he started, but Nova interrupted him.

"Nina actually had them as well as your hat..." her eyes shifted to the worn cap on Troy's head. "And I told Stacy I would return them."

"Oh, I forgot I asked her to hold them." I run my hand down my face. "And thank you for bringing them back. If not, I would be." I mimic the motion of slicing my neck with my thumb. "Dead."

They exchanged confused glances, but before they could ask the questions burning in their eyes, I clapped my hands together, smiling gleefully. "So, what did you record?"

Neither answered me in the time it took to sit at my desk and boot up my computer.

I spun around to face them. "Are you gonna answer me?" I questioned, lightly chuckling.

Troy sighed, removed my hat from his head, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Jax, we don't want to involve you any more than we already are. So is there any way you can just pull up the footage and maybe leave the room while we watch it?"

"No way! If you're in trouble, I'm going to help you!" I shot forward in my seat, my tone firm. "You've always had my back. Always! Without question. So now it's my time to have yours."

"Fine," he huffed, tossing my hat on my bed. "But don't blame me later if things go bad. Alright?"

I gave one resolute nod of my head. "So what is it?"

He handed me the glasses. "Just pull it up, and we can watch it together. Let you see for yourself."

"Alright, but it'll take a minute or two to upload. The battery's dead, and the memory's full. I'm honestly surprised you were able to record anything."

"What do you mean?" Nova asked, uncertainty flashing across her face.

"Nothing," I shrugged half-heartedly. "Just that I was recording all day since the beginning of the event."

Her eyes grow wide. "What?! Are you sure you recorded it, Troy?"

"Ye-yeah." he swallowed before muttering under his breath. "Fuck I hope so."

"We'll see in a moment once the footage finishes uploading," I said, a pang of regret rising in my stomach at the doubt I'd caused.

A moment later, a chipper ping from my computer speakers pushes the feeling aside.