𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥

006. The Code.

      

     AS THE boys were coming into the parlour, Robin was running out, ignoring them with Valerie right behind her, trying to keep up. Robin jumps up onto the bench in the middle of the food court and Valerie gets up on top of it with her, Robin facing her.

"A trip to China sounds nice." She whispered and kept turning all around before she pointed at Imperial Panda. "Val." She says and Valerie looks as well, smiling. "If you tread lightly is next, right?" She says, both girls looking all around. "There." Robin pointed and Valerie looks up, Robin was pointing at Kaufman Shoes. "If you tread lightly." Robin says.

"When blue meets yellow in the west..." Valerie says, looking at her. Robin immediately saw it, pointing. "God... your brain." Valerie whispers and Robin chuckled, looking at her. "You did it! You cracked the super secret spy code." Valerie whispered again and Robin smiled widely making her smile as well.

"Val." Valerie looks right away at Dustin and Steve. "What are you two doing?" Steve then asked, Valerie pointing to Robin. "She cracked it." She says and Steve is just confused. "Cracked what?" He asked. "I cracked the code." Robin says when she jumped down.

In the ice cream parlour later that day, Robin explained to Dustin and Steve what each sentence of the code meant, the silver cat was the Lynx Transportation company that a trip to China sounds nice was about Imperial Panda, If you tread lightly was Kaufman Shoes, when blue meets yellow in the west was the large clock they have on display in the mall. "Guys, she cracked the code. She's a super genius." Valerie says with a wide grin on her face.

"Okay... so what's next in plan?"

Their plan was to stakeout the loading docks where they deliver the products to the store and the fast food restaurant. And do, when the blue and yellow on the clock met in the west, the four teens were up on the roof, in a thunderstorm. They all had raincoats on, especially their hoods, well, except for Steve.

"Look for Imperial Panda and Kaufman Shoes." Robin tells Dustin who has the binoculars. "They're with that whistling guy, ten o'clock." Dustin says as Valerie glanced at Steve on the other side of Robin, he's pushing his hair out of his way repeatedly. "What do you think's in there?" Steve then asked.

"Guns... bombs?" Valerie looked at the other three with a concentrated look on her face. "Chemical weapons?" Robin looks back at her, their eyes lock for a moment before Dustin spoke next, "whatever it is, they're armed to the teeth." Dustin pointed out that the men guarding the place also happened to have guns.

"Great. That's great." Steve says as he wipes the rainwater from his face. The teens now watch as a man swipes his keycard and two doors open for the man delivering the packaged boxes. "Hey, what's in there?" Robin asked Dustin. "It's just more boxes." The fourteen year old answers and the nineteen year old beside him reached over, "let me check it out." He grabs the binoculars which ends in fighting over it.

"No, I'm still looking."

"Lemme see it."

"Hang on!"

Steve lets go which causes Dustin to hit the ledge of the roof and cause a loud thud as they gasp when they caught the guards' attention. "Duck!" Dustin shouts and they all immediately hide, laying down. Valerie looks towards Robin and Steve to see their hands were interlocked. A little part of her gets jealous when she sees their hands, but they instantly let go when they realize and don't look at each other.

The teens rush to leave before the Russians come to look for them, Valerie in the far back as Robin, Steve and Dustin go ahead of her. Robin looks at Steve, "Well, I think we found your Russians." She says before looking at Dustin. Valerie kept her eyes on the pair up ahead. "Val, you okay?" Dustin had glanced back.

"Yeah... No, yeah, I'm fine." She quickly nods, catching up and walking alongsides them now, heading for the nearest exit leading to where Steve had parked his car. Steve offered both Robin and Dustin a ride home too and before Valerie can get into the front, Dustin stole the spot from her so she groans.

"Fine..." She whispered and got into the back seat, sitting with Robin. They drove Dustin home first and once the front seat was open, Valerie quickly climbed over to the front. "Steve, wanna watch a movie tonight at my place?" She looks at him and he glanced at her.

"Yeah, for sure." He nods immediately and she nods, glancing away. She fidgets with her hands, thinking of the fact Steve was holding Robin's hand. She had to bring it up. When they stop by Robin's, Valerie glanced back. "Goodnight..." She says and Robin waves. "Goodnight. Thanks for the ride home." She smiles.

"Yeah, no problem..."

Since it was only about to be nine, they started their movie right away and sat in the livingroom together. Valerie's parents weren't home, they're having supper at a family friend's place so it was just the two of them alone. "Are those even comfortable?" Valerie asked when she glanced over at Steve. She had given him a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Yeah," he nods, playing with the hem of the shirt. "They... were my brother's. It's all I had." She says, bringing her knees up to her chest to hug them closer to her. "Oh... Sorry, is it--" "no, it's fine, seriously, Steve..." She says and he softly nodded his head as she sighs.

"I just... kind of miss him. I'm glad I have you. You're like an older brother, you know?" She glanced at him and he nods with a small smile. "Which is why... I have something to say." She quickly moved in her spot to face him completely and he looks over at her.

"Um... alright?" He also turns to face her. She glanced down then back up. "If... Robin likes you... I'll get out of the way, you know?" She ssys, looking away and his brows furrow together. "What?" He says and she sighs, glancing up. "I see the way she looks at you... and, um, I saw... your hands." She says quietly.

"Oh... that? Th-that was nothing, Val..."

"Yeah, but if it was something... I just wanna say I wouldn't be hurt, you know?" She says and he stared at her. "So... you do like her?" He asked and she slowly nodded her head. "And if you do too, that's completely fine too... and I'll get out of your way. Hey, I can even talk you up, be your wingman..." She smiles softly.

"God. You're such a good person... too good, in a world like this? Val... you're such a keeper." He brought his hand up to her head. "If things had been different..." He looked away and sighed. "I don't like her." He suddenly says.

"Oh... Okay." She fidgets with her fingers as she glanced down then looked back up. "Steve, um, if she likes you though... are you gonna be with her?" She looks down, kind of scared of the answer that the boy will respond with. "No... I don't think of her that way and I'd... never betray you like that." He says and she nods, glancing down and pursing her lips.

"Thanks... you're a good friend."

 

AUTHORS NOTE

steve and valerie are such besties i can't