Visible Ghosts

12

It wasn't long before Zane found me staring at my laptop, watching students filter in and out of classrooms. I was memorized by the interactions of some of the student body. The amount of indecent acts and drugs snorted on desks was astonishing. I was taking a clorox wipe into class from now on to sanitize my space.

"Buttercup, how was your meeting with the dean?" Zane asks, plopping down next to me on the floor.

"It was interesting. Luke ended up having a meeting before me so I wasn't able to get in. But mission accomplished, I got the information I needed." I angle my laptop towards him and click through the different camera feeds Luke was able to install.

He lets out a low whistle as I flip through the camera that has a direct sight of the computer. "Damn. He really did a good job there. Good thing you didn't get the chance."

Smacking his shoulder, I close my laptop and stand up. "Rude. I could have done a great job too." Sticking a hand down to Zane, I pull him up and wipe off the back of my shorts. "Let's get going before the academy boys have a chance to get more tails on us. I need to go talk to Phil."

"Oooh. Can I drive this time?" He pleads with me. "You always get to do the fun driving, losing the tail, I wanna do it this time."

I throw the keys at him. "Knock yourself out. But if you don't lose them you owe me 20 bucks."

Zane spins around as he walks down the hall, grinning like a madman. His dark blue eyes twinkling with happiness. "You're on. If I win, you have to make cowboy stew whenever I want it for the rest of the mission."

"Deal." I agree easily. Zane is absolutely terrible at driving, he doesn't take enough risks because he doesn't want to hurt his car or as he likes to say 'injury his baby'.

As we get into the parking lot, I immediately notice a black jeep parked a few spots away from Zane and I. North's jeep. As we walk by I am not able to get a glance at who is inside, but it's at least two people in the front. I don't say anything to Zane so he doesn't have an advantage. If he didn't notice it, I'm not going to help him out. Typically we either have a green camry, North's jeep, or a silver BMW tail us. We haven't been able to figure out what the other guys drive yet.

"Okay, rules of the bet." Zane starts the car and turns to look at me. "No texting them, giving them hints. Don't distract me. I only have to lose them from the hospital to home, not from here to the hospital."

I let out a disgruntled noise. "That's not fair. If you lose them from here to the hospital there's a least likely chance we will have a tail to the house. You have to lose them from here to the hospital and then if we pick up another tail from the hospital to home."

"I don't like these terms." Zane huffs.

"Do you want cowboy stew or not?"

He huffs out another breath and tightens his hands on the steering wheel. "Fine. You have a deal." Without warning he guns it out of the spot and squeals out of the parking lot. "Cowboy stew, here I come."

"If you get pulled over or in an accident, I will personally make sure Phil grounds you." I threaten as Zane merges onto the highway going 80mph. My right hand automatically reaches up to grab the 'oh shit' handle as he weaves in and out of traffic never taking his foot off the accelerator.

In the rearview mirror I spot North's jeep struggling to keep up but unfortunately for me gets stuck behind a slow moving minivan in the left lane.

A gleeful chuckle comes from Zane. "One tail down, one more to go." I check all the mirrors looking for the second tail but don't notice any car following Zane's crazy driving. Nor do I spot any familiar academy cars.