The Misspent Youth

Chapter Seven

The drive to school was rough. Atlas's usual cheery mood was nonexistent, every time I looked over at him he seemed to be lost in thought. When we finally pulled up to the school, all the boys jumped out of the car, leaving me confused.

Heading inside, I spotted Charlotte who would hopefully rid me of the lingering mood of the car ride. "Good morning." I greeted my friend.

"Morning." There was a snap to her tone that threw me off.

"Everything okay?"

"What?" She looked up at me from her phone. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She slipped her phone into her back pocket. "How was your day yesterday?"

"Kody came over."

"Weren't you grounded?"

"Yeah, that's why he climbed in through the window."

My friend's eyes went wide. "You snuck a boy into your room? While your brothers were in the house?" The girl lightly pushed my shoulder. "Where's my friend and what have you done to her?"

"It wasn't like that. We needed to work on the project. We're going to the cafe after school, too." Charlotte brought her phone back out, the buzzing noise continuously going off. "Would you like to come with me? The boys will never let me go unless they know I'm with you."

"I have practice." The lie flew out of her mouth, I almost didn't catch it. "Maybe next time."

The bell rings shortly after, signaling that our first class is about to start. Charlotte leaves with a small wave, leaving me to think of the reasons why she would need to lie to me.

I cautiously make my way to Kody's jeep, unsure if he told me the right car. It was a beautiful white jeep, with no visible scratches. There was no way this was his car.

"You ready to go?" Kody's voice made me jump as he approached the car. "Ella?"

"This is your car?" I asked, not caring if the surprise showed in my voice.

"Yeah? Is something wrong with it?" The boy pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the car.

"No, nothing's wrong." I hopped in the passenger seat right as Kody started the car. After giving him the address, the drive to the cafe was short. We easily found a parking spot and headed inside.

Kody found us an open table by the window, while I went and ordered us something to drink. By the time I made my way back to him, papers were everywhere and his family tree was one push away from falling off the table.

"Are you always this messy?" I asked, placing the cups down on the only empty spot on the table.

"Pretty much." Kody smiled, reaching for his drink. "Alright, where did we leave off?"

"None of the boys would tell me my adoptive parent's last name." I sat down in the booth across from him. "So that's a dead-end for now."

"And there's nothing you can remember that would lead us in the right direction?"

I shook my head, leaning over the table to look at our work. Most of it was dead-ends, seemingly getting nowhere. Kody was finished, claiming he wasn't even going to try to write three pages. Unfortunately for me, I needed to get the best grade I could. It would be that stupid test all over again.

Twenty minutes later, as I watched many different people walk by, I spotted a familiar car parked across the street. The girl in the driver's seat looked as though she was arguing with someone, even as she got out of the car and angrily ended the phone call. I watched the girl cross the street, making her way over to the cafe doors.