The Juniors - The Villains of Valley View

SIXTEEN / "Totally Not Pointless"

CYBER // JOSIE

THE table was decorated brightly. Almost too bright, even for something named "the Sunshine Club". There were picture frames of members of the club (some of which I was forced into as dangerous and reckless as that seems). Some pictures were just of a Hartley since she's one of the leaders.

"Admiring our hard work, Josie? You should, you helped make all of this happen," Hartley exclaimed. Goodness, that girl can be so loud when she wanted to be.

I looked up from the table and at Hartley who was behind the booth. "If there was a gun to my head, I might just admit that it actually looks... kind of nice."

"That's the spirit! Wow, you and Amy really don't like giving compliments. It's like you're both v—"

Okay, how dare she? Seriously that's the last time I compliment her work— wait. What was she just saying? "We are both what, Hartley?" I asked, hearing the second thing she said a little bit too late.

Hartley did one of those nervous laughs that she does a little too often. I stared blankly at her as she painfully smiled. Why was it always like she was slipping up and catching her mistakes by accident?

"Uhhh... it's like you're both... made for each other! Yeah! Explains how you fit together so well..."

Yeah, I wasn't buying that. But I'm kind of too embarrassed to call her out. "Um. Yeah I totally wish she didn't tell you."

"Amy tells me everything," Hartley said off-handedly. And it's great, because that's exactly what I want to hear! "Also you two were so obvious! Is it that hard to stop touching?"

"Yeah, yeah," I dismissed. Where was Amy anyway? She came here and stapled one poster (the one I made) to one booth post, and then she disappeared. "Can we talk about the actual fundraiser right now? Instead of this?"

"No! Come on, nobody's around. And I've only heard Amy's side of the stories. I've never heard it from yours."

"My what? My perspective?"

"Yes!"

I sighed heavily. This is literally not what we're supposed to be focusing on, and the more I address what Amy and I are doing, the shittier I feel. "Maybe another time. I just... lunch starts in ten minutes. Everyone's gonna be passing by, and that's not something I really want discussed in the earshot of everyone else. Especially if it's Jaxon somehow."

There's already so much tension in the house. I doubt Jaxon will want to do so much as say my name willingly, but I wouldn't put it past him to suffer momentarily so that I could suffer for days.

"Okay, fine, I'm respecting your wishes," Hartley said, her eyes slightly closed and her hands up in surrender. "Mayyybe after the fundraiser."

Well that didn't make sense. I barely have any alone time with Hartley because it's not exactly one of my priorities. "Won't Amy be around though?" I deadpanned. My logic seems pretty flawless to me.

"I'll be around for what?"

Hartley and I both looked up to the left at the same time. Okay, well my left, her right. I'd think we were on some scripted tv show with the way these coincidences happen.