Bookview Valley 2

Chapter Ten: What's Wrong With A Hoodie?

Saturday, January 24th (Edited 4/13/25)

Three days until the sentence hearing...

"So, you picked the one who was mean to you when you didn't even want one in the first place?"

"Yeah," I shrug, "He seemed the most capable of actually helping me catch Nick. Plus, he seems more serious about this whole thing than Jemma and her circus."

Mark pulls one of his legs underneath him, his beige cardigan hanging off his left shoulder, "I really don't think you should go through with this. I mean, a party? With a strange guy? Not to mention your group of crazies."

"You're telling me," I scoff, "What have I gotten myself into?"

"You can still pull back, you know?" I toss a popcorn piece into my mouth as Mark studies me, "You don't have to go. In fact, you probably shouldn't go. Just stay here, with me, and watch comedies all night."

My eyes trail over to the laptop that sits on the edge of the bed, it's paused mid movie. The longing is so strong I have to choke back a sob. What I would do just to go back to how things were before all this, "I can't. I want to, but I can't. You know I have to stop him."

"I know." Mark whispers.

"He can't hurt anyone else," My eyes search Mark's soft brown ones, "No one else gets to die." Especially you, but I don't say that. He's been through enough, he doesn't need me constantly worrying over him.

"You'll catch him," Mark pats my knee, "I believe in you, but for now..." He glances towards our movie.

I grin, "Yeah, catching him is later me's problem." I push play, eating another handful of popcorn.

.....

"Okay, but I realize you haven't actually told me the plan." I say into my phone, swinging my legs as I sit on my bed.

"So?"

"Jemma, I need to know what we're doing."

"I still can't believe you chose Dean!" I hear Brianna exclaim from the background.

"Why is Bri-, no that doesn't matter. Just tell me what we're doing!" I demand.

"So, bossy," Jemma says with no inflection in her tone, "Fine. We'll go to this party, and I'll find Nick."

"Wait, Nick is going to be there?"

"How else would I be able to meet him?"

"I...actually, completely, forgot that, that's why we we're doing this..." I guess even if I had invited him yesterday, it wouldn't have mattered. He's going to be there either way and there's no avoiding him.

"This is why I didn't tell you the plan." Jemma says.

"I forgot too!" I hear Flynn call out from the back. He's there too? What are they doing? Throwing a mini party? A very small part of me is kind of sad I wasn't invited, but I shove that part of me away.

"Anyway, I had Brianna give him an invitation. It was easy, since he's still taking a couple classes to finally finish his senior year. That bit is thanks to Harper. Luckily, he still had some work to do since he took off most of last semester and the summer."

"Apparently, he didn't do school while he was gone." I hear Brianna say from the back. No one mentions why he was gone, but we all know.

"Lucky!" I hear Chad exclaim. Chad, too, really?

"Moving on, we gave him the invitation, and he said no."

"Then he's not going?"

"Sh, let me finish," Jemma demands, "Brianna used her magic, popular powers to convince him to go."