Starting Over Anderson || ✔

One: New

56 days B.C.

"Okay, look, just follow my lead. Keith wouldn't even find out!" Rach has her hands in the air, using them animatedly, the way she usually does when she gets excited. I laugh and shake my head at her, wondering why I was ever friends with her at all. "Aren't you curious about Keith's sudden secrecy?" she adds seeing my reluctance. I shake my head again. "Not even a little?" I shake my head. "Not even a teeny tiny tiny bit?" I have to give it to her, Rachel Delmonico is the most persuasive person I've ever met, or probably the most annoying. That is why I hold up one finger and Rach's face brightens instantly. "Maybe a very minuscule part of me is curious," I admit, "but on one condition."

Rach smiles, teeth all showing. "Name it!"

"If we get caught, you're taking the full blame."

"Deal!"

"No, swear on it."

"I, Rachel Alison Delmonico, solemnly swear to take full blame on whatever consequences yada yada blah blah blah, okay, now, let's go!"

I roll my eyes at my hyperactive best friend as she grabs my hand and tows me down the street. She seems to be in a sugar rush today.

And then next thing I know, I'm on my belly, hiding behind a shrubbery in the James's backyard, Rach pressing up against me, spying on the garage. Or, more accurately, spying on the people in the garage, because frankly, nobody would find the garage interesting enough to spy on. Unless, of course, if you happen to be a thief. I bet we look like thieves. Oh crap, what if the neighbors happen to see through the window and report us to the cops as trespassers? Then the cops would show up on the James's doorstep, and with Mr and Mrs James away, they'd call in Keith and he'd know that we are spying on him and our cover would be blown and Keith would hate us and we'd lose our best friend and -

"Stop freaking out, Jen," Rach whispers, poking my ribs, interrupting me from my internal rant. "It's for the greater good!"

I don't see how hiding out in the James's backyard and spying on their son is for the greater good. I tell her that. She just tsks and tells me to "live a little".

"So what do you see?" It's been ten minutes since we've let ourselves in (Keith being Keith did not lock the gate nor the side door) and started our spying mission. I hadn't seen nor heard anything, because mostly my mind was in an overdrive, working out some of the worst case scenarios, but Rach had been watching and listening intently like everything going on in that garage is her life. Now only if she'd pay more attention to her studies like that -

"There are two other guys in there with Keith and it seems like they're - I don't know - trying to make music?"

"Elaborate."

"I hear them talking about arrangements and - uh - Sam playing the drums and another guy - Dall? - play the lead or something." Rach tells me without taking her eyes off the garage. "Ssh, they're moving!"

I squint and see what Rach is talking about. A blonde haired guy gets up (Rach deduces that they were sprawled out on the floor, having a meeting of some sort) and goes over to the far end of garage and disappears behind a table. Another guy stands up, Keith following suit, and we watch as they collect some papers and disappear behind the table as well. Then, Keith emerges and heads towards the window. The window that will allow him to spot us if he just happens to look in the right direction. I gasp.

"Ah shit, abort mission, abort mission!" Rach hisses, scrambling away. I follow after her, crawling across the dirt floor to get to safety, which is back into the kitchen. We aren't fast enough and we freeze in the middle of crossing between the bush and the kitchen door when the garage swings open to reveal a very amused Keith. "Rachel, Jenna," he calls, smirking like he knows what we have done. "You girls look like you've just rolled out of a dirt bed." Exactly what we might have done.