"You're such a joy to be around."-
"Well, you're a pain in the arse."
Jordyn had no idea that befriending the lovely idiot who broke her locker would turn her life upside down. But here she was, amidst bionics, secrets and life-threatening dangers...
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Sun, sand, and the deep blue sea. What a delightful ambiance. Joe wouldn't have thought she would enjoy island life as much as she did. The relentless warmth of the equatorial sun had become a comforting constant, its rays casting a golden hue upon the sandy shores. It was hard to believe it was mid-November with this weather around.
Today, she spent her morning with Adam on the shore, building sandcastles and destroying them again. They reveled in the simplicity of it all. The absence of children, away on a field trip, added a layer of tranquility they often lacked. The beach, usually echoing with cries from the students, now belonged solely to the pair of best friends, their laughter blending seamlessly with the waves' gentle lull.
However, as the sun continued its ascent and the heat slowly took over, Joe felt the need to peel herself away from the shore and, especially, peel herself off her clothes. She was already wet from Adam's occasional splashes in her direction, but it didn't offer the refreshment she yearned for. "I'm gonna go change real quick," Joe informed the boy, who was too busy inspecting a rock they had found while digging through the sand. With a smile, she shook her head and went inside.
While strolling through the academy, Joe's ears caught voices originating from the lobby. Driven by curiosity, she ditched her plan to change and found herself compelled to discover what the others were up to. As she approached the group of Leo, Bree, and Chase – with Douglas lingering in the background – her attention was pulled by the book that Chase was flicking through. One of her own.
She cringed at the recognition, fueled by Chase's comment, "She ended up marrying the vampire? I did not see that coming!" Bree, angry over the spoiler, snatched the book from his hands, but Joe quickly intervened, the book ending up in her hand.
"He did you a favor, Bree. This book was disappointing, to say the least," she said, sighing as she looked down at the cover. She should have warned Bree about some of the books in her collection before letting her borrow some.
Joe was about to scrutinize the other book in Bree's possession when she felt an arm wrap around her and pull her closer. It was Leo, flashing a mischievous grin while nudging her hip. "Joey~"
"Nope."
"Joe~," he corrected, "Let's do something, eh? You, me, a good old videogame on our day off."
Joe met his excited look with a blank expression before bursting into exaggerated laughter. "Oh, no, no, no. I think you got something wrong here," she told him after calming down. "All of you may have a day off, but I certainly do not. Two hours ago, Donald personally called and instructed me to find the source of the breaches, or else I'm fired." Her broad smile was stiff. The crazy twinkle in her eyes sent shivers down her friends' backs. "But that's okay, right? It's not like the task is impossible or anything!" She spluttered, then turned serious. "I hope it was one of his empty threats, like the time he told me to clean the office or I'd have to be the one to listen to Chase's new pitch."
