Battlefield: Control (Book Two)

Chapter Nine - JD

JD picked Cadence up at eight, just like she asked.

His parents were more than okay with giving him the car for the night, but only if he picked up some groceries on his way home and made it back by curfew. That meant he and Cadence had to go to the store before they met with Alan, and they'd need to make sure everything was done in time to get him home by eleven-thirty. Which meant they needed to be done by at least eleven so he had time to get Cadence home too.

They waited in the parking lot, sitting in his car, for a long time. He'd made sure to arrive early so they'd have time to observe their surroundings and mentally prepare themselves. Who could tell what might happen? Alan seemed to think everything would go smoothly, but JD didn't want to assume. That never ended well for him before.

The minutes ticked away, and ten o'clock was getting closer and closer. It would have been more bearable to sit through if Cadence had said something. Both of them were uncharacteristically quiet. He didn't want to say a word if she would prefer not to talk, but it was so unnerving.

Finally, with fifteen minutes to go, he cracked.

"Do you think they'll let him join our team?" JD asked in a quiet voice, just in case she didn't want to be disturbed.

Cadence briefly made eye contact with him. She broke it awfully fast, another thing she'd never done before—not with him. "I'm not sure. Logistically it makes some sense. Orlando could use another ally in the school, but I'm not sure if they're trying to ration everything out evenly. They could want to make another team of just the new kids who were given the injection. Still, it would make sense to place them with seasoned units."

"Yeah, I totally agree," JD said.

He did agree, but listening to her talk was hard to do. She was being the other girl, not his Cadence. The knowledge was useful, the insight spot on, but the attitude was frustrating. Why can't she say things like that and be normal while she did it? Did it have to be one way or the other?

"What?"

"Huh?" He blinked.

"Look, if it bothers you that I'm smart now, just say so. I mean, I didn't think it'd be a big deal. You always tell me how I need to apply myself more, and now I am." She folded her arms in front of her.

JD shook his head slowly, averting his gaze so he was now looking out the windshield instead of at her. "I don't have a problem with you being smart."

"But? Come on, I know it's there."

"But it'd be nice to have you be, I don't know, you?" He didn't know how to explain it to her, let alone in a way where she wouldn't get offended. When he saw her angry glare, he was pretty sure he'd done that anyway.

Her jaw was tight for a minute, and then she spoke. "You keep making this assumption that I'm not myself. Maybe you need to learn how to accept the fact that sometimes people change. And I don't see why this is such a big deal. Do you not want me to be smarter than you for a change?"

"It has nothing to do with you being smart. You're so serious, okay? Big words and dark thoughts. I don't like it." He scowled and waved his hands in front of him. "It's frustrating. You talk like you're forty."

"All I did was answer your question as accurately as possible."

"I know, but it's kind of creepy," he muttered. The glare she gave him after he said that cut him worse than a knife.

"Am I your best friend?"

It took him a moment to gather the courage, but he made eye contact with her again. "Yes. You are and you always will be."