WHO AM I

UNPLANNED DETORS

The gang split up, each taking on their assigned mission, but not without some hilarious bumps along the way. Lila, Noah, Kira, and Jasper decided to tail Renzo for the day—just to see what his usual routine was. The plan sounded solid in theory, but in practice... well, things didn't quite go as smoothly.

"So... are we just going to follow him around town like creeps?" Jasper asked as they sat in Noah's car, parked across from the café Renzo had just entered.

"We're not creeping," Lila replied. "We're... investigating."

"Pretty sure creeping and investigating are the same thing when you're hiding behind a bush," Kira pointed out, poking her head up from the car window. "I feel like I'm in a terrible detective movie."

"Shhh!" Lila hushed them. "He's coming out!"

Renzo stepped out of the café, sunglasses on, and walked casually down the street. Noah, ever the overly cautious one, slowly put the car into gear and began to tail him from a distance.

"We're so good at this," Kira whispered sarcastically. "Look at us, blending in. Totally not suspicious at all."

"Can you not jinx us?" Lila sighed, giving Kira a look.

They followed Renzo for a good twenty minutes—past the bookstore, down Main Street, and towards the park. He hadn't done anything particularly suspicious yet, but everyone stayed on high alert, just in case.

Suddenly, Noah's phone started buzzing loudly with an incoming call, causing the car to fill with the sound of an old-school phone ring. Jasper snorted.

"Bro, what is that ringtone? 1995 called—they want their phone back."

"It's not that bad," Noah muttered, fumbling to turn the phone on silent. "Just focus."

They continued driving until Renzo finally stopped at a bench in the park. He sat down, pulled out his phone, and started texting. The group stayed a safe distance away, watching from behind a group of trees.

"This is so boring," Jasper grumbled. "I thought he'd be doing something evil by now. Like, come on, where's the suspense?"

"Maybe he's planning something super secret on his phone," Kira suggested, peering over Jasper's shoulder. "Or maybe he's just texting his mom to let her know he'll be home for dinner."

Lila rolled her eyes. "Let's just wait and see."

A few minutes passed, and then, out of nowhere, Renzo stood up abruptly and started walking... directly toward their hiding spot.

"Abort! Abort!" Kira yelped, grabbing Jasper by the arm. "We've been made!"

"Stay calm," Noah whispered, though his voice was a little shaky. "Just act natural."

"Sure, because four people huddled behind a tree in the middle of a park is totally natural," Jasper muttered.

Renzo passed by them without even a glance, but the tension in the group was at an all-time high.

"We're so bad at this," Kira whispered, half-laughing, half-nervous.

"Well, we're not exactly professional spies," Noah pointed out, shrugging. "Let's just follow him—carefully this time."

They trailed behind Renzo as he made his way out of the park, only to have things go sideways once again. As they tried to stay out of sight, Jasper, distracted by his own thoughts, tripped over a tree root and went tumbling onto the ground with a loud crash.

"Smooth," Kira said, bursting into laughter. "Real smooth."

"Shut up," Jasper groaned, picking himself up. "I think I dislocated my pride."

Luckily, Renzo didn't seem to notice—he was too busy talking on his phone now. But the group was starting to lose hope that this "mission" would actually lead to anything useful.

"Okay, new plan," Lila said, brushing leaves off her jeans. "Maybe we can get closer to him by just... you know, being normal. We'll talk to him. Casually."

"Yeah, because 'casually' is our middle name," Noah replied sarcastically.

"Hey, it could work!" Lila insisted. "We'll be subtle."

"Subtle?" Kira laughed. "Us? Sure. Why not. I'm game."

As they made their way out of the park, still keeping a close eye on Renzo, Lila couldn't help but feel like their grand "plan" was teetering on the edge of a disaster. But despite the mishaps, there was something oddly exciting about it all. Sure, they weren't the smoothest spies in the world, but at least they were trying.

"Next time, though," Jasper said as they reached the car, "I vote we just send Renzo a strongly worded letter and call it a day."

Lila smirked. "You're such a drama queen."

"And proud of it," Jasper replied with a wink.

They all piled into Noah's car, ready to regroup and come up with a new strategy for dealing with Renzo. But before they could even get out of the parking lot, Lila's phone buzzed with a new text message. It was from Renzo.

I know you're watching me. Let's see how long you can keep it up.

Her stomach dropped as she read the message aloud.

"Well," Kira said, leaning back in her seat. "This just got interesting."

With Renzo aware of their every move, the group realizes they're in way over their heads. But instead of backing down, Lila and her friends prepare for the next phase of the game—whatever it may bring.