WHO AM I

FRAYED EDGES

The walk back to school felt like it took forever, even though it was only a few minutes. The tension hung in the air, thick enough to cut with a knife. Noah hadn’t said a word since Renzo took off, and Lila could tell he was still processing everything. She didn’t blame him. They’d just uncovered a secret Renzo had been hiding for who knows how long—and now it seemed to involve Noah’s family, too.

“So,” Jasper broke the silence, as only Jasper could, “we gonna ignore the fact that Renzo just went all ‘Bond villain’ on us? I mean, he basically vanished into the woods. I half-expected him to start monologuing about his ‘master plan.’”

Lila couldn’t help but crack a smile. “We’re not in a movie, Jas.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” He shrugged. “This feels like the part where we all end up tied to a chair in some dark warehouse.”

“You watch way too many thrillers,” Kira said, shaking her head.

As they reached the school gates, Noah finally spoke, his voice low but steady. “I’m going to figure out what’s going on with Renzo. I don’t care what it takes.”

Lila put a hand on his arm, offering a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll figure it out. Together.”

Jasper grinned. “Good, because I was really hoping to try my hand at some undercover spy work. I’ve got the perfect disguise in mind—a pair of sunglasses and a trench coat. No one will suspect a thing.”

Noah’s lip twitched, barely a smile, but it was something. “You’re ridiculous.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” Jasper replied with a dramatic bow.

They headed to the cafeteria, where they met up with the others—Cathy, Stacy, Phillip, and Zara—who were already at their usual table, deep in conversation. From the looks on their faces, it was clear they hadn’t heard about Renzo yet.

Cathy looked up as they approached, immediately sensing the weird vibe. “Uh… what’s going on? You all look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“We followed Renzo,” Lila said, cutting straight to the point. “He’s in trouble.”

Zara’s eyes widened. “What kind of trouble?”

“The bad kind,” Noah said, taking a seat and running his hand through his hair. “He’s mixed up in something serious, and he’s hiding it from all of us.”

Stacy frowned. “Did he tell you anything?”

“No,” Kira replied. “But we overheard part of a phone call. He’s definitely involved in something shady, and it sounds like it might be dangerous.”

“Of course it’s dangerous,” Jasper chimed in. “We wouldn’t be the protagonists of a dramatic teen mystery otherwise.”

Everyone gave him a look, but he shrugged it off. “Hey, I’m just saying what we’re all thinking.”

Phillip leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “So what’s the plan? We can’t just sit here and let him spiral.”

Zara, ever the practical one, spoke up. “I mentioned earlier that I might be able to get in touch with my cousin. She has connections, and if Renzo’s in over his head, she could help us get to the bottom of this.”

Lila nodded, grateful for the lead. “That sounds like our best shot. We need to know what we’re up against.”

Just then, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. The group reluctantly stood up, knowing they had no choice but to go back to class, even with everything weighing on their minds.

As they filed out of the cafeteria, Jasper pulled Lila aside, lowering his voice. “Hey, I know things are serious right now, but… what if Renzo’s secret is like, super dramatic? Like, what if he’s secretly a prince, and he’s been hiding from an evil uncle who’s trying to take over his kingdom?”

Lila snorted. “I highly doubt that.”

Jasper waggled his eyebrows. “You never know. Stranger things have happened.”

“I think you’ve been watching too much Netflix,” she teased.

“Hey, a guy can dream.”

As they headed to their next class, Lila couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of emotions. She was worried about Renzo, sure, but she also couldn’t shake the growing suspicion that they were on the verge of discovering something much bigger than any of them had anticipated. The question was… were they ready for it?