The Clique Effect

Chapter Fourteen: "When Trouble Follows"

There was nothing worrying than when the school found out something and you were carrying part of the weight—Taylor's controlled and clear as day voice hummed through the speakers during the morning's announcements—starting with basic stuff about the incoming state finals and dwelling more on the part that dropped like a wrecking ball to my back. "We've recently found a recent development under the bushes situation and found some hidden—forbidden—stash. The school's looking into it and whoever decides to hide you-know-what in the bushes, if you're not coming forward at the end of the day, well, they're coming for you." That was the only part that gnawing at me, written and splashed in big cursive letter in my mind, couldn't wait to be passed on to those involved—but then my phone buzzed.

Jake was leading everyone of group to skip class and hurry to his car. Knowing the recent "development" that Taylor just passed on through the morning announcement, I knew it had to be related. The parking lot of the school's building was in the backyard—but Jake being Jake, he preferred to pay the guy and park on a deserted landscape next to the school. "More safe, also free to do what I want." He said to me once while we were painting each other's nails in the confinement of his car.

"What's so urgent that you had to drag me out of class?" I said while leaning against the doorframe of the car, Jake and the others were huddled inside surrounded with bottle of alcoholic stashed away under the car seats and floor. "Please tell me those aren't the booze they found."

"These aren't the booze they found."

I shot a glare at Logan, sensing his full of crap through the stammer in his tone, halfway to Drunk City by the looks of it. 

Nellie clambered over Jake's thigh, slurring her words while answering to me, the drunken state was illuminated by her bloodshot eyes. "Yup, they are, we're brilliant, aren't we?" She hummed through her words, making each syllable a new melody.

"Oh crap." I murmured. The car seemed to be in full swing as Brook shoved Nellie to the side, making Nellie fall on Jake's lap, Logan being the only one sitting in the passenger's seat with the chair pulled down all the way to the backseat. "And are you planning to drink it all away now?"

Logan held onto the bottle's neck after taking a big gulp down his throat. "Why, you've got another plan?" He reached his arm out to grab Nellie and pull at her ruffled dress, which was earned with a grunt from her, but she yanked and pinched away at his arm. "Wait, never mind. I think we're also going to save these for a party. Now how's a party sound to you? Mind if we throw it at your house? After all, we've never seen yours."

The mention of my house stilled my blood and caught me frozen in state. Jake might've had the house all to himself, but I was a different story. My parents watched me like a hawk; hence we created The Fort in the first place. Though mine wasn't as bad and controlling as Lily's, but it was still parents. Demi Lovato's song—the old gem—was blaring in the background, numbing down my thought process over the suggestion that Logan just laid out. Brook's perfect pitch to the song outdone Nellie's out of tune one as Brook sang to her phone and swung her hands in emphasis.

"That sounds nice, but I think what we have here is a lot nicer."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Logan nodded along, dozing off to the music with his hand still gripping tightly at the bottle. Jake took it as his cue to take it off Logan's hands and handed it over in turn to everyone in the car.

"Taylor's really determined on finding the booze." The wariness in my tone was clear as I swept some of my hair behind my ear when the breeze blew through it. My phone buzzed, then I typed in vigorously a reply. "Just thought you guys should know. You know how Taylor is."

Nellie snorted, stealing Brook's phone away and using it in turn to sing aloud an ear-piercing tune. "That we do." She retorted dryly. "That girl really needs to chill. Does she seriously not have anything fun to do besides busting people out?"