10:57.
No matter how hard she tried, Julia could not go to sleep.
There was no point in it now, anyway. Tyler - or whoever was sent to pick her up - would be at her door in only a matter of time, Three minutes, to be exact.
The rest of the group had gone out a little while ago, leaving Julia alone in her dorm room. She had tried to come, but they wouldn't let her.
Her stomach twisted, which she didn't understand. Usually she only got nervous when she didn't know what to expect. After the secondary meeting on Thursday, all of the questions she still had were answered, and finding the folder in Webster's office definitely helped ease her conscience. Was she worried about getting caught? None of others were - at least, she thought. Nobody specifically said.
10:58.
Two minutes left.
The hall was quiet. Quieter than normal, at least. You'd think, Julia though to herself, that would be a calming observation; maybe everyone else was asleep and the chances of her getting ratted out would be cut in half. Instead, the silence hung in the air, only creating more suspense.
10:59.
Julia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and sat, waiting. So many thoughts rushed in and out of her head. Her stomach churned even more now, and she couldn't ignore it. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.
11:00.
As if on cue, a knock sounded on the door. Her hands shook as she opened the door. Tyler stood facing her, his trademark smirk already present. "You ready, Castle?" he whispered.
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "I'm ready."
Tyler held out his hand, and Julia took it. They marched out of the hall and into the open air. She couldn't help but shiver at the sudden cold. She didn't expect it.
Everyone stood outside, waiting for them. "Are we all here?" Tyler asked, surveying the small crowd. His smirk grew. "Alright, then. Let's go."
Julia caught Liam's eyes as they started walking. He glanced down at her hand, still locked in Tyler's grip; his eyebrows widened. Tyler must have noticed at the same time, because he let go soon after.
Before long they had reached the center of campus. Tyler had stayed by Julia's side the entire walk there; now he took a step back. The other kids followed, leaving her alone in the front.
"You have one hour, Castle," Tyler stated smoothly. "We'll be waiting for you right here when you're done. Bring the folder to me. Don't open it, don't read anything inside, just bring it here."
He pulled out his phone and opened a timer. "Go."
Julia took off with a start towards the main building. She stopped at the door and fumbled with the key chain around her neck, but the reflection of a blinking red light caught her eye. She looked up, suddenly terrified. The security cameras! In all of her paranoia of finding the folder, she had completely forgotten about that tiny, but extremely important detail. How could she have been so stupid?
She whirled around now, in a near frenzy. "Tyler!" She hissed. "What do I do about the cameras?!"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't help you anymore, Castle."
She groaned in exasperation as she turned back around. If she opened the main doors with her key, she was sure to set off some kind of alarm and ruin everything. But how else would she be able to get in?
Her stomach tossed violently, which didn't help the situation. If she wasn't on a time limit, she'd probably be drinking water right now. That seemed to be the only cure; food had never helped her much...
Food! That was it!
Julia raced up the side stairs to the double doors leading into the cafeteria. She looked around wildly for any sign of a camera. When finding none, she yanked the chain off of her neck and slid the key into the lock. To her joy, the door slid open smoothly. She tiptoed into the building, watching all of the doors, making sure she was really alone. Closing the door behind her as quietly as she could, she ran down the English wing hallway, staying close to the side walls. She stopped for a moment, trying to slow her now rapid breathing.
Wait. What was that?
The sound of approaching footsteps was faint, but Julia still heard it. She sprinted to the end of the hallway and up the stairs to the math and science wing, her heart pounding in her chest. Could she have imagined that?
Naturally, Ms. Webster's room was at the other end of the hallway. Again staying close to the walls, Julia half ran, half tiptoed down to the last doorway on the right. She slid the key into the hole and opened the door slowly, so as to not make any noise. The room was dark. She snuck out of the doorway and next to the closest desk, and realized with dismay that she was not alone. The light in the office was on, and someone was in it.
She knew who it was - Mr. Kelly, the old man who just happened to be the head of the math department. He caught sight of her, and she ducked her head in panic. She was doomed now, for sure. Where could she hide? She had close to no time to decide.
She dove under Ms. Webster's desk as the office door opened. "Julia?" a gruff voice called. Julia groaned silently. Of course he knew who she was. Out of all the people that could possibly be here, now...
She held her breath. Maybe he wouldn't think to look under the desk. He was an old man, after all. She stayed silent for another minute or two before she heard the main door open and close. Tentatively she poked her head out from underneath the desk. Was he gone?
Julia tiptoed into the open area again and looked through the office window. The coast was clear. She grabbed the key and twisted the door open, rushing into the tiny room.
"Filing cabinet...filing cabinet..." she whispered to herself as she whirled around the room. She yanked open the bottommost drawer as far as she could, all the way to the back. There lay the folder she had seen earlier. She pulled it out slowly. Yes, this was the one; this was what she needed. She breathed a sigh of relief.
After once again making sure the coast was clear, she tiptoed out of the room, down the stairs, and to the cafeteria when she heard the sound again. Those were definitely footsteps, and they were growing closer. Time to run.
She slammed the cafeteria doors open and sprinted down the stairs, barely noticing the alarm that started to blare throughout the vicinity. She ran to the center square, trying to plug her ears without dropping her prize. "Tyler!" she panted. "Tyler, I...I got it."
He stood alone; the others, as far as she was concerned, had left. He held out his hand, and Julia gave him the folder, now exhilarated. "Did I do it?"
He smiled. "I think that's the fastest time anyone has ever had," he whispered, clearly impressed. "Since you've got time to kill, I'll take you back to your dorm so you can change."
At the same time, both of them fully heard the alarm. "Shit," he muttered. "We gotta go." He took her hand and they sprinted away.
Author's Note:
I have way too much time on my hands.And before I was excited about two chapters in two days. I love that I've got so many ideas again all of a sudden! It's definitely helping me curb my urge to write, especially because I've had so many ideas that I can't write about until later in the book (even though I'm literally making this up as I go along).
Since I already published a chapter today, there isn't much else for me to say right now...other than thank you so much for reading! I know I keep getting kind of sappy about how much progress this book has made, but I'm still just so happy :)
As always, remember to vote, comment, share, and follow if you don't already - means the world. xmxjxj
Song: You Don't Own Me by Grace feat. G-Eazy
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Diamond Names (ON HOLD//EDITING)
Teen FictionJulia Castle has always lived life under her mother's shadow. Everything she does has to be perfect. When Julia is finally old enough to attend Keaton Academy, the prestigious boarding school where her mother works, she quickly gets swept into a sec...