Silver Stilettos

15 | three can keep a secret

"I'll see you out there," I told Matt, adding a quick "Thanks" when he took my empty carton and added it to the rest of the trash on his tray.

I walked through the open cafeteria doors into the quad. It was sunken about half a foot and covered in purple carpeting that had seen better days. In patches, it had worn away, flattened on the most trafficked routes. Four stone columns supported each corner of the quad and against one of them leaned Fenris North.

His eyes flickered when he saw me. Jamming his hands in the pockets of his Under Armour warm-up jacket, Fenris pushed himself away from the buttress. "Hey."

Warily, I approached him. "Hey."

"Dom wants to talk to you." Fenris raised one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug.

"Now?"

"Not here," he rushed to say. "Outside."

"What about sch—"

Fenris shook his head. "We won't leave the parking lot."

"I'm waiting for a friend."

"We won't be long," he said.

I hoped Matt wouldn't be too mad. Nibbling my lower lip, I dipped my chin in a terse nod.

That was all the encouragement Fenris needed. Without waiting to see if I followed him, he turned on his heel and headed for the doors. There were no teachers around, no one to see if we left the school - or returned to it. I trailed after him, walking in his footsteps, mumbling a thanks when he held the door open for me in a surprisingly chivalrous gesture most high school boys chose to ignore.

Dominika's car was a silver Audi, the kind that my dad liked to look at in the showroom when he took his ten-year-old car to the dealership for service. Expensive and sleek. Top of the line. Much like her.

Fenris opened the front door for me, waiting until I got in before he clambered in the back. He seemed content to stay silent and let Dominika do all the talking.

I studied the tight weave of her interlaced hands. Her blonde hair looked stringy, not blown out in beautiful, frizz-free waves like usual. Her plump cheeks didn't have that glow-from-within look, more the ghostly, dull, pinched look of someone who was getting too little sleep and had a nutrient deficiency.

"I need you to do something for me," was the first thing out of her mouth after I shut my door. "And if you can't, I need you to tell me right now so I can find another way to do it."

She stared straight ahead as she spoke, looking out the windshield, eyes trained on the doors of the school. I wondered if it was because she was afraid someone might see us together or from reluctance to speak to me. Probably a combination of both, I surmised, seeing a muscle in the side of her neck contract, tighten, and hold taut.

"Depends on what you want me to do," I said, juggling around for the safest answer.

"Good girl," murmured Fenris from the backseat. I couldn't tell whether his praise was genuine or begrudging. But from Dom's wild pulse, it was likely to be the former.

Dom faced me, her eyes squinting up like she was peering at me through venetian blinds. "It's not a big deal or anything. I just need you to steal something from Reed."

My fingers curled into claws. "What?" I said it slowly, hoping I'd misheard. Hoping Dom hadn't just asked me to rob my boyfriend.

Dom's eyes flicked to Fenris. "It's not a big job. You just need to open a door. A very specific door," she said with heavy emphasis on the last two words. "Piece of cake."