The Key to my Heart

Chapter 4: Seeking (Dex's P.O.V.)

Sophie's strategy wasn't as grand as she thought it was. I knew the property almost as well as she did. Sophie was my cousin by adoption, so I got to go over to hang out and when we had family parties, which my aunt Edaline loved to throw. When I had counted to 30- nice and slow, unlike Keefe- I went to go and find my friends.

Fitz was always easy to find. He was really bad at hide and seek and to big to hide properly. I found him hiding behind a trash can. Keefe was the next easiest because he always went extreme measures trying to keep himself hidden. I opened up the lid to the trash can and there was Keefe, half-buried in paper plates and pizza crusts from aunt Edaline's last party.

"Dude, you have to stop hiding in the trash can! You're going to smell terrible!" I informed him.

"Ah, but it works," Keefe said. "I'm always the last one to be found."

I smirked. "Not this time you're not," I told him, helping him out of the trash can.

The rest were a little tougher to find. Biana had so cleverly hidden inside the shed instead of behind it, and Sophie, Tam, and Linh were all crouched in the bushes.

"Did you help them?" I asked Sophie. She responded with a tiny nod. "That's against the rules," I informed her. The twins flushed.

"It is?" Linh asked quietly. I nodded slowly, unsure of which direction this was going.

"Sorry, Sophie," Tam said, looking at the ground. "We didn't mean to get you in trouble." I stared at him. I knew he was a scared, new kid who didn't want to make a bad first impression, but this was actually kind of hilarious.

"Tam, Sophie isn't going to get in trouble. It's no a real rule. As long as no one tells Keefe, she'll be fine. We don't even really enforce the rules, and this one shouldn't apply to you two anyway. At least for a little while." I assured him.

Nobody told Keefe Sophie had technically broken the rules. After a few more rounds of hide and seek, Sophie asked, "Does anybody want lunch?" I realized how hungry I was. Everyone responded with a yes.

Well...

Almost everyone.

"We'll go home, then," Tam said, reaching for Linh's hand.

"You don't want lunch?" Sophie asked, confused.

"No, it's not that. It's just... weird to be eating at someone else's house, you know? Plus, we have to go soon anyway." He pointed to his phone, and it had almost been two hours.

"Pleeeease?" Linh begged. "Maybe we'll get to know everyone a tiny bit better if we stay."

"Ugh, fine. I just have to ask mom." He turned to his phone and started texting like mad. Seconds later there was a boo-doo-doo sound (Idk that sound that a phone makes when you get a text?) and Tam said, "She says we can stay, but we have to go home right after lunch to help unpack." He put his phone away.