Beyond the Reasons || JUSTIN FOLEY

Twelve

LIBERTY HIGH SCHOOL
IMOGEN'S POV

"So um... you've never met my dad, have you? Or talked to him?" I asked Diego as we were in the library. I was sitting on his lap and I just want to make sure that the two of them didn't meet without my knowledge before I give into Clay's theory of them tracking us.

"I mean... very briefly on the college tour. Why? Is he after me?" Diego asked.

"No, uh... he just seems to know who you are," I said and Diego smiled.

"Everyone knows who I am. I'm prominent and noteworthy." He said and I laughed a little.

"Oh, wow! That's so cute, your vocabulary." I teased and we both laughed as Luke sat down across from us with a heavy sigh.

"The fucking party's off." He said.

"What? Why?" Diego asked.

"Beecher's parents found out," Luke said.

"So we find another house," Diego said.

"How did Beecher's parents find out?" I asked.

"Read his email or some shit," Luke said which made me think even more that Clay was right and that our parents are using our whatever those pre-downloaded apps on our phones are to track us and know exactly what we're doing, where we are, and who we're talking to. If they want us to trust them more.

This isn't the way to do it.

"Whose parents are loaded and out of town right now?" Diego asked as I pulled out my phone.

"I don't know... Such bullshit."

―

MONET'S

I was now sitting in Monet's with Clay, Jessica, Alex, and Tony. We were talking about how our parents keep mysteriously finding out the things that we're doing and I think it's time to admit that Clay is not paranoid, but he's right. Our parents are tracking us.

"Dad knew exactly how much Diego and I have been texting and he knew exactly what was on the texts. I think you're right, Clay... the phones they got us for Christmas, there's definitely some kind of app in there that must've cloned our phones to theirs." I said.

"Yeah, my dad saw our texts about the party and knew the exact name for it," Jessica said.

"He probably tracks your GPS too." Clay said.

"But this is crazy, right?" Alex asked.

"I mean, I bet it's no coincidence." Clay said.

"But it's not just us. It's why Beecher canceled his party." I said.

"We have more to lose than Beecher does." Clay said and he was right. I'm still not happy with him for the way he acted the other night. But in lieu of these circumstances, I can put it on the back burner, for now. Clay turned to Alex. "Isn't your dad on you all the time?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's been watching me closely, but he doesn't track my phone," Alex said.

"That you know of," Jessica said.

"He trusts me... Yes, I get the irony." Alex said.

"Yeah, and I thought my parents trusted me because I've never given them a reason not to, but look where that got me," I said.

"Tony... I mean, this isn't crazy, right?" Clay asked.

"Your folks don't seem like the type to track you," Tony said and I shook my head.