The Maplethorn Initiative (Book 1, The Maplethorn Series)

Breakout

"I'm giving you an OMG look right now!" Tober exclaimed.

"And I'm giving you one right back!"

Cam and Tober bumped heads while vying for a spot in front of the narrow window. The small, white room was identical to the place where Dr. Bensen left Parker Dodson, and there was definitely someone lying on the bed.

Tober rapped on the glass, and Keegan Kinsler sat up. The missing cadet eyed the door warily before letting his head fall back onto the pillow.

"We have to get him out of there!" Tober said into Cam's face.

"We don't know why he's in there," Cam whispered, guiding Tober away from the door. "If Burke was right and these are quarantine rooms, he could be really sick."

"Because when has Liam ever been right about anything?"

"I just want something more to go on than the man-crush you so obviously have on Kinsler."

"It's not—it's not that," Tober stammered. "He was your roommate!"

"For like five minutes."

"You should still know he didn't deserve to be taken away and locked up down here," Tober pressed. "He wasn't sick at all!"

"I don't know, Tobe..."

"Please!" Tober dug his fingers into Cam's arm. "I owe him about a million favors."

Cam arched an invisible eyebrow. "For what?"

"You know Liam and I used to be roommates, right?"

"You know you still are, right?"

"You know what I mean," Tober drawled. "It was just him and me at first."

"I remember. And?"

"Liam was super PO'ed about being sent to Maplethorn and took it all out on me," Tober explained. "I went and literally begged Captain Carver and Mr. Gates to put me in with someone else, but they didn't care. They both acted like it was my fault for not being able to get along."

Cam grimaced in sympathy. "Welcome to Maplethorn."

"Exactly. Keegan and Lucas lived next door, and pretty soon, they got to be friends with Liam. At first, I thought, 'Great, now there are three of them!' But once Keegan saw some of the stuff Liam was doing, he made him stop."

"I didn't think anyone could make Burke do anything," Cam said. "At least not before..."

"It was the way Keegan did it," Tober continued. "Like he'd trick Liam into leaving me alone, but he did it so Liam thought it was his own idea. Lucas and I could see what Keegan was doing, and it became kind of our in-joke. Like now Liam was the one getting picked on. Only he was too dumb to know it."

"That's a Kinsler move all right," Cam agreed. "Okay, let's bust him out of there."

Tober grabbed the door with both hands, rendering Cam visible.

"Toberrr!" Cam growled. "Do not leave me hanging out here like this!"

"Sorry," Tober whispered and reached for Cam's arm.

Cam pulled away when he saw Keegan looking directly at him. "Wait..."

Keegan leaped out of bed and rushed to the door. "Drex!" Keegan shouted loud enough to be heard through the glass. "What are you doing here, man?"

"Uh, we came to rescue you?"

"Please do! And who's we?"

Tober mashed his now visible face against the window. "Cam and me!"