When The Seven announced the competition, I was almost positive I wasn't going to join.

For one thing, I didn't have anyone to join with. Being shy in a school as loud as Rutherford means you don't really make friends-- you just kind of sit back and watch the show.

Usually, I didn't mind my loner status, but the day The Seven posted the scoreboard wasn't a usual day. As I watched groups form around me, the entire school bustling with excitement, I couldn't pretend I didn't want to be a part of it all. For the first time in a long time, I found myself wishing I wasn't so invisible.

The lunchroom seemed louder than ever before. It felt like I was the only one not talking, sitting alone in the same spot as always, a few seats down from people who were no doubt talking about the competition. I sighed and took another bite of my sandwich, feeling like the most boring person in the room as I clicked on The Seven's app, ready to rub more salt in my wound.

I headed to the forums to see what people were saying-- It was my favorite part of the app, a place where anyone could post under the guise of their account name. Some people were anonymous, while others weren't afraid to speak under their real-life names. I never posted, but was practically addicted to reading the rants and opinions of everyone else. People say a lot when you give them a platform, especially when there's the option for anonymity.

My heart skipped a beat when the page loaded-- the latest post was from two hours ago and was titled, "NEED A GROUP?"

I clicked on it, expecting it to say more than what it did: "meet after school, under the bleachers. Be there by 4:45."

The username gave nothing away, and neither did their profile picture, which was of a golden retriever. Whether it was theirs or just some picture they took from online, I had no idea. Still, I stayed on the post, scrolling down to the empty comments section.

I went back and checked the forum for a more promising option, but there weren't any other posts about forming a group. From the looks of it, this person and I might've been the only people in Rutherford without one.

I tried to convince myself it was a bad idea. Who knew what could happen? Who else would be desperate enough to make a post like that? Would anyone else even show up?

In the end, it was useless-- I'd made up my mind that I was going as soon as I saw the post. For once, my fear of missing out was enough to make my shyness and paranoia take the backseat.

I sent a text to my mom, letting her know I'd be staying after school to catch up on some homework at the library. I felt bad for lying, but it was at least a half-truth-- when school ended, I ditched my usual route to the buses and headed up to the library instead, working on my English paper to kill time until 4:45.

By the time 4:30 rolled around, I was starting to get antsy, my nerves stirring my stomach. The unanswered questions came back, filling my head with uncertainty. It felt like I was about to chicken out, so I forced myself to shut down the computer and head over to the bleachers a few minutes early, while I still had the guts.

I walked through the tall bookshelves, glancing at a few titles on my way to the back door. I pushed it open, the early October air enveloping me in a cool breeze. The heat of September was finally leaving, and I wasn't sad to see it go. Everything about school was worse in the summer: the bus rides were hot and crowded, gym class was unbearable, and the hallways always smelled like sweaty teenagers covered in too much body spray.

My thoughts on the fleeting summer carried me to my destination, where I was shocked by what-- or rather who-- I saw.

Roy Elmore was sitting on the ground, back leaning against one of the bleachers supports. He looked up from his phone as I walked up, meeting his eyes with obvious confusion.

His eyebrows shot up, as if in question.

I'd never spoken to Roy before, and I'd never really wanted to. He and I were on the opposite sides of the social spectrum-- everyone knew who Roy was. I, on the other hand, had had kids I'd been in class with all year come up to me and ask if I was a new student.

"You made that post?" I questioned, not knowing what else to say.

His expression softened into a smile. "I- yeah. My friends grouped up without me since the limit is six people."

I could tell he knew why I was surprised. He was fully aware that he was one of the last people anyone would guess was groupless, and I kind of wanted to hate him for it.

"You couldn't just split up into smaller teams?" I asked, wondering if I should sit down.

He shrugged. "They think it'll be a disadvantage. Besides, knowing us, it'd cause problems. We'd never agree on how to distribute the money."

I nodded, thinking to myself that it sounded like a bad excuse. I briefly pondered which situation was worse-- my having no close friends, or his having a ton of close friends who hung him out to dry-- and was surprised to realize I thought it was his.

"We don't have enough people," I stated the obvious, taking a seat across from him on the concrete.

He laughed lightly, and it surprised me. I'd heard Roy laugh loudly-- I'd heard him guffaw and howl and cackle in class every day-- but I'd never heard him laugh in a way that sounded so defeated. "I was expecting more of a turnout," he admitted.

"Me too," I said, and he laughed again. "I'm Jade, by the way."

"Roy," he introduced himself, and I liked that he did it even though he probably knew he didn't need to.

Movement behind him caught my eye - two figures, walking down the hill towards the bleachers. My fingers crossed on instinct, sending a wish into the universe that these people were here looking for a group. Roy turned around to look as their voices began to reach us, echoing off the metal stairs that loomed above our heads.

"Maddie, come on. There's hardly anyone here," the male argued.

"Good, that means there's probably spots left."

Roy gave them a wave as they headed over-- the girl made her way over quickly as her friend lagged behind, clearly not as enthusiastic.

"Hi," she greeted, hesitating as her gaze fell on Roy. "Is this... the meeting from the forum post? About forming a group?"

Roy nodded, a grin growing on his face.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "And... you're here?"

"I made the post," he said, almost prideful.

"What happened to the kick-ass group you were going on about in first period?" she questioned. I almost laughed, caught off guard by the revelation-- I just thought she was surprised because it was Roy.

The girl's friend finally reached us, a scowl on his face. I hated to pass judgment so quickly, but I couldn't help myself from thinking that he seemed like a buzzkill. Still, I was desperate, and hoped he was interested in joining.

"We're currently forming," Roy quipped back.

"We don't even know what we're getting into," the guy complained.

"I'm Madeline. This is my boyfriend, Daniel. He's skeptical, if you couldn't tell." She sat down with us. Daniel stayed standing, leaning against the support beam.

"I'm cautious," he clarified. "You know how The Seven are. This could all be some scheme-- who's to say there even really is any money?"

He did have a point-- I'd questioned the legitimacy of it myself.

Roy shrugged. "The mystery of it all is what makes it fun."

"You have a weird idea of fun," Daniel muttered.

An alarm started blaring, making all of us flinch.

Roy recovered, reaching for his pocket, where the alarm was coming from his phone. "It's five!"

We all began to pull out our phones and open the app, but Roy put his hand up, his eyes roaming his phone screen with urgency.

"It's a single registry. We're all supposed to register from one account," he explained.

Madeline scooted over to see his screen, and I moved next to him so I could do the same. The form was extremely simple-- all it contained was six empty spaces to enter the account names of those wishing to enter. At the bottom there was a grey submit button.

Roy passed his phone around, having all of us fill out our usernames. Daniel was the last one and he hesitated, looking wary as his fingers hovered over the screen. "Are we really sure about this?"

"Yes!" Roy insisted, voice brimming with impatience and excitement.

"Dan... please?" Madeline looked up at him with pleading eyes. He sighed and started typing before handing the phone back to Roy. He hit submit, all of us staring at the screen with bated breath until four different notification sounds emitted from each of our phones.

The four of us had been put in a group chat on the app, along with The Seven's main account, who had already sent us something.

The message was confusing, to say the least.

Want to play the You'll

In a forgotten dwelling, you'll find the numbers that you seek.

Specifics we won't be telling, but to find them you must hear a squeak.

The poem was followed by a series of numbers. Coordinates to the mystery location.

"Well," Roy said, a grin on his face as he rose to his feet, patting an unenthusiastic Daniel on the shoulder. "Who's ready to go for a drive?"

♧