Ashton brings us to a forest and parks his motorcycle. Does this dumbass think he can just murder me and bury me in the forest?

I immediately pin him against his motorcycle before he can attack me. "Who are you working for?" I ask, scanning the area for other attackers.

He swiftly escapes my hold and pins me against the motorcycle. "What are you talking about?" He asks, confused.

I push him away and hold up my fists. "Who sent you to kill me?" I ask. "You don't bring a random person to a forest and expect not to get killed," I say.

He laughs and says, "Oh, that... I thought you were talking about- Never mind. There's a spot in the forest that shows a great view of the city, and I wanted to show you."

I slowly relax and say, "Okay... But if you try killing me, just know I can kick your ass."

"Sure..." He says, not believing me.

"I'm not joking. I've been trained." I say, pretending to make lame karate moves.

Our phones ring simultaneously, and I see I have a message from Mila.

✨✨

Mayhem ambushed another trade

Want me to come get you?

"Um, I have to go home... There's been a family emergency." I say.

"Same... I'll take you home," Ashton says, putting away his phone.

"I'll kill you some other time." He says as a joke.

"Haha," I say sarcastically.

I get off his motorcycle and say, "Thanks for the ice cream."

"No problem. We should do it again sometime." He says with a smile. Excuse me?

"Maybe," I say with a playful grin.

"I better get going. Thanks for today Lynn." He says.

"You're welcome," I said, waving.

A few minutes later, Mila arrives, and I get in her car. "Did they get anything from us?" I ask.

"No, but there's a lot of them." She says, driving us to the base.

"How did they even find the trading location?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but there has to be something we're missing. Almost every trade has had an interruption from them." Mila explains.

Soon, we get to the base and run in. "What exactly happened?" I ask.

"We chased them off, but a few of our weapon shipments went missing. Sorry boss..." One of them says.

"Is anyone injured?" I ask.

"Nothing life-threatening." He says.

"That's all that matters," I respond. "We're not sure how they're finding out about our trades, but to be safe, we'll add more guards around the perimeter. If anyone notices anything shady happening, you tell me."

Ella walks up to Mila and me and says, "The weapons they stole were machine guns. But they also took a small shipment of our drugs."

After finishing my breakfast, I start to get ready for school. What are you talking about?

Before I leave, I grab my backpack and step outside. I decided to walk since it's the perfect temperature.

When I get to my locker, I open it, and a piece of paper falls out. I pick it up, and it's a picture of Ashton and me.

On the back, someone wrote:

I look around on high alert, but nothing is out of the norm. I snort and shove it in my backpack.

I sit down at my lunch table with Mila and Ella. "Hey, guys! How's your day been?" I ask.

"Boring," Ella says.

"I want to go back to sleep..." Mila sighs, laying her head down on the table.

"I swear my math teacher hates me. I make one side comment, and she gives our whole class extra homework. Now I'll never make friends." Zane complains.

"We're friends," Ella adds shyly.

Zane and Ella start their own conversation, so I turn my attention to Mila and Tristian. "Anything new with you two?" I ask them.

Mila keeps her eyes closed, so Tristian decides to speak. "I think my history teacher is bringing us donuts next week. But only if we all turn in our first assignment."

"Lucky," I say. "Wish my teachers would give me free food." I look around and can't spot Ashton. "Do any of you know where Ashton is?" I ask.

"I think a girl named Jenny invited him to sit at her table. They're over there." Zane explains, pointing at the table.

"Oh," I say, hiding my disappointment. He can do whatever he wants. I grab my phone and text my mom.

❤️

Sure, is someone trying to threaten you?

Video Attachment:

Lmk if there's anything else you need

❤️

Love you more 😘

I watch the video and see someone wearing all black, with their hood on, slip the piece of paper into my locker. But they were careful enough to hide their face from all the angles of the security cameras.

"What are you watching?" Ella asks curiously.

"Just a music video. It was trending on YouTube." I say with a shrug.

"Was it good?" Mila asks.

"Nope," I say, turning off my phone.

When the bell rings, I head back to class. A few minutes later, I noticed Ashton walking in with Jenny. I can tell by his body language he doesn't want to be anywhere near her.

Ignoring my thoughts, I roll my eyes and move on. He can be friends with whoever. I just thought we were becoming friends... It is just the second day. Maybe I'm the one who needs to chill.

💖

👋