Nico played with her pencil, looking at everything but her partner sitting across from her. As the silence progressed, her partner became more annoyed because they had been sitting there, and Nico hadn't said a word to him. 

 

"Since we are partners, I think it is only right to introduce myself. My name is Zane Peters." He spoke up, leaning toward sticking his hand out, waiting for her to shake his hand, but instead, Nico tilted her head to the side with a confused look painted on her face.

 

"I know who you are," Nico stated as Zane sat there more confused than her, unaware of what Nico said.

 

"Oh, really, I have never seen you around," Zane asked, rubbing his chin, trying to remember.

 

"This has to be a joke. Are you serious," Nico said in disbelief.

 

"What? I'm just being honest. Do we have any classes together?" Zane questioned. Nico was taken aback at the words coming out of Zane's mouth. Nico stared at him, waiting for a moment for Zane to break out into a burst of laughter, telling her that he was joking, but that moment never came. Nico sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at him with a bored look painted on his face.

 

"Yea, in fact, we also have math together. I sit behind you," Nico answered, crossing her arms across her chest.

 

"Oh, really, I never noticed," Zane asked. Nico rolled her eyes and rested her elbow against the windowsill staring out the window and muttering something Zane didn't make out clearly.

 

"What was that?" Zane asked, leaning closer to her to hear her better

.

"I said I can't believe you still didn't figure it out," Nico replied, gazing out the window.

 

"Figure what out," Zane questioned and watched Nico turn her head to him and propped her elbows on the desk, resting and folding her hands together before resting her chin on top of them. She looked at Zane with an unreadable look before answering him.

"That we are not just your day-to-day classmates," Nico hinted, but Zane still wasn't registering anything.

"I don't get it," Zane said. Nico closed her eyes, and a sigh escaped her lips. She rested her arms on her desk and stared at Zane with an unreadable expression that made Zane feel a little uneasy.

"You live on 457 Willows Road. You have a blue-painted house with rose bushes in front of your house and a white picket fence wrapped around your yard, looking new like it was just painted," Nico pronounced as Zane sat there stunned at the accurate description of his house. The fact that Nico knew this gave Zane a chill down his spine, and he started to panic.

 

"H -how do you know this? Have you been stalking me?" Zane managed to get out slightly, raising his voice. 

"Now, how about I answer your question with one of my own? Why would I waste my own time following you," Nico said, leaning back in her chair, not breaking eye contact with the panicked boy across from her.

"I don't know. How would you know where I live?" Zane questioned with anger and disgust in his voice. Nico sighed and shifted her attention to the window, leaning her elbow against it and resting her chin in her hand.

"Well, that's pretty simple," Nico stated, and Zane started to become more impatient because of Nico's vague answers. 

"How about we skip the 20 questions and tell me what I want to know," Zane demanded, slamming his fist on her desk, gaining the attention of some students around them.

"I didn't even know we were playing but alright. I know you live at 457 Willows Road because I live at 456 Willows Road. I'm your neighbor. Dumbass," Nico said, muttering that last part. So Zane pushed his chair back, springing up from his chair, now grabbing the rest of his classmates' attention.

 

"T-that is not true. I would've known if you lived next door to me."  Zane spoke with disbelief because what Nico said didn't sound believable.

 

"You didn't even know that I sat behind you in math until I pointed it out, and if I knew any better, I would say that you don't even know anybody else in that class besides your oh-so-popular friends," Nico said, glancing at Zane from the corner of her eyes. Zane looked stunned, like he was just slapped in the face, but before he could say anything, it just dawned on him that he was still in class and now had an audience. So Zane glanced at everyone, staring at him visibly gulped before leaning in towards Nico so she could only hear want he was saying. 

 

"I will tell you this once you stay away from me. If I catch you anywhere near my house, you will catch a rude awakening," Zane said in a threatening tone before storming off back to his seat, slumping into his chair before he was surrounded by most of his friends, questioning what just happened. Nico rolled her eyes and watched the leaves fly across the window and out of sight feeling everyone fixing their gaze on her. Nico closed her eyes, hoping they would mind their own business and leave her alone if she wished hard enough.

 

"Well, that was some show, " Nate said, sliding into the chair her anger partner used to inhabit.

 

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for theater, but at least Zane can go home happy that he experienced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Nico said, shrugging off what happened.

 

"Oh, but of course. You know this is the happiest I've ever seen, Zane," Nate said, chuckling to himself. Nico fell silent as she continued to stare out the window with an unreadable expression that Nate couldn't make out but sense that something was off with Nico. 

 

"Hey, Nic," Nate began but was soon interrupted by the bell echoing throughout the classroom. Nate stayed seated and watched Nico slowly rise from her chair, collecting her stuff off her desk before shoving them into her bag and slinging the strap over her shoulder.

 

"You coming," Nico asked, returning to her usual self, well, almost her usual self. She still had a look in her eyes that gave Nate a feeling of uncertainty. Nate could only nod and shoot up from his chair before grabbing his bag and following Nico out the door, thinking that now was not the right time to get her to open up.

 

The rest of the day just felt like a blur for Nico. The only thing that stood out for her was the new glares and comments about Nico being a stalker, but she started to tune it out after a while. When the final bell rang, Nico began to head towards the locker to grab her things before heading to her bike to work. When she got to her locker, she started to put her combination in and heard someone calling her. Nico glanced to her right and saw Nate gliding through the sea of people trying to get to her.

 

"Hey, Nic," Nate called out, waving a hand in the air to get her attention. 

 

"What's up, Nate? "Nico said, shifting her attention back to her locker when Nate was at a close enough distance from her.

 

"You free tonight," Nate responded with excitement.

 

"Nope, I am closing at the bookstore tonight," Nico said, opening her locker and retrieving some books from inside before shoving them inside her bag.

 

"Ugh, you work too hard. You deserve a break," Nate dramatically said, throwing himself upon the locker next to hers with one hand clutching his chest and the back of his other hand resting over his eyes, looking in distress.

 

"You are so dramatic, Nate. I don't need a break. I'm okay. " Nico said, rolling her eyes and pulling her helmet out of her locker before shutting it and heading toward the parking lot with Nate walking alongside her.

 

"Where do you think I get it from," Nate said, hinting at the morning show between Nico and Zane. 

"Maybe from all those soap operas you watch," Nico stated, tucking her helmet under her arm and maneuvering her way through the crowd as Nate mimicked her movements. 

  

"You are the last one to talk, Ms.unsolved mysteries," Nate said, pointing the finger at Nico and her terrible choice of entertainment.

"What can I say? I love a good mystery." Nico said, shrugging her shoulder as they the lobby.

"But in all seriousness, Nic, when was the last time you went out and had, oh, I don't know, fun," Nate stated because he couldn't remember the last time Nico had a day off. Nico rolled her eyes and threw open the front doors, ignoring Nate's complaints about Nico working so much. 

 

"What are you talking about? I have fun all the time," Nico said as they approached her bike, hopping on it and starting it up.

 

"I know that this is something you don't want to deal with, especially after the day you had, but It's just that I miss hanging out with you, and I feel like you don't want to spend any time with me anymore. I'm sorry for being a little worried about you.," Nate confessed to Nico. Nico hated that work was consuming most of her time, and she never had any of it to spend with her friends. It is not like she didn't want to spend time with them; she did. She wanted to go out and be an ordinary teenager, go out with her friends, and have fun, but that was the thing. No matter how hard Nico tried, she wasn't normal, not even close. Nico ran her hand down her face and looked and Nate before closing her eyes and sighing because she knew he was right even though she would never admit it well, not to his face at least. 

 

"Saturday," Nico announced.

 

"What about Saturday," Nate asked, confused at Nico's vague response.

 

"That's is the only day I can ask off since the store not normally busy, so if you want to do something, I can schedule off that day," Nico said, looking at Nate with a blank expression on his face. Suddenly Nate broke into a huge smile, his eyes practically sparkling as he pulled out his phone, texting whoever before looking back at Nico. Nico felt a slight buzz in her back pocket before pulling it out of her phone and noticing that Nate was texting their group chat with her and their other friend about Nico's availability before sliding her phone back into her pocket.

 

"Okay, now that that is done, I'm going to go. I got myself a hot date tonight with this guy I just matched with," Nate said, sliding his phone back into his pocket and reaching into his bag to grab his keys.

 

"You know it is a Monday, right? Don't you have homework or something?" Nico asked.

"Oh yes, I have a big text on human biology, and he is helping me 'study,'" Nate said, winking at Nico. 

"Well, you go do that. I have to stop by the diner to grab my dad's dinner before heading to work," Nico said.

"Well, have fun with that and tell Em I said hey, and don't forget about Saturday," Nate said as he started to head to his car.

"Trust me, I won't. I'll see you later." Nico called out before sliding her helmet on, looking at Nate one last time, shaking her head at his antics before pulling out of the parking lot.

 

Footsteps echoed in the hallway as the young man ran like he was being chased, trying to reach the door at the end of the hall. He ran to the door at the end of the hallway and turned the doorknob before throwing open the door, revealing an older man standing in the middle of the room with his back facing the younger male.   

 

"Captain, we just received a phone call." the younger man said, hunched over, trying to catch his breath. The captain turned to face the younger male with a look of confusion at the tired officer.

 

"About." As the young male caught his breath, he closed the door behind them, the captain said, concerned about the urgency of the officer's voice.

 

"Mrs. Slivers called because her daughter hasn't been home in almost a week." the young officer said. The older male took a step forward with a look of worried painted across his face.

 

"Why did she call now," The captain said.

 

"W-well, from what Mrs. Silvers told us, she said that she thought that her daughter was at her boyfriend's house this entire time, but she just received a call from him because he hasn't seen her too." the younger male said worriedly.   

 

"This isn't good." the captain said while running a hand through his dark brown hair before turning around and walking up to the wall behind him.

 

"Sir, what are we going to do." The young officer said, walking up next to the older male staring at him, looking at the wall in front of them.

 

"Well, if this is like the others, then we are racing against the clock." the captain said. The younger man looked upon the dozens of pictures under a big sign that said, missing in bold black lettering. The young man sighed, hoping the young girl's fate didn't end up like the others.