the sensation crawled up her arms.
Teddy’s fingers gripped the money, crinkling the hundred-dollar bills in his hand.
Where did Teddy get all of that? His mom worked two jobs to pay all the bills, Zoe doubted they had cash lying around. The note for Teddy said that he cherished money which made no sense to her.
‘Why did you try to get into the office?’ Jackie asked Teddy.
Zoe was torn. She wanted to know more about Teddy, but the game was continuing no matter how much they talked about it.
‘Take it, Cece,’ Teddy murmured, ignoring Jackie’s question.
Cece shook her head, her hands clasped in her lap.
Teddy tossed it at her.
It floated in the air for a moment, suspended, before it fluttered down, landing on the white strips of paper scattered over the table.
‘If you’re not going to look at it,’ Q said, reaching for it.
Zoe lunged forward, plucking the paper from the stack.
Q cocked his head to the side, taking in Zoe’s defiance.
Holly and Jackie looked at her too. Zoe’s cheeks flushed. She wasn’t sure why she did it. She normally kept to herself, but for some reason, she didn’t want Q to get the paper. Was he doing this to them? He always tripped people in the hallway or played tricks on unsuspecting kids. This seemed like something he would do.
Zoe placed the paper in front of Cece and lifted her gaze to Q, daring him to say something. ‘It’s obviously for her.’
Q blinked slowly then his attention was back on Teddy. ‘I wouldn’t have destroyed the money either. Though by the way you ran, you looked spooked. What happened?’
Teddy licked his lips but said nothing.
‘Come on, Teddy,’ Holly said. ‘If this person is messing with us, we need to know what we’re up against.’
Everyone held their breath while watching the war taking place on Teddy’s face.
‘It’s not a big deal,’ Teddy said. ‘I work at night. I have a personal bank account for my money with mobile banking. When the time was up, I heard the app alert coming from my phone.’
‘Do you think this person got into your account?’ Jackie asked, leaning forward in her chair.
Teddy shrugged. ‘Or maybe it was a coincidence.’
‘It would be a bizarre coincidence,’ Zoe said.
‘Why do you have a personal bank account anyway?’ Q asked.
‘I have a bank account,’ Cece said matter-of-factly.
‘I’m not talking about a trust account,’ Q snapped.
‘I’m saving up for college,’ Teddy said.
‘Aren’t your parents going to pay for that?’ Jackie asked.
Zoe glared at Jackie. This girl was clueless about anyone outside of her little bubble of friends. Other than Holly, everyone in that room had gone to school together since kindergarten. Everyone—or at least Zoe thought everyone—knew Teddy only had one parent.
‘He doesn’t—’ Zoe started, but Teddy interrupted her.
‘It’s just my mom and me,’ he said.
Zoe’s heart went out to him. They had been friends through middle school, but once Teddy jumped on the fast-track to honors classes, he never looked back. Now she knew why. While his life in school wasn’t much of a mystery, his personal life was. And not for the first time, Zoe thought she should have tried harder to stay friends with him.
‘I want more out of my life than this place,’ Teddy continued. ‘I took the pittance my grandmother left me and started building it. If someone messed with my account, then I have nothing. No future at all.’
Zoe understood completely. She wanted out of this podunk town the second she held her diploma in her hands. But unlike Teddy, she had nowhere to go. She couldn’t leave, no matter how much she dreamed she could. She’d never be able to abandon her mom the way Noelle did. Her sister was just as selfish as their mother which didn’t leave Zoe with much choice. From the way Teddy talked about losing everything, he didn’t seem as upset as she would have been. He probably held onto the hope that this was a joke.
Zoe glanced at the office, where Mr. Curtis had his back to them as he typed on the computer. She wondered if he would make an exception and allow Teddy to check his phone. Other than coming to detention that morning, Teddy never got into any trouble. Ever.
‘What did the note mean about you taking from others?’ Jackie asked, bringing them all back to the situation they were in.
Teddy’s gaze lifted to hers. ‘I have no idea.’
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