Jared didn’t need prodding. He moved away from the wall and followed her into the classroom. With a bit of Fae magic he changed his class schedule to Journalism.
The room was filled with old computer cubicles and computers. Every wall was covered with newspaper clippings and past issues of the Lincoln Heights Journal. A large table at the back of the room had a collage of action shots of the football, basketball and track teams. The teacher introduced him to the class, and he watched as the boys in the room glowered at him. The girls visibly brightened at the prospect of a good-looking new boy. He made his way to an open chair and sat down, being careful to act like he wasn’t interested in anything anyone was saying. He wasn’t here to draw attention or make friends; he needed to keep it on the down low.
The teacher gave instructions to the class, and Jared was assigned to a small group that would report on last week’s football loss to none other than Mina Grime’s own school Kennedy High.
They moved to a large table, and Jared listened to a discussion on stats between Mark, who had dark caramel skin and a thick, pleasant South African accent, and Adam, a slim brown-haired boy with glasses. Lucy, the only girl in the group, had sandy blonde hair in stark braids. She wore glasses and a blue chevron sweater.
“So, have any of you seen Tom this morning?” Lucy whispered to their group during a lull in their writing. Her pencil tapped her notepad nervously. Jared listened carefully but didn’t chime in on the conversation.
“No, but he’s probably in class,” Adam answered.
“I waited out in the parking lot, and he never showed,” she insisted.
“Whoa, have you become a stalker?” Adam scoffed.
Lucy shook her head. “No, I’ve just started paying close attention to who Kathleen Donovan has her sights set on.” She leaned in close and whispered, “It seems to me that all of the boys that have gone missing over the years were attracted to her.”
Mark glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Kathleen, who happened to glance up at that moment. She turned her nose up at him and went back to work. He swung back around and gave Lucy an annoyed look. “Aw, not little miss sunshine over there. Are you sure you’re not letting your jealousy get in the way? She’s cute—and harmless.”
Lucy’s cheeks flushed an angry red, and she pulled out a notebook and flipped it open. It had every missing boys name in one column on the left and a column of dates and notes and initials on the right. It was obvious that there were a lot of K.D.’s in the right-hand column.
“The disappearances started occurring shortly after she transferred here last year. She’s never outright dated anyone who’s asked her, but she’s pretty enough to date anyone she wants.”
“Lucy, you can’t convict someone based on the fact that they’re single. If that’s the case then you might as well charge me with all the missing guys,” Adam scoffed and held up his hands.
She started to flick her pencil faster and faster on the notebook. “No, but see that’s the point. Look here.” She pointed to the dates. “These are all the dates on which the boys broke up with their last girlfriends, and she was seen with all of them in the days following—before their disappearance.”
Adam stared at Lucy hard, before shaking his head. “Who are you—Nancy Drew?”
“Naw, Scooby Doo!” Mark laughed.
“More like Velma, with braids.” Adam flicked Lucy’s braid when he said it and Jared had to bite back his tongue. This wasn’t the time to get into a confrontation with boys, when he needed the information that Lucy had.
“Maybe we should test your theory,” Mark straightened his shirt and cleared his throat. “I’d volunteer to start dating her.”
Lucy eyed them both with disbelief. “No she only goes out with hot guys…like him.” She pointed to Jared and then clapped her hand over her mouth. blushing.
Both Mark and Adam started to snicker, but then it quickly died down. Apparently, it had dawned on them that she didn’t think they were hot.
She sighed loudly and plopped her head in her hand. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea. So how many sacks did Oliver get?” Lucy’s shoulders slumped, and Jared could feel her dejection across the table. He was surprised at how astute she was. She would probably make a phenomenal reporter someday.
None of her information had solved his problem, though. He still had to get Kathleen to notice him.
When the bell rang, Jared reached out and tapped Lucy’s shoulder. She spun around and looked up at him in surprise. “I know, not a good first impression,” she said. “You probably think I’m nuts like Mark and Adam.”
“No, I wanted to say that I believe you.”
“You do?” Lucy’s mouth dropped open and hung there.