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“I’m not even a little bit curious.” I laugh, hoping he doesn’t catch my lie.
“Whatever,” he shrugs and continues walking. His accent falters slightly, a common sign that something is wrong.
I know that he’s trying to guilt trip me. I know that I shouldn’t give into him just because I can’t handle making someone feel bad. “FINE.” I throw my hands up in the air in surrender and he turns around smirking. He was never upset. Dirty little cheat. “I want to upload the file, so that I can have a copy to read myself, not because my dad wants one.”
“Anything else you want to tell me,” he side eyes me suspiciously.
“Ugh,” I groan, giving in completely. “Dad wants me to watch over the new girl, Emerson, and try and get some type of information out of her.”
“But you don’t want to-”
“No. Yes. Well, I don’t know. He hasn’t even told me what I’m meant to be looking for. I just don’t know, Ty.” I sigh.
“Fair enough,” he laughs and turns back around. But I stay standing still, expecting him to say something more. “Stop daydreaming about your girl and come on Jas,” he laughs, and I run after him, complaining the whole way about how she isn’t ‘my girl’.
“Give it time,” he laughs, as we step into the room.
The photocopy room is like an abandoned ghost town. I have no logical reason why this place would be empty. It’s no hotspot in the building, but right now there isn’t a person in sight.
“Just act natural in case someone comes.” Tyler makes a very unnatural pose against the wall, and I laugh. “The last thing I need is people getting suspicious and telling Dad about this.”
“Yes,” an affirmative voice says from behind me, “It would be a real shame if your father found out about this, wouldn’t it?”
Chapter 11 - Jasper Cunningham
Instinctively, Tyler and I turn towards the voice, and I hide the paper behind my back as quickly as possible. “Jasper, Jasper, Jasper,” the lady wags her finger in my direction. “A good boy should never keep secrets from his father.”
The woman looks middle aged but seems like she is trying to look a lot younger. She has choppy bleached blond hair, bright blue eyes, and so much makeup that it’s hard to tell exactly how old she is. She looks familiar, even though I know I’ve never seen her before. My heart is pounding way too fast, but I know that I need to make up some excuse before she goes and blabbers to Dad. “Did I say anything about keeping secrets?” I say, trying to be casual, “I am an open book.”
Instead of responding to me, the lady is glaring at Tyler so fiercely that I’m afraid her eyes are going to set alight and burn him. “Head up, back straight. How many times do I need to remind you?” She says, walking over to him and slapping a hand on the bottom of his chin, then along his spine. As she touches him, Tyler obeys without a word of argument.
I wonder how in the world she has that sort of power over the one person I know that bends to absolutely no one. I look over to him and see that his usual smirk is replaced by a tight frown. I have never seen him like this. So serious. So silent. So scared. I know he would never admit it, but I can see it in his eyes; he fears this lady. What did she do to him to make him like that?
“Yes, ma’am.” He mumbles. I almost wince as he says it. If I have learnt anything about having parents as leaders, it’s that they hate it when people mumble.
“How dare you mumble at me, TD5299.” Tyler goes limp at the mention of whatever the lady was talking about. Is it some sort of code or name? What if this has something to do about his past that he is so reluctant to tell me about?
I don’t have time to think about it for long, because the woman grabs Tyler by the scruff of the neck, and he winces out in pain.
“Get your hands off of him!” I yell, dropping the paper and charging at the woman. The woman lets go and gets into a battle stance. Or at least, that’s what I think is happening. I’ve never done this before so I’m not sure how it works.
I put my hands up in fists, ready to punch, knowing that I’m stupid for doing this but needing to prove something. I don’t know what I need to prove, or to whom, but I know that I need to protect my friend. And I need to stop my father from getting the paper.
“Jasper,” she seems almost hesitant, “I don’t think you want to do this.” She looks at me and I want to know what is going through her mind.
“Yes, I do,” I reply as I land a punch in her stomach. It wasn’t hard. It probably sucked actually, but the element of surprise worked in my favour, and she stumbles back, one hand pressed to her stomach in agony.
I rub a hand over my fist, relishing the pain of contact. I expected to feel regret over punching someone, over inflicting pain, and yet a small part inside me feels no remorse whatsoever. And that scares me.
“Photocopy it, Tyler!” I say to him, who is just standing there having no idea what is going on. He is more than happy to oblige, and he grabs the paper from the ground. I know that what I am doing is a risk. Tyler knows absolutely nothing about technology, and I know nothing about fighting, but I feel like my senses are in hyper mode. I have a one-track mindset. I don’t need to win; I just need to delay her long enough to photocopy this paper and get us out of here. Then she will tell my dad and I’ll be grounded for all eternity.
One problem at a time Jasper, I think. One problem at a time.
“How. Does. This. Work?” Tyler says in short, rasped breaths. “Jas, help. It’s talking to me.” I steal a glance over to him, to find him pressing all the buttons recklessly while the pieces of paper from the file are scattering the floor. The sight distracts me for long enough for the woman to punch me in the arm. It isn’t hard, but I jump back in surprise. Something tells me that she’s holding back. If Tyler is so afraid of her, she can obviously pack a punch. But she doesn’t seem to want to fight me; it’s like something is almost stopping her. Either way, I’m probably going to get a bruise from her.
This isn’t going well.
He looks over at me and sees me holding my arm. “Tag team?” I suggest, groaning. He smiles, drops the paper before I have even thought about moving, and runs fearlessly towards the woman, a devilish gleam in his eyes. Whatever fear had inoculated him before is gone, and he is back to his normal self.
