Chapter Seventeen ~ Surveillance-2

I could see over the parking lot from my position, and I waited patiently for the Datsun to pull up. I saw Felix's car first, and made sure to stay out of view as he turned to lock it before walking to the lecture hall. I could have sworn there was a skip to his step. It brought a smile to my face. Moments later, the Kensington car pulled up. Poppy was the first to get out, slamming the door behind her. "You need to get your shit together, Cole," she said, loud enough for me to hear her from yards away. "Get off my back. You don't know anything," he shot back. But she was already storming away. So, the twins were arguing. They always were. Nothing new. Once they were ahead of me, I followed them. When they met up with Felix outside the café, I swept my hood off of my head and joined them. "Hey!" I said, as if it were a surprise. I usually met them in class, but I'd always figured they met somewhere beforehand. How else could they make their grand entrance? Felix grinned, pulling me close to him so he could kiss me on the forehead. "Morning." I didn't miss Poppy's stifled smile in our direction as she pretended to pull out her phone. Cole didn't seem to care, pulling out his too. "Where's Jada?" I asked. I'd been worried about her all weekend. "I don't know if she's coming to class today," Poppy said. She looked to Cole, then back to me. "I think she's avoiding Arjun." "Oh, okay," I said. "Did he... do something to her?" "She's okay," Felix said, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Coffee?" I nodded. "So this is what makes you late?" Felix shrugged. "It keeps our cool reputation. After class we headed to Beanz. I was planning to skip my afternoon elective classes so I could watch Cole, but Felix was proving a hard temptation to overcome. "We could skip and go see a movie," he murmured. "Or go find an underground bar with expensive cocktails. Somewhere where we can hear the rain on the roof—or somewhere that plays live jazz." "Wow, an upgrade from your record player," I noted. Then I sighed. Would Penelope really reveal my secret? How far would she go to keep me in check? It didn't matter. It wasn't like I was in a position to risk it. "I gotta cram for this test I have," I lied. "Maybe tomorrow night?" "Sounds a lot less fun, but okay," he said, nudging me with his knee. "What are you guys doing this afternoon?" I asked, aiming my questions at the twins. "Ella and I are driving to her parent's house tonight after swimming practice," Poppy said, flipping a page in her text book. "I thought you said you were checking on Jada?" Cole said. "She wants space, Cole. Besides, me and Ella made these plans ages ago. Can't bail on her parents." Cole narrowed his eyes. The fries we ordered arrived at the table, and conversation was temporarily derailed. It was hard to keep track of Cole for the rest of the afternoon. I tried to linger nearby his classes, waiting for him to be en route to his next location, but I kept getting distracted. I was trying to catch up on work on my laptop, applying for some internships for the summer, but my thoughts kept following a dangerous cycle. Felix. Penelope. My secrets. Felix again. Cole finally headed to the parking lot after three. Poppy must have gotten a ride with Ella, because it was just him when he got in and started the car. Here was where it got tricky. I jogged up the road to the taxi rank next to the library, jumping into the first one I could see, thankful Penelope had cashed me up enough that this ride wouldn't break me. I had a feeling it would be costly. "Follow that car." The taxi driver snorted with laughter, but she obeyed. "And make sure they don't realize we're following them. Keep a distance." It was almost as if the driver had done this before. She waited for Cole to turn a corner, and then gave enough time that we could follow without him seeing us in the rear-view mirror, but also without losing him. His house was also in Candard Heights, but the side that had more houses than apartments. When his car finally pulled into a residence, the driver pulled to the curb. "This good?" I nodded, paying her the fare and a decent tip. Now was going to be the most dangerous part. I didn't know what would happen if Cole caught me now. There was a bus shelter down the road, and I went over to it to sit. It was still raining, but the wind was angling it away from where I'd set up in my spot. I took out my laptop and went back to writing intern applications, keeping my chin tucked in my scarf and ignoring the chill biting my fingertips. This would be a perfect example of a 'time I showed dedication at work'. An hour passed and it was starting to get dark. I didn't know exactly what I was waiting for. Maybe for Cole to leave, or to see him make out with a girl in his window. Either would have made this less boring. An answer became clear when bright headlights appeared down the street. A car pulled up outside of Cole's house. Perfect. Even if it was just Poppy, I could at least say I tried. A figure stepped out. They were wearing a beanie and scarf, like me, and a jacket so large I couldn't recognize their figure. She wore heeled boots, though. I squinted through the rain as the car door shut and the car took off. Maybe it was Poppy. She lived there with Cole, after all. The gates opened and Cole was there, a tall figure with hands in pockets. I prayed he wouldn't notice me staring from across the street, but he was too busy talking to the girl to notice, anyway. They both hesitated for a second, and my heart stopped. Was this it? Was Penelope's paranoia correct? My questions were answered when he leaned forward and kissed her.