Jane, once again, awoke to find herself drooling on her desk. She exhaled, and unglued her cheek from the veneered surface. Her screen displayed a still-image of a comedy movie from the night before, the light making her wince.

She stretched her neck, the sore tissue cracking as it flexed.

What was she supposed to be doing today?

The butterflies in her stomach seemed to remember before she did.

Oh, right, Ryder and her. Wait- Ryder and her?

She glanced at her alarm clock, the red digits seeming to judge her slothfulness as she squinted at them. Two in the afternoon. She had slept all morning, and well past noon.

Distantly, she heard a rapping at the front door. The sound carried through the thin walls of her bedroom.

“Jane? Someone’s at the door!” her mother called from somewhere else in the house.

Jane groaned, mind still foggy from sleep.

More knocking, this time slightly louder. Jane rose from her chair slowly, her hair a veritable mess of red. She cursed as she tripped over her stuffed bear, who had been sitting at her feet. It glared up at her reproachfully.

A pair of clicks as her mother opened the door. Muted conversation from the hallway.

Jane opened her own door, stepping out of her bedroom. Her feet padded against the floorboards as she poked her head through the kitchen threshold.

Victoria, clad in a band t-shirt and shorts, sat at the dining table with her mother. They looked up as she approached.

“Here she is, like I said. Straight from her hibernation cave,” her mother said.

Victoria laughed.

“You two were out so late last night,” her mother said, “it’s a good thing you were nowhere near the school, or they would have thought you were involved.”

Victoria smiled innocently, one eyebrow raised. “The school? What happened, Miss Mackenzie?”

Jane was impressed. She sounded quite convincing.

“Oh, something about vandalism. They think someone lead the night guard on a wild chase, then smashed up a few offices. It’s all in the papers.”

“It- they think it was just one guy?” Jane asked.

Her mother passed a rolled up newspaper to Jane. “See for yourself.”

The front page was dominated by a black and white photograph of Alexander Highschool’s principal, an expression of sour distaste adorning his face.

“ALEXANDER HIGH MYSTERY BREAK-IN” read the headline in bold letters.

In what may be the most daring teenage prank of the year, a lone deviant was nearly caught breaking and entering into Alexander Highschool last night, before evading capture and costing the school thousands of dollars in property damage as they demolished several windows. The following is an excerpt from an interview taken this morning with the principal of Alexander High.

“This constitutes a most heinous lack of respect for our establishment, our community, and the very education system itself.”

Strong words from a man whose own office was among the reported rooms that were vandalized. Turn to page seven for the heroic tale of the night watchman, who bravely chased the vandal throughout the school. “I feared for my life. He was huge, bigger than any teen hoodlum I’ve met,” - a quote from the night watchman.

Jane looked up, glancing at Victoria. “They think multiple rooms were vandalized?”

Even in the excitement of last night, Jane was absolutely sure she only destroyed the principal office’s window.

Victoria raised her eyebrows. “There was vandalism?”

Jane opened her mouth to explain herself, but remembered her mother was in the room.

Instead, she said, “Did you bring the makeup?”

Victoria patted a transparent pouch on the table, bulging with various cosmetic items. “Sure did.”

“Going somewhere tonight?” her mother asked.

“I told you mom- the boy? Who asked me out?” Jane’s cheeks grew warm. Talking about this with her mother felt mortifying.

“Oh, that’s today? Go on then you two, I’ll fix you something up in a bit,” her mother said.

Victoria rose from her seat, swiping the pouch from the table. She followed Jane to her room.

“You trashed multiple rooms?” Victoria whispered the moment Jane’s bedroom door was closed.

“No! Just- like, one window. With a chair. I didn’t really have a choice,” Jane replied, defending herself.

“Huh, really? I bet they’re exaggerating the property damage for insurance money or something.”

“I guess,” Jane said.

Jane was abruptly aware of how messy her room was, with the bed covers strewn about, and various bits of dirty clothing on the floor. Victoria hadn’t seemed to notice as she plopped herself down on the mattress.

Jane followed suit, placing herself in her chair and scooting closer to Victoria.

The transparent pouch opened with a zip. Glass and plastic clicked together as they shifted around, Victoria’s hand groping for something inside.

With an “Aha!” she pulled a triangular bottle filled with a glittering dark liquid from the pouch.

Victoria glanced up, and noted the worried expression on Jane’s face. “Aren’t you excited?”

“I don’t think so,” Jane admitted. Secret criminal conspiracy notwithstanding, dubious covert task from a shady undercover cop notwithstanding, Jane was still nervous. She’d never hung out with a boy before, especially not one-on-one.

Victoria placed the pouch on the bed, and took both of Jane’s hands in her own. “Jane, he asked you out first. It means we already know he’s into you!”

“But what if he just wants to be friends?” Jane asked.

“You don’t actually think that, do you?” Victoria replied.“Is that really what you’re worried about?”

Jane blinked. In truth, it wasn’t. “Listen, last night… do you remember the guy that followed us yesterday? He-”

Jane’s door creaked open as her mother entered, a tray topped with various snacks and drinks between her hands. Jane wondered where her mother had gotten them all, considering the fridge had been empty just the night before.

“Here, you two,” her mother said, placing the tray carefully on the mattress. “The school is calling a conference for parents- something about community safety. It’s mandatory. I’ll be there for a bit. Have fun.”

The last part was aimed at Jane, with a wiggle of eyebrows. Jane groaned in response.

Victoria reached out and picked up her glass, sipping from it as she watched Jane’s mother close the door. “I love your mom,” she said, laughing.

“Yeah, she’s…” Jane found she had no words. An old bitterness had caught her tongue, nights of mopping up vomit and spilled liquor halting her speech.

“You were saying something before?” Victoria asked.

“The guy, the dude that Ryder scared off yesterday. He followed me last night.”

Victoria froze, eyes wide. She looked utterly tense. Jane wondered if the glass would crack between her fingers, for a moment.

“Don’t worry. He didn’t do anything to me. I think he’s on our side,” Jane assured her. She reached out and plucked a biscuit from the tray beside Victoria.

“Did he say anything?” Victoria’s words seemed to be chosen with care.

“He said he’s an undercover cop, or something like that. That he’s spying on the group. He thinks we can help each other.”

“Oh… that’s all? What else did he say?” Victoria appeared to have forgotten entirely about her drink. It was sweating in her hand, the surface studded with droplets of water.

“We made a plan,” Jane said, “I’m gonna bug Ryder’s phone. Tonight.”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense.”

Jane paused.

“He also said they’re gonna come after me. I can’t stop, Vicky. I think… I need to get to them before they get me,” Jane said. “But if something does happen to me, I need you to promise me some-”

“Jane. Come on. You’re scaring me.”

Another pause. Jane looked into Victoria’s eyes. They reflected an anxiety that Jane herself felt, perhaps even multiplied.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine, promise.” Another lie, Jane. Even after you decided to come clean with Victoria.

This, however, seemed to satisfy her friend. Victoria, apparently, remembered the glass in her hand, and took another sip.

“Hold still!” Victoria hissed, a thin brush with a bulbous end grasped between her fingers.

Jane blinked, her eyes watering. Victoria was attempting to apply something to her eyelashes, but could only succeed in making Jane uncomfortable.

Afternoon sun filtered through Jane’s curtains, of which Victoria had pulled partially open. Jane’s hair was still wet from the shower she had taken earlier, and the tray of snacks lay demolished on her bed.

“I don’t get it, why are your eyelashes black if your hair is red?” Victoria asked, momentarily giving up on the brush.

“I’m not sure. Maybe it has something to do with my mom.”

So far, they had only managed to paint Jane’s lips successfully, and only because of Victoria’s practiced hand. It felt strange to Jane, as if her lips were encased in oil.

“So, how are you gonna bug Ryder’s phone?” Victoria asked, rummaging through her pouch once more.

“The police have some kind of signal interceptor. I’m gonna meet Watson before I see Ryder.”

“Watson, huh?” Victoria sounded skeptical, “he really told you his name?”

“He was actually kinda nice to me, you know,” Jane said.

Yeah, nice. Almost too nice, given his appearance. Yet another reason for her to distrust him.

Victoria had stood up and opened her closet door. Rows of neutral colored jackets and faded jeans hung on plastic hangers, a musty pair of sneakers sitting below them. It was a veritable sea of nondescript clothing, designed to attract as little attention to the wearer as possible.

“Seriously?” Victoria asked, looking at Jane in disbelief.

“What?” Jane said, defensively.

“Ugh,” Victoria groaned. “Good thing I brought clothes from when I was twelve.”

Jane didn’t want to consider the fact that she was around the same size as a twelve year old Victoria.

Victoria returned to the kitchen in search of her backpack, leaving Jane alone in her room.

Jane caught sight of her own face in the reflection of her laptop screen. She looked different in a way that the makeup couldn’t achieve. Her cheeks were more hollow, the set of her brow closer together.

Was she really going to do this? Work with a cop to take down a criminal organization?

For a moment, all she wanted to do was hide. Leave the responsibility to someone else. Go back to her quiet life of poking into people’s social media accounts.

But there was the feeling, burning in her gut, buzzing in her mind. She had to do this. The feeling cloistered her away from the thoughts of running and hiding. It demanded that she go through with this. Jane had no choice.

She was roused from her musing when Victoria returned, bag over shoulder. “So, come on, take those off.” She motioned towards the jacket and pants Jane was wearing.

Victoria set the bag on the ground and began to remove a small collection of folded clothes from within. Black jeans frayed at the knee. Beside them, a long sleeved shirt.

Jane lifted the shirt from the pile, inspecting it. It was white, with dark stripes falling vertically down the torso. The sleeves were a similar dark shade.

Victoria glanced up at her from her spot on the floor, the bag fully emptied. “Oh, that’ll look nice on you.”

Self-consciously, Jane turned away from Victoria and removed her jacket. She reached behind her and pulled the striped shirt over her head, being careful to avoid her makeup. The material was soft, and, despite being long-sleeved, surprisingly cool.

She stood, and twirled slowly, allowing Victoria to see her from all angles.

“Well?” Jane asked, looking at Victoria expectantly.

“It’s perfect,” Victoria replied. She held out the dark jeans, one pant-leg spilling over her arm.

Jane giggled, feeling strangely elated. She couldn’t remember the last time she had dressed nicely. The shirt was cut in such a way that it accentuated the narrowness of her waist, instead of hanging loosely. The sleeves were ever slightly too long, and the cuffs rode down her wrists.

She took the pants from Victoria’s hands, and marched off to the bathroom to change.

Her green eyes met themselves in the mirror, the dark circles that usually surrounded them were absent for the most part. Jane wondered if it was Victoria’s handiwork, or the fact that she had finally gotten some sleep. Orange sunlight beamed through the half-window above the shower, illuminating a patch of tile above the toilet.

She was going to be okay.

At least, that’s what Jane forced herself to believe. In truth, she’d been so distracted that she hadn’t had time to truly think about it.

She was going on a date. Like a regular teenager. With Ryder, of all people.

Jane felt like jumping for joy. She felt like hiding behind the shower curtain and never coming out. She was becoming a regular girl! With friends, and boys, and a massive criminal syndicate possibly hunting her down.

There was a knock at the door. “Do they fit or not?”

Jane realized she hadn’t put the pants on yet. She was standing before the mirror, staring at herself, entirely pantless.

“What am I doing, Vicky?” she asked, her voice echoing slightly.

“Uh… borrowing my pants?”

“No, I mean- what am I doing?” Jane leaned her arms against the sink.

“What’s wrong? What are you worried about? Spying on Ryder?” Victoria asked. She sounded concerned.

Jane shook her head, then felt foolish. Victoria couldn’t see her. “What if he’s innocent? What if I’m screwing up a good relationship with a nice boy because I’m crazy?”

“Jane, come on, you know you aren’t crazy. We have proof that the group exists now, and that they’re looking for you,” Victoria said.

Jane could practically see her friend leaning her back against the other side bathroom door.

“But I mean, what about Ryder? For all I know, he’s got nothing to do with any of this. I could be invading his privacy for nothing.”

“Then you can go on another date with him, after all this, if you want,” Victoria said, “besides, I wished I could bug some of the boys I used to see.”

Jane laughed at that. “You’ve had boyfriends before?”

Victoria paused. “Wel-l-l, not exactly. Kinda? Like a boyfriend? But my dad got fired and we moved away for a while. He wouldn’t let me take the bus to see him.”

Jane couldn’t imagine a scenario where Victoria willingly obeyed the rules. Perhaps she was a different person entirely, before Jane had met her.

Jane twisted the doorknob, and opened it slowly, to prevent Victoria from falling backwards. It turned out she had been correct, and Victoria had been sitting at the base of the door, back resting against it. She turned as Jane exited the bathroom.

“Wow, you look…” Victoria rose from her spot on the floor, scanning the length of Jane’s body. For once, Jane didn’t feel self conscious.

“Like a twelve year old?” Jane joked.

“Ryder’s gonna have a heart attack.” Victoria was smiling, proud of her handiwork.

“Sounds like that boy before gave you a heart attack.”

Victoria’s eyes glossed over as she remembered something. “He was my first kiss.”

Jane’s mouth fell open. Victoria had her first kiss before Jane? Absolutely unfair. Unjust in the cruelest possible way. And not entirely unexpected, now that she thought about it.

“What was it like?” Jane asked, a mix of bashfulness and curiosity.

Victoria flashed her the usual mischievous smile. “Like fireworks.”

Jane rolled her eyes.

She returned to her messy room, with Victoria following close behind. Swiping her phone from the desk, she checked her messages. There was a single one, from Ryder.

[5:40]Ryder: hey cant wait to see u

It seemed Ryder had gotten around to texting her first, before Jane had mustered the courage to do so.

Well played, Ryder.

“Wow, he’s totally into you,” Victoria commented, heaving read the text over Jane’s shoulder. “Still think he just wants to hang out ‘as friends’?”

Jane couldn’t help but grin, giddily. The familiar butterflies in her stomach had returned, but they weren’t so unpleasant now.

Curtains drawn, Jane could see the sun beginning to set, its orange rays shifting to darker hues. Her overgrown lawn swayed in the breeze. It was almost time to meet Watson, and, after that, Ryder.

She dearly hoped she wasn’t making the wrong decision.