Don't Get Caught (21 page)

Okay, first off, what the hell just happened?” I say to my team. “We were all there last night when it fell apart. So how did it all magically work out? And why didn’t any of you tell me?”

The five of us are debriefing in the lobby while the adults mill around the conference room, where they’re likely blaming our unruliness on video games or the inability to legally pistol-whip students. The rest of the lobby is empty, and that’s a good thing because my questions are met with laughter. And not just laughter but the worst kind of laughter: mocking laughter.

“Oooh, can I tell him?” Ellie says to the others. “Please?”

“Absolutely,” Malone says. “It was your idea.”

Ellie takes my hand and goes all doe-eyed, her voice exaggeratingly sweet.

“Max, remember when we all agreed to the prank off rules?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember what I said would happen to the loser?”

My stomach sinks.

“Do you?” she asks.

“Yeah.”

“What did I say?”

“That there would be dire consequences.”

Ellie squeezes my hand hard and grins.

“Well, consider yourself consequenced.”

“But how did I lose? If anything, I should be the winner. My prank was the best.”

“Subjective but maybe,” Malone says. “Unfortunately, you were disqualified.”

“Why?”

“Because school was out,” Adleta says. “The rule was by the end of school.”

“But I did it that night!”

“Yeah, but we said before school ended,” Wheeler answers. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again—semantics, man, they’re a bitch.”

“So that’s what you came up with for my punishment? Fifteen hours of feeling like a complete failure? You guys suck.”

“She did say dire,” Malone says. “You do know that word, right?”

“Yes, smart-ass, I know that word.”

“Just be thankful we didn’t go with Ellie’s first suggestion as a punishment,” Adleta says.

“Which was?”

“Having ‘Prank War Loser’ tattooed on your forehead.”

I look at Ellie, not sure if Malone’s being serious.

“What can I say?” Ellie smiles. “I take competitions seriously.”

“Besides, we couldn’t let you get cocky about everything,” Adleta says.

“Yeah, humility is one of life’s greatest virtues,” Malone adds.

“Like my balls,” Wheeler says.

They’re all laughing now—at my expense, I must add—but it’s hard to be angry when we’ve just pulled off the greatest caper in Asheville history.

“Okay, so now that I’ve suffered, will someone please tell me what happened last night?”

“There’s not much to tell, dude,” Wheeler says. “Benz and Becca came in, did their little prank—which was hilarious even by my high standards—and then split when the cops got close. Once they were gone, I pulled the camera and took off. After that, I just had to add the video file to the end of the documentary like we planned.”

“It all worked perfectly,” Ellie says. “Well, except for Stranko getting out of the tunnel.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Adleta says.

“No, it forced Max to rappel off the tower,” Malone says. “That was worth it.”

“Almost as good as hearing Stranko’s taken a job somewhere else,” Ellie says.

Adleta and Malone simultaneously shout, “What?”

“Yep,” Ellie says. “Stranko quit. He took a job in St. Louis.”

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Adleta as happy as he is at this moment. He throws both fists into the air like he’s just won the state championship, was named MVP, and was awarded a full ride to Duke all at the same time.

“This isn’t a joke, is it?” he says. “Because if it is—”

“It’s no joke,” I say. “He told everyone in the meeting.”

Adleta pumps his fist again, saying, “The only way this could get better is if my dad were going with him.”

“From what I’ve heard, his job is at a brand-new private school,” Wheeler says. “He’ll be opening a new building, helping establish the athletic program, everything.”

We all slow-turn to Wheeler, and it’s Malone who says what we’re all thinking.

“Wait a second. How do you know about Stranko leaving?”

Wheeler says nothing. Instead, he just gives us the most satisfied smile I’ve ever seen.

“Come on, tell us,” Ellie says.

“Because I, Dave Wheeler, recruited some H8boxers to headhunt Stranko for a principalship in St. Louis, show him around a new building under construction, and interview him twice for the job. They really made him salivate before making the offer.”

A hallelujah choir of “holy shits” and “oh my Gods” ring through the lobby.

“So it’s not a real job?” Adleta says.

“Nope.”

“And Stranko just quit this one?”

“Apparently.”

“But how could he fall for that?” Ellie asks.

“Never underestimate the power of H8box, my dear. We’re all ages, all backgrounds, and all anti-asshole. Stranko never had a chance.”

“How long ago did you set this up?” Adleta says.

“Three months ago, around the time I had the Secret Service show up. I figured if they weren’t going to get rid of him, I’d have to do it myself.”

Wheeler’s prank is evil, massively so. It’s impossible to hide my unease.

“Dude, I told you—I’m an upgrade, not a new install. This is who I am, and I’m cool with that.”

“Well, as far as I’m concerned,” Ellie says, “you win the prank off.”

Wheeler claps his hands.

“So I get the guaranteed yes?”

“Those were the rules,” Ellie says.

“Oh man,” Wheeler says. “This is way too much power for one person.”

“Especially in your case,” Adleta says.

“Nothing sexual,” Malone warns.

“Wait, that wasn’t a rule,” Wheeler says.

“Okay, but you’ll have a hard time performing if you’re in a coma.”

Wheeler holds his hands up. “Calm down,” he says. “I’m not going to ask for anything like that. I have a better request.”

“What is it?” Ellie says.

“That this doesn’t end after today,” Wheeler says. “I want us to keep doing things like this next year. We’re good at it. Maybe we can even figure out a way to make money from it. If not, no big deal. I just want us to continue. I need this in my life. It helps balance out all the boring stuff, like studying.”

When Wheeler finishes, everyone’s smiling.

“Does that work for my guaranteed yes?”

“Yeah,” Adleta says.

“Of course,” I say.

“Yes,” Malone says.

“Game on!” Ellie says. “And I have an additional prize for you.” She reaches into her pockets with both hands, fishing around before pulling out a double thumbs-up.

“Excellent,” Wheeler says. “I’ll cherish this forever.”

“Like my balls,” Ellie says and turns red.

“Wait a second,” I say. “I thought we agreed no outside help on the pranks. Doesn’t that disqualify him?”

“Oh, don’t be such a rule Nazi,” Ellie says and winks.

“Look who it is,” Adleta says, motioning with his head.

Becca and Benz are out of the office, heading for the front door, when Becca sees us. She says something to Benz and the two come over.

“I guess we should say we’re sorry,” Becca says. “I’m just glad none of us really got in trouble.”

“Yeah, except for Max getting suspended and arrested,” Malone says.

“Things got a little out of control,” Benz says.

“Is that supposed to be an apology?”

“It’s the closest any of you are going to get, Kate, so take it or leave it. I was mostly talking to Max anyhow.”

“Why not the rest of us?” Wheeler says.

“Because he’s the one we got suspended,” Benz says and turns to me. “It was nothing personal, you know. We were just protecting the club.”

“You made it personal when you put all of us on the water tower,” I say.

Both Becca and Benz stare at me confused for a second before Becca shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

“You’re hopeless, Max. Have a good life.”

With Benz graduating and Becca moving, I doubt I’ll ever see them again. Like that’s any big loss.

“What was that about?” Malone says.

“They’re just sore losers,” Ellie answers. “We won. That’s all that matters. The Water Tower Five prevails!”

• • •

The first weekend of summer break is spent having long talks with my parents—or more like lectures, rehashing the same ground until I’m certain if I hear “You should have told us from the start” one more time, I may have to hammer pencils into my ears.

When Mom and Dad tag team the lectures, they’re on point with:

1. How lucky I am no one else was injured or arrested.

2. How I’ll have to rebuild their trust.

3. How sex is nothing to be taken lightly.

4. How they hope I take the summer to really do some soul searching, which is ironic since that’s what led me to finally toppling the Chaos Club.

But privately, one-on-one, when the other is out of the room, both Mom and Dad tell me they understand why I did it. Both even say the identical thing, “I’m not saying what you did was right, but I understand,” followed immediately by, “but don’t tell your mother/father I said that.”

I’m not officially grounded—it’s not like there’s a proclamation nailed to my bedroom door—but it’s an understood grounding. Asking to go out would only incur another lecture, so I lay low a couple days, sticking around the house and getting adjusted to the laziness of summer, which means sleeping in late and binge watching
Leverage
with Dad at night.

It’s on Monday evening, two days after the celebration and our complete destruction of the Chaos Club—hold your applause, please—that I receive an email from Mr. Watson.

I’ll be in my room all day tomorrow. Come see me if you get a chance.

Mom and Dad have a private conversation about my request before agreeing to let me go. The next morning, I find Watson in his room, loading books into a box on his desk. The room looks like a tornado hit it, with files and poster boards from old projects covering the floor. Sitting atop most desks are boxes—some empty, some half-filled, some taped and ready to be moved. I join in at a bookshelf, packing up books from his personal library.

“So you got fired?”

“We’ve agreed to early retirement. Easier on this district publicity wise, and it allows me to keep my entire pension. Everyone wins this way.”

He doesn’t sound sad when he says it, only resigned.

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“I thought you might be feeling guilty. That’s why I asked you to come. You don’t need to apologize to me, Max. My actions are my responsibility, not yours. In fact, I’m proud of you for doing what I suggested you do at the beginning of the year—you made your mark in the wet cement of the universe. You ended a tradition that’s lasted for almost forty years. How many people can say that?”

“Then why don’t I feel better about it?”

“Because most triumphs are never clean. Have you ever heard of a Pyrrhic victory?”

I shake my head.

“It’s a victory that comes at a great cost. You win, but you pay a great price. For you, it’s the guilt you’re feeling that I’m finished here. That’ll pass though, especially since I assure you none of this is your fault.”

“Well, I’m sorry just the same.”

“I accept your apology, Max, as unnecessary as it is.”

This is likely the last time I’ll ever see Mr. Watson. If that’s the case, I have one question that has been bothering me for months.

“With all the running around that’s happened in this building after hours, how did you work it that the Chaos Club was never caught?”

“That’s a great question, Max. You’re definitely my kind of thinker. Can you keep a secret?”

“Of course.”

“Well, so can I,” Watson says and winks. “Let’s just say that Becca and Benz aren’t the only ones I protected by confessing.”

Great, just what I need—a new mystery to solve.

“What will you do now?” I say.

“Oh, I have friends across the country I plan on visiting for the next couple months. After that, who knows? Now that I’m no longer a teacher, I’ll have to discover a new me.”

We spend the next half hour packing boxes together. Thirty-nine years of teaching in the same classroom can amass a great deal of junk, a whole lifetime really, and Watson’s room is evidence of that. I find reports written in the eighties, pictures of Watson at least twenty years younger and fifty pounds lighter, football programs with yellowed pages, and files of newspaper articles about individual students Watson taught going back to his first year. There’s so much to pack that it seems as if we’re not making any progress, but I’m fine with that.

“You don’t need to stay here all day, Max. I appreciate the help, but I’d sort of like some time alone with my memories.”

“Okay,” I say, feeling awkward. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“You have my email, Max. Feel free to use it anytime.”

We shake hands, and Mr. Watson returns to his closet—itself a cluttered mess of memories. I head for the door, and really, this is where the story should end—with the Chaos Club destroyed, Stranko leaving, Watson retiring, and me discovering who I really am. But it’s not the end.

I’m on my way to the door when Watson stops me.

“Max, before you go, there’s one more thing.”

I look back.

“I’ve debated whether or not to tell you this, and I’m still not sure I should, but I’m going to anyway. As ironic as it sounds, I believe in the truth, and I think you need to know it in this case.”

Then Watson tells me, and my world turns upside down.

My fingers tap nervously on the steering wheel as I drive through the wooded hills, trying not to think about that night in October when I first came here with Ellie. I park the car on the side of the road and hike among the trees toward the clearing. It’s June, and summer’s in full swing, the woods cool and alive with the buzz of a million insects. I slow at the edge of the clearing, then stop completely before stepping out of the trees.

Am I ready for this?

Probably not.

But will I ever be?

I emerge from the trees, and Ellie immediately jumps to her feet on the radar dish, raising both arms over her head, her fists clinched.

“Victory!” she shouts.

She’s wearing cutoff jean shorts and a vintage white Rolling Stones concert T-shirt. She couldn’t look any more beautiful if she tried.

God, this sucks already.

I walk up the hill to the dish and climb the ladder, poking my head through the hole in the mesh floor.

“So the grounding’s over?” she says.

“I’m officially free.”

“Excellent! Did you talk them into letting you out?”

“Something like that.”

“Me too. I mean, after that meeting, my parents were ready to put me in a convent, but then I…”

Ellie’s mouth is moving, but I’m not hearing her. It’s something about her parents lecturing her about sex. Yesterday, after leaving Watson’s room shell-shocked, I went home and told my parents about everything—the pranks, everyone’s involvement, even about my field trip with Boyd to see his archway. Everything. Through all of it, Mom and Dad only made a sound once, giving audible sighs of relief when I told them Ellie and I hadn’t had sex. After that, I probably could have told them I’d decided to drop out of school to become a white supremacist and they’d have been okay with it.

Ellie snaps her fingers in front of my eyes.

“Hello? Max? You look about a thousand miles away. What are you thinking about?”

What I’m thinking about but don’t tell her is this—how could I have been so stupid?

“I went to see Watson yesterday,” I say. “I helped him pack up his classroom.”

“Yeah, I heard he retired. That’s too bad. Was he mad at us?”

“No, in fact, I think he sort of respects us for what we did.”

Ellie smiles proudly. “It is sort of cool, right? We really did make our mark like he wanted us to.”

“We’re sure did that. But what’s funny is that when I was leaving, Watson told me something I didn’t know.”

“What was that?”

On the drive here, I practiced saying the words aloud, but now in the moment, I have a hard getting them out.

“Watson told me the Chaos Club didn’t set us up at the water tower.”

Ellie doesn’t move. It’s exactly how I reacted when I heard the news.

“That’s why we never could figure out why the Chaos Club chose us. Because they didn’t,” I say. “And now that we know Becca and Benz were this year’s members, it makes even less sense. They had no reason to target us. Becca even told me in Stranko’s office they didn’t set us up, and I didn’t believe her.”

“That doesn’t mean—”

“That’s why the water tower was never mentioned on their website—because the Chaos Club didn’t have anything to do with it. The Chaos Club goes for the big spectacle, not individual vendettas. I should’ve known it wasn’t them from the start.”

Ellie frowns.

“Why are you talking to me like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re angry with me.”

Because I am angry. Pissed even. I look at Ellie, all summery and beautiful, and there’s an instant when I consider not saying anything else and just enjoying the rest of my life. It would definitely be the easier path to choose. But I know too much now to do that. It’s entirely my fault for forgetting Heist Rule #24:
Beware the double cross.

“Here’s what I’ve figured out: if the Chaos Club didn’t set us up, that only leaves the four of you. And nothing against the other three, but they don’t have the abilities and drive to pull off everything that’s happened,” I say, “but you do.”

Ellie goes wide-eyed.

“What?” she says.

“You set us up at the water tower.”

Ellie blinks twice before her laughter echoes across the open field.

“Maxwell Cobb, you’re not serious? There are two thousand students in our school. It could have been any one of them.”

“Not that has your access to the building and lockers—”

“Max—”

“Or who I saw send a text minutes before Hale showed up.”

“This is crazy.”

“Maybe, but what really seals it is the picture of me on the football field. You were the only person who knew we’d be there that night. If you’re right and it was one of the other kids in the building who set us up, did they also just happen to know we’d be at the football field? That’s too big of a coincidence.”

“I’m not sure where you came up with this, but—”

“You’d like everyone to believe you’re the naive preacher’s daughter, but you’re not. Not by a mile. You’re probably the smartest of all of us. I’m right about this. Just admit it.”

Ellie goes quiet, staring at some place far behind me. I prepare myself for more arguing, but then her body sags like warm wax.

“I shouldn’t have let it get as far as it did. That was never my plan,” she says. “I didn’t think anyone would ever find out.”

Oh God, I was right. It was one thing to think Ellie set us up. It’s another thing entirely to hear her admit it. Every part of me hoped she’d be able to prove me wrong, to offer up an alternative that made sense. But no.

I blink away the tears forming.

“Why did you do it?”

Ellie sighs, saying, “At first, it was like I said—I wanted the Chaos Club to pay for what they did to me last year. And to do that, I needed a team. Obviously I picked the right people too. But eventually, it became more fun than anything. I wasn’t even mad at the Chaos Club after a while, even if I acted like it. I just wanted to see if we could pull it off, and we did.”

“By using us.”

“We all used each other, Max. Don’t try to tell me we didn’t all have a great time. The five of us made a great team. Look at what we achieved.”

“By lying to us.”

“And I’m sorry about that. I really am. But just for a second, try to see the big picture—everything worked out for the best. I’m not just talking the Chaos Club. I’m talking about everyone. We’re all better for what’s happened this year. And somehow we even got rid of Stranko. None of that would’ve happened if I hadn’t done what I did.”

Now it’s my turn to be quiet. Everything she’s saying makes sense in a slanted, blurry way. If she keeps talking like this, I’ll cave.

“Who took the picture of us at the football field?” I say.

“Well, like Dave said, you can learn how to do anything on H8box.”

“And you doughed our lockers too?”

“Max, why are you getting caught up in the details? Yes, I did it, okay? Is that what you want me to say? But you were talking about giving up. And it worked. You stayed with it, and we accomplished our goal. The specifics don’t matter.”

“Don’t matter? I got arrested, Ellie. And suspended. My parents were ready to disown me!”

“That wasn’t the plan. I just wanted to keep you in the game. It was the worst night of my life when I found out what the Chaos Club did to you.”

“What did you think would happen?”

“Honestly? That they’d threaten you or pull a different prank—something that would get you pissed and focused again. I never imagined they’d set you up like that.”

“So what about Watson? He basically got fired over this. Not to mention we destroyed the Chaos Club, and they didn’t do anything to deserve it.”

“You mean besides the scoreboard prank last year? And how they got you arrested?”

“No, Ellie, you got me arrested. Not them.”

She doesn’t say anything.

“You led me on,” I say.

“No, that’s not fair. I may have lied to get everything started, but you can’t ever say I led you on. I made it clear the first time we came here that this was about destroying the Chaos Club, not about us being together. That just ended up being a bonus.”

Um.

“A bonus?”

“Yes, silly. Why do you think I had us meet here today? When we came here the first time, I told you
maybe
when the year was over we could go out. Well, what was a
maybe
is now a
definitely
. It was never my plan, but I like you now, Max. As in like-like you.”

Then Ellie kisses me, and the world collapses in on itself. Her lips are soft and warm and perfect, and I’m so shocked, so stunned, I don’t immediately kiss her back. This isn’t like the quick “for luck” kiss she gave me before. This is a universe destroyer. Then her fingers begin tracing the back of my neck up into my hair, and oh God, there’s her tongue on mine. And now I’m kissing her back with my hands on her hips, and she’s not stopping me. We fall and become entwined on the radar dish, our mouths together, our hands on each other. The hot summer sun overhead could supernova right now and I wouldn’t care. Because Ellie’s right. Any lies she may have told led us to this perfect moment. I can leave here with her, the two of us a couple, and return to Asheville and my friends and not tell anyone what I know. Because, man, I’ve wanted this for so long, and Ellie’s mouth is amazing, and her hands are moving to all the right places.

I mean, I could do all that, right? Not tell the other three what I know? Isn’t it only a betrayal if someone gets hurt? I mean, yeah, it’ll be hard knowing Ellie set up Wheeler, Malone, and Adleta, but doesn’t the mastermind have to carry the heaviest weight? And isn’t your crew only your crew as long as there’s a job to pull?

Aren’t they?

Please?

Shit.

I pull away, and Ellie leans farther in. If she gets her mouth on mine again, I’m a goner. So I back safely out of the kissing zone and hold out a hand to stop her from advancing.

“I’m leaving,” I say.

“Max,” she says, taking my arm. “Everything’s fine. It all worked out for every one of us. If the phrase ‘the end justifies the means’ was ever fitting, it’s here. Yes, bad things happened, but we can forget about that and move on—together. The two of us.”

Ellie sounds sincere, but I can’t be sure if she really is. She’s that good of an actress. That’s the problem with liars—you never know if what you’re hearing is the truth.

“Come on, Max, admit it. You’ve had more fun this year than you’ve ever had, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, but—”

“Then why end it?” she says. “Who cares how we got started? What matters is what we became. We’re an amazing team. What just happened proves it. And imagine what the five of us can achieve next year…and the fun you and I can have this summer.”

I see it all clearly now—Ellie Wick is the devil.

I stand up and step toward the ladder.

“So let me get this straight,” she says, standing too. “We had an awesome year, and I’m telling you I want us to be together, but you’re turning me down?”

“I can’t trust you.”

It’s a few seconds before Ellie says anything. “Have you told the others yet?”

“No, but they deserve to know.”

“They’ll hate me.”

“Maybe.”

Ellie’s eyes go slowly cold. It’s a disturbing, frightening shift. I swear the temperature drops twenty degrees.

“I can’t just let you ruin my life like that,” she says. “If you go through with it, then you’re my mortal enemy, Maxwell Cobb. Isn’t that what would happen in one of your little heist films? The crew leader kicks someone out and that person comes back for revenge?”

If she’s trying to shrink my balls, she’s succeeded.

“You don’t need to do that,” I say.

“No, I don’t. But think of the fun I can have. Or”—and she puts on a voice that could make cartoon birds flock to her—“you can forget everything and we can rule the school next year as a couple. It’s up to you.”

I understand now this was all a game to her. She’s even used that very word. Was she ever really as tortured by the Chaos Club’s prank on her dad as she said or was that just a convenient excuse to get us to play her game? I’ll probably never know. Heist victims are always left with unanswered questions. But if I’ve learned anything from this, it’s that I have the strength to handle whatever Ellie can throw at me.

“I can’t have a supervillain for a girlfriend,” I say.

“Oh, Max, you don’t know the meaning of supervillain yet.”

I start down the ladder, feeling her eyes on me.

“I can’t wait to hear you try to sell this story to people,” she says. “They’re going to put you in a mental hospital.”

“It doesn’t matter, Ellie. The right people will believe me.”

At the base of the tower, I wipe the rust off my hands.

“This is your last chance, Max,” Ellie says. “Summer fun with me or complete chaos. It’s up to you.”

But there’s no real choice here.

There never was.

Someone else might get scared and give in, but not me. Not anymore. Whatever I’m giving up with Ellie is nothing compared to what I’ve gained. With my crew on my side, nothing can touch me. Besides, every mastermind knows Heist Rule #25:
Know when to walk away.

Before starting down the hill, I return Ellie’s smile.

“Game on.”