Emotions raced and swirled around Rachel like a hurricane. She wished she stood in the eye of those emotions, finding some clarity or respite, however fleeting. Instead, she felt every one of them simultaneously, with no peace inside.

Zack was the cause of all of this. He had stolen Amber Shaw’s Magnometer and handed it over to the Alpha House. As a reporter, Rachel was well-acquainted with the fraternity’s reputation for destruction and vandalism, but this…?

Half of the campus was in shambles, while the other half struggled to return power and running water to Innshadow. And worst of all, all of it right back to Zack.

That wasn’t completely fair, Rachel knew. Zack didn’t actually know the Alphas would use the Magnometer. But his actions still stabbed into Rachel. Because of Zack, Dirk Saber was unconscious with half a dozen broken bones. He may not have intended for this to happen, but he was a big reason why it did.

After returning to the dorm room, both Blake and Perry gave Rachel a wide berth. She didn’t need to be a psychic to know they were walking on eggshells, trying not to upset her more.

It’s a little late for that.

Blake stepped forward and gingerly took a seat by Rachel, her hand on her shoulder. Perry nodded and left the dorm. After he left, Blake nodded at her and Rachel let her anguish out in a bitter sob before burying herself into her friend’s arms.

It felt good to cry.

It felt good to let all the emotions out.

After a few minutes of angry cries, Rachel had reached the eye of that hurricane, but she knew the feelings of anguish, betrayal and anger were far from beyond her. Perry re-entered the room a few minutes later and shuffled towards the two of them, hands in pocket.

“So what do we think about Zack’s plan?” she asked.

“What plan?” Rachel said with a sniffle.

“To steal the Magnometer,” Perry clarified. Rachel shook her head.

“That’s not a plan,” Rachel said. “That’s barely a mission statement.”

“It’s also his mess,” Blake said, her arms still wrapped around Rachel. “I’d rather he cleaned it up without involving us.”

Rachel sighed. “I hate to agree with him, but he has a point. He can’t take on all the Alphas. I don’t even think his father can. That frat is stacked with every kind of attribute you can slap a super on, and they’ve all drank the Kool-Aid as far as I’m concerned.”

Blake moved away after a nod from Rachel, She crossed her arms and looked at her boyfriend.

“And we’re supposed to take them on? I don’t have that kind of juice,” Blake said. “Can he just call his dad and have him, I don’t know, bring in the Power Force or something?”

Rachel heard Perry gawk a bit. Both Rachel and Blake turned to see Perry shifting uncomfortably in his seat. She saw impressions of panic running through his mind, but she quickly turned away. She didn’t need to violate Perry’s trust right now, and besides, the guy was always panicking about something.

“Zack told me he wasn’t on speaking terms with his father,” Perry said meagerly.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“Well, he’s about to be on hitting terms with me if he doesn’t get off his ass and fix this,” Blake said with a huff.

That gave Rachel a small laugh. Even Perry chuckled.

An uncomfortable silence followed. Finally Perry spoke up.

“So do we trust Zack enough to carry out this….” Perry turned to Rachel. “...mission?”

Rachel once again gave a long sigh. Blake, unsurprisingly, was the first to speak up.

“I trust him as far as I can throw him,” Blake said. “Or less. Not that I could throw him that far in the first place.”

Perry nodded.

“Agreed. But he’s our best shot at stopping this thing before it starts again,” Perry said. “And more people get hurt.”

Blake leaned on her hand, looking slightly glum. “Sometimes I wish I had a boyfriend who didn’t make sense.

Slowly but surely, Rachel felt both pairs of eyes on her.

She gave a long, drawn-out exhale.

“I don’t hate Zack,” she finally admitted. “I wish I could. It would make things a lot easier. But I don’t hate him.”

Her eyes fell on Perry.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that he’s been hiding things since he got back,” Rachel said.

Perry only nodded. Blake sighed with frustration.

“I agree. He’s been super-sus from the jump,” she said. “Since he ditched me in the middle of a supervillain attack no less!”

Perry nodded. He gestured to them both.

“Okay, with that in mind,” Perry said. “Do we tell him that?”

“No!” Rachel said very quickly. Both Perry and Blake turned to him.

“No,” Rachel said again, most sternly this time. “I think we let him stew in it a bit.”

“Time is of the essence…” Perry began but Rachel raised her hand.

“I know, Perry,” she agreed.

As usual, Perry was right, Rachel privately admitted to herself. But she’d be lying if she didn’t want Zack to feel at least some of the pain and heartache he had already put her through.

Plus Rachel had threatened to turn him in already. The longer she left Zack to dwell on her answer, the longer he faced the possibility the law might come busting through his door any minute.

She hated herself for being so petty. This was not who her father raised her to be.

But she had been betrayed. Her mentor could hardly breathe thanks to his broken ribs. Her beloved college campus was fractured, perhaps beyond repair.

And Zack started it all.

Petty was the only game she had left.

She wouldn’t give into hate. But love?

That wasn’t on the table either.

So petty she remained.

“How long until we let him know?” Perry said, slightly confused.

“An hour,” Rachel said.

“Make it two,” Blake immediately chimed.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you,” Rachel said. Blake smiled as the three friends sat together in a silence that, for once, didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Rachel reflected on the events that had brought them there. She still felt stabs of anger towards Zack and everything he had done.

Why did he steal the Magnometer in the first place?

What did Kaine have on him?

And whatever the answer to that question, why didn’t he come to his friends or help instead taking on all of this himself, and facing the consequences?

Even after tonight, so many questions remained.

The uncertainty made her frustrated, but the presence of her friends calmed her. She would dwell on that calming presence for as long as she could.

And then, she would tell Zack their answer and they would fix this, and when they did…they both were going to have a good long talk about the secrets Zack was keeping from her.