Page 12 of The Executioners Three
Freddie instantly disliked him. Especially because he was looking at her with recognition when she had no idea who he was. “Gellar, I presume?” He plunked into the seat beside Freddie and offered a hand. “Theo Porter.”
She didn’t shake his hand. She didn’t move at all except to mold her face into a glare. Clearly he was the enemy.
“Nice to meet you too.” He grinned a devastating grin, hand lowering as his other hand whipped up a soda cup. He took a long drag; it rattled. “No need to stop what you were doing on my account, friends. Continue, continue!”
Laina was the first to speak. “Why are you here, Porter?”
He batted his eyelashes—thick, pale, and framing blue eyes. “I just wanted to see the new prankster.She”—he motioned toward Freddie with his cup—“got a lot of us into trouble on Wednesday night. Myself included.”
He smiled again, and this time, there was a layer of respect to mingle with the mocking. “But listen.” He bent conspiratorially toward them. “If you’re going to escalate things over at Berm High, then we will gladly escalate things on our end. Just be warned: we don’t pull our punches.”
“Bring it,” Luis snarled while Laina intoned, “We. Will. Crush you.”
“You sure about that?” Theo’s eyebrows bounced high. “There’s still time to say you’re sorry…” His eyes flicked to Freddie’s.
And this time, she was smart enoughnotto blurt outIt was all a misunderstanding!
Divya clawed a warning on her thigh anyway. Or maybe that was a claw of solidarity. Either way, Freddie didn’t need it. Theo Porter made her lungs expand with heat, and there was an odd rumbling happening in her gut. Part fury, part… part something she didn’t recognize.
Something that prompted her to declare in her primmest, most unfazed voice: “I hope you know, Mr. Porter, that soda is not a balanced breakfast. You might consider orange juice. I’m told they sell it here.”
To her surprise—and seemingly to his—he laughed. Just a punch of air, but a laugh all the same. He pushed to his feet. “Great.” He knocked the table. “So glad we had this talk.”
Then without another word, Theo Porter shoved into the crowd and disappeared.
For several long seconds, no one at the table spoke. Then everyone erupted at once.Did he see the log? How does he know we’re the Prank Squad? Well, now we knowheis on the Fortin squad. What a jerk. I hate his guts. I hate his face.
“Sorry it took so long.” Kyle popped out beside the table, a full tray of biscuits in hand. “There were a ton of Fortin Prep kids in front of me…” Kyle’s precious face bunched up. “Why is everyone so pissed?”
As Cat explained what had happened, the crew slid out from the booth. It was time to get to school; Divya and Freddie would have to eat their biscuits in the car.
Unfortunately, Quick-Bis wasreallycrowded now, and Freddie lost Divya on her way to the exit. She arrived there with Cat instead, and while Freddie held open the door, she gazed covetously down at Cat’s shoes (knee-high riding boots that would never fit over Freddie’s calves). Freddie was fighting so hard to keep the envy off her face that she didn’t notice the giggles coming from above as she let the door swing shut. It wasn’t until someone barked,“NOW!”that she finally looked up.
And straight into a bucket of water.
She screamed. Cat screamed. The water connected. Both girls were silenced by cold, cold,cold,and wet, wet,wet.It was a veritable dunking booth and made the drizzle from grumpy clouds seem a mere annoyance.
As if that wasn’t already bad—and wet—enough, Fortin Prep students erupted from cars with water guns.
Luis launched from the Quick-Bis, bellowing like a bull. He was completely unconcerned by the water—and Laina, who followed a split second behind, also didn’t care. Even better: she had her nunchucks.
Thatsent the Fortin students dispersing.
Except now Divya was shouting a warning, and when Freddie spunaround, it was just in time to see Theo darting away from Cat. He had a blue book gripped in his hands.
“I got it!” he crowed, and before anyone could chase him, the Fortin Prep kids doubled down on their attack.
This time, it was water gunsandwater balloons. And this time, two trucks squealed out of the parking lot before anyone could fight back. Soon enough, all of Fortin Prep was gone, leaving Freddie and the Prank Squad shivering from the cold.
And also from an unquenchable, bone-deep rage.
Laina was right,Freddie decided while she crawled miserably into Kyle’s front seat.We willcrushthose Fortin Prep kids.
3
Freddie was devastated. Defeated. Destroyed.
The entire ride to school was a melancholic affair of soaking clothes and soaking biscuits. No one had said anything. All the fun from before had vanished, and as far as Freddie was concerned, Lance Bass’s magic must have ended.
