ANNA'S POV (continuing):
He hesitated, glancing around the classroom to make sure no one was paying attention.
Then he leaned down toward me like he was about to reveal classified government secrets.
"Okay…" he whispered dramatically, bringing his mouth close to my ear. "Do you know about Theo's love story?"
My eyes widened.
I gasped and whipped my head toward him.
"I KNOW!"
Sevi's face lit up in equal shock.
"You know too?!"
I nodded rapidly.
For a second, we just stared at each other in mutual disbelief like we had finally found the only other sane person in a world of idiots.
"Oh my God," he whispered, sounding weirdly emotional. "I thought I was alone in this."
"Same."
He immediately leaned in again, lowering his voice even more.
"Did he tell you her name?"
I shook my head in frustration.
"No."
I leaned closer too, keeping my voice low.
"He didn't tell me anything useful. Just that she's beautiful and has long hair."
Sevi groaned dramatically and dragged a hand down his face.
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"That's the most useless clue in human history."
"I'm aware."
We both sat there in silence for a second, glaring at the floor like the answer might magically appear between the tiles.
Then slowly… a thought formed.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
Our eyes narrowed again.
"Then we find out," we both said at the same time.
Another pause.
Then Sevi pointed at me accusingly.
"Stop doing that! It's creepy."
"You did it too."
"That's not the point."
I ignored him.
"How?" I asked, leaning forward. "What's the plan?"
Sevi crossed his arms and looked far too pleased with himself.
"From the clues he gave us."
I considered it.
Theo wasn't exactly the type to be obvious. If we wanted answers, we'd have to build them ourselves from scraps.
And honestly?
That sounded kind of fun.
I nodded slowly.
"Not a bad idea."
Sevi smirked like I had just awarded him a Nobel Prize.
"I know."
Before either of us could say anything else, another voice cut in beside us.
"What idea?"
We both flinched so hard it was embarrassing.
Mia stood there beside our desks, her bag hanging from one shoulder, her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked between the two of us.
Great.
Sevi and I immediately shook our heads at the exact same time.
"Nothing."
"Nothing."
Mia's eyes narrowed even more.
She did not look convinced in the slightest.
"It didn't sound like nothing."
I opened my mouth.
"Just an idea for...."
"Photoshoot!" Sevi blurted out loudly.
At the same exact moment, I said,
"Going to a soup restaurant."
Silence.
Sevi and I slowly turned to look at each other.
He stared at me.
I stared at him.
Then we both looked back at Mia.
Mia blinked once.
Then twice.
Her expression turned deeply suspicious.
"A photoshoot… at a soup restaurant?"
Sevi coughed.
I sat up straighter.
"After school," I said quickly, forcing my face into something resembling normal, "we're going for a photoshoot session and then, "
"We'll go to a soup restaurant," Sevi finished immediately, nodding way too hard.
The lie sounded so ridiculous I almost admired how terrible it was.
Mia looked between us again, clearly trying to decide if we were stupid, lying, or both.
Probably both.
"Can I come?" she asked innocently.
Without even thinking, both Sevi and I shouted...
"No!"
"No!"