LOGINcold trail My heart hammered almost so loudly I swore I could hear its thudding. The car stopped in front of the house, and I saw Dad with a long scowl on his face. He was visibly agitated. Mum too, though hers wasn’t as obvious.“Damn, I’m cooked,” I swallowed.“Be chill. I got this,” Tyler said, rolling his eyes as he got off the car. I followed with wobbly feet.“Where have you been, young man? It’s past your curfew,” Mum asked angrily.“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Miguel. I’m sorry I forgot to ask permission for Asher to come to our basketball training with me. My dad was supposed to tell you, but I guess it skipped his mind,” Tyler spoke so confidently that even I felt convinced it was true.Then I realized—today, he was actually supposed to go for basketball practice after our short lesson.Did he actually ditch practice to help me catch Mark?He actually sacrificed practice for me?.Nah… it was too good to be true. He probably did it because his interest was also involved, plus
CORNEREDASHERS POV.“Go! Go!! Go!!!” Tyler’s voice tore out the moment Mark bolted.He sprinted down the narrow street, boots slapping against concrete, panicking so much that he threw his grocery bags down. Tyler swore under his breath as he followed, long legs eating up the distance like he had been waiting for this.“Mark!” I shouted. “Mark, stop!!!”.Yeah, like that would work.The neighborhood blurred as we ran past cars, jumped fences, and dashed across streetlights. My lungs burned as my small body tried to keep up, but adrenaline kept me upright. Mark glanced over his shoulder once, and that fear on his face confirmed everything.“Jerk!” I cursed under my breath. He knew something. Could he be the mail sender?.“Cut him off!” Tyler screamed, and almost immediately, tires screeched, blocking Mark from swerving left and slowing him just enough for Tyler to catch up and grab him roughly by the collar.Tyler’s driver rushed out, taking over, twisting Mark’s arms behind his back w
THE CHASETyler’s POVAs the car stopped in front of my house, I rushed to text my uncle Kelvin, who worked as a deputy police officer in this precinct.Hey, Uncle, can you get me intel on his location? I texted, sending his pictures to him.I stared at the familiar face for a long time, his cold eyes staring back at me, and an eerie feeling settled in as his name—Mark—echoed in my head. I met him in once, Steve's father hired him once and now he worked in a supermarket.A few minutes later, my uncle responded with a file and a don’t get into trouble message.I smiled, sending him a thumbs-up before forwarding the message to Asher. His response made me chuckle.“Wait! Isn’t it just like thirty minutes since you left here… what are you, the FBI?”Just be grateful, church lad, before my goodness expires, I texted.“Goodness… where’d you learn that word from?”I have plenty of it, but I use it rarely.When are we storming his house? I asked via text.“Storming his house! Are you a sicko?
Math, Mischief and Mayhem .Tyler’s POVI glanced at Asher as he sat with his shoulders dropped. I also noticed he had been thinking a lot these days and wasn’t his usual self in school. It was probably the message he got that was getting to him. Not like I cared, actually—getting to play in the league was my utmost priority.“I think I’m getting a hang of this,” I said, referring to the equation I had just been taught.“That’s good. Now you can leave!” Asher replied coldly while adjusting his glasses. They made him look like the Harry Potter character, and I found him amusing… in a funny way.“We were supposed to have, like, two lessons, and the first was very hasty. "My dad is supposed to pick me up in the next hour, and you refuse to do your job,” I said casually. “The reason I agreed to tutor you is because of my dad and your dad… I’m not even supposed to help your ass after everything you put me through,” he replied, and I snickered.“You refuse to tell me what that girl—what’s
DANGER LURKSThe library door shut slowly behind us as we walked in, sealing the silence.Tyler walked toward a big round table at the center, dropping his backpack on it while I grabbed some books from the shelf.He stood awkwardly by the table, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. I knew deep down he wished he could magically teleport out of there. But wishes were not horses, were they?“Are you anxious?” I asked dryly, setting the books on the table. I pulled out a dusty seat for him, motioning him to sit, and he reluctantly sat beside me with his bag still on the table.“Get your math notebook,” I instructed, adjusting my big glasses, my eyes fixed on the figures in the textbook.I noticed he dragged the book out of his bag with unnecessary force, and I chuckled lowly.“You must be so glad about this,” he scoffed. I grinned.“Don’t flatter yourself, but I admit it,” I said mockingly.He clicked his tongue and pulled the chair closer.“You’re insufferable,” he muttered.“And yet
PATTERNS As we took a bus back home, I couldn’t help but ponder on the text Jane sent in the bathroom. She revealed that Pete, one of Justin’s friends, received similar images, and they were from the same party… since he attended the party back then. I couldn’t be sure it was the same email, but it was definitely the same sender. Luckily for him, his images were less explicit, unlike mine. Who could be doing this? Why, and what was his aim? I wondered. Jane also mentioned that Pete suddenly shut everyone out and moved to a new state. Allegedly, it was said the images got forwarded to the tech company he worked in as an intern, and he lost his job. Whoever this person was, he was coming for me. “Ashy!” Flora shook me vehemently, and I jerked up in shock. I was deep in thought; I had almost missed my stop. The school bus stopped in front of our house, and I grabbed my backpack, jumping out alongside a junior who lived adjacent to our house. “Bye, guys,” I waved at Brian and F







