Detective Cree

After breakfast, which was as magnificent as usual, Maverick drove us to school and we went to first period.

"So?" I asked Makayla when I walked up to her. She stood still for a second, not sure what I was talking about, but then pulled me to the side.

"What happened with Jaylen and Nia?" I asked.

"I don't know! They both've been so quiet!" She whispered-screamed.

"Nia's always quiet, isn't she?" I whispered-screamed back.

"Yea but she hasn't even said good morning, she's just a husk sitting there!" Kayla said.

"Maybe that means things didn't go well, I mean, you're quiet when you're sad or feeling awkward, right?" I asked.

"But Nia's quiet when she's happy and sad and anything else she's just quiet!" Kayla whisper-shouted again.

"Fine, let's just observe her and Jaylen today. What period do you have them?" I asked.

"Nia 1st 7th and 5th, Jaylen 1st and 3rd," Kayla said.

"I've got them both for second period and I got Jaylen for 6th," I said.

"Who else is in your second period?" She asked.

"Just me, King, Nia, and Jaylen," I said.

"Great, you'll be able to observe how they act around each other. They could just be nervous because dating is nerve-racking at first. Just force them together and see what happens." She told me.

"My thoughts exactly," We shared a firm nod and walked back to Olli and Nia.

"What was that about?" Olli asked us.

"Things, you know," I said.

"Oh, alright?" She said slowly, analyzing us.

We quietly rode out the rest of 1st period, usually, we have so much to talk about that time flies by, but since we didn't have anything to talk about this time, it took forever for me to leave first period.

But when I did, I was so ready to get Nia and Jaylen trapped.

Usually, in second period, Nia and I would just sit in desks somewhere and share TikTok's, today, I went over to the boys and since Nia didn't want to sit alone, she came with.

Or I don't know, maybe she was sitting with them anyway today because she wanted to be near her new boyfriend.

"That last update…"

Minecraft

"Nah, those controls are weird…"

Minecraft

"But if you lag it's better?...."

Minecraft. Why can't they just talk about Minecraft? I can keep up with Minecraft. With this shit, I just sit here and listen like I'm a woman from the Victorian Era who doesn't have a say in anything just because I'm a woman. Which brings me back to the men having bigger pockets than women thing I was thinking about a while ago.

Also now I wanna go to the skating rink.

Not now, I am set on a mission.

"King, can I talk to you over there?" I pointed across the room. King looked at me for a second then nodded.

"Great, let's go," I grabbed King's arm and pulled him across the room.

"What's up?" He asked, almost excitedly.

"What?!" I whispered angrily looking back at Nia and Jaylen. Nothing had happened, they just sat there, no conversation or anything.

"What'd you drag me over here for?" King asked again.

"Oh, nothing," I answered and turned back to him for a quick second before going back to watching the could-be couple couple or maybe just the couple.

"What do you mean 'nothing'," King asked in a voice void of emotion. Maybe he was mad I stopped him and Jaylen from talking about whatever. Sorry King. My tea is more important than your game.

"I'm watching Nia and Jaylen, Kayla's worried they might be in a relationship," I whispered loudly.

"Oh," King said kind of sadly.

"Why do you sound sad about it, I mean, you aren't crushing on Nia too…" I turned to look King in the eye, "right?"

"Ew, no. I was just kinda sad 'cause Kayla's liked Jaylen for forever now," King informed me.

"Good," I stated and went back to watching them.

Still, they hadn't talked or anything, they just stood there looking at each other.

Feeling awkward, huh? Someone got rejected, huh? Or maybe not. Maybe they're feeling awkward 'cause they're secretly dating and have to pretend like they're not but don't know how even though they've been just friends long before this.

Or I don't know. Have they?

Pfft! I could totally be a detective if I wanted to.

"Well, I can tell you this, there's no way they're together, not with the way he's been acting," King spilled some valuable information for my could've been love triangle drama show. That's live. And I could heavily influence.

"What do you mean?" I grabbed King's arm and pulled him into a seat he was near and plopped down in mine.

"Well, he's been fidgety this morning, always zoning out, never glancing at the girls like he normally does, kinda down," King said.

"Mhm," I imagined in my head me being a detective and King in a conference room confessing being an accomplice in Jaylen stealing and breaking a very valuable thing; Ms. Makayla McKenzie May's heart.

I- I don't know if that's her name.