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“Please don’t do this, Lanie!” Lena begged. “Don’t send Ben away! He really wants to be here. And he’s done nothing but try and help everyone here. All he does is give.”
Lanie snorted. “Oh, don’t worry, I know all about his giving.”
Finally dressed, Lena stood to face Lanie. All five-feet four-inches of her. “Will you stop it? Just stop it. Ben is not a slut. You know he hasn’t slept with anyone here. And that underwear…that day…it was mine.”
“Alright, again, I know that there are all sorts of boundaries to push without it being actual sex – ”
“I wasn’t here with Ben!” Lena exclaimed. “I…I was here with Ali.”
Lanie threw back her head and groaned loudly. “But why?” she bellowed.
“Because…Ali and I hook up sometimes. And we almost got caught the night before, and I couldn’t find my underwear. And when Ben and Mickey found out, they covered for me.”
“Why, though? Why?” It was all she could say.
“Because he didn’t want to out me! Especially not to you!”
Lanie glared harder. “Um, what? That’s not what I’m talking about. Why are you guys having sex in the school? Children play here. Learn here! What are you guys thinking?”
“It’s the only place that’s always empty at specific times of the day. This is a really busy place.” Ali shrugged.
“Ali.” Lanie groaned and struck her foot on the leg of the desk, moving it a few inches. “I should kick both of you out too!”
“Then you better kick yourself out, Lanie!” Ali shot back. “Because you tried to kill Jake, Terrence, Aaron and Damian on training day.”
“Right! And Lena was so reluctant to help me get back at him for the live drill the welcome party. Ever heard of a joke, Ali?”
And, you’ve been wasting medicine on Ben. You’ve been spoiling him. Giving him special treatment. If he’s a danger, it’s because of you.”
Lanie threw up her hands. “Fine! You’re fired, I’m fired, we’re all fired! I never wanted this stupid job in the first place!”
“Fine!” Lena screamed back.
There was a knock at the door, and then someone turned on the lights. “Hey! Everything okay in here, ladies?”
They turned, staring, the sudden brightness blinding them for an instant. Then, all at once, they all screeched, “Get out of here, Terrence!”
Shocked, he abruptly disappeared and shut the door. In the light, they seemed to realize the absurdity of screaming into each other’s faces in the shadows of the fading day. Ali palmed her forehead, and Lena bit her lip. Finally, when Lanie snorted, they all dissolved into desperate, unsteady laughter.
It was such a familiar feeling, Lanie thought.
“Hey! Are you guys going to make me set up this party all by myself?” Mickey was in the doorway now. “Oh! what’s so funny?”
Lanie frantically waved Mickey over. “Come here, Mickey.”
With their group complete, Lanie impulsively extended her arms and drew all of them in. “This is what I like about this place. The four of us. And everyone else here. Except Terrence and Damian and Aaron.”
“And Ben?” Lena asked
“Especially Ben.”
“I don’t really believe that,” Mickey chastised. “By the way, what are we doing in here?”
“Lanie caught us,” Ali informed Mickey.
She scrunched her nose. “In here? Again? I told you guys to cut it out! This is a place for children!”
“You should fire them!” Lanie suggested.
Lena wiped her eyes, smiling through her tears. “That’s not funny. Lanie’s sending Ben home, Mickey.”
Mickey shot Lanie a sympathetic look. “Are you okay, Chief?” The title was used affectionately instead of reverently.
Lanie slide down the wall, and the other three joined her. “I’m fine. I’ll be even better once he’s gone. I’ve really been losing my mind the last few weeks.”
“I really think you should tell him, though, Lanie.” Mickey shot her a chastising look.
“You knew?” Lanie asked incredulously.
“I know everything,” Mick replied flippantly. “And come on, you must have seen it coming. Have you read the incident log? It’s, like, three pages long.”
“Only since she got here,” Lena grumped. “He was perfectly fine before that.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” Lanie demanded. “I have nothing to do with it. He’s a grown man. If he can’t handle himself around me, that’s not my problem. He’s just not cut out for this program. I should have sent him back on day one, before the transport trucks left.”
“It’s those eyes,” Lena suggested. “No one can say no to them.”
“And that smile,” Ali agreed dreamily. “I’d do anything for that smile.”
“Mmmm, and those hands…” Mickey closed her eyes, biting her lip. “That mouth…”
“Mickey!” they exclaimed. Mickey grinned.
Lanie put her hands on the desk. “You guys know I’m doing the right thing. I can’t argue with him anymore. Every time I try to talk to him, he just…overpowers me. He’s impossible.” Lanie clenched a frustrated fist. “This needs a clean break.”
“This just feels a little underhanded.”
“He’s given me no choice! It’s either this, or knock him out, or tie him up. He’s too emotionally involved, on so many levels. He’s being unprofessional, and so I have to as well. If you guys were thinking clearly, and really cared about him, you’d also want to make sure that he doesn’t get hurt, or hurt someone else, or mess things up for the entire program.”
“He’s the only one who understands me,” Lena groaned.
“Oh, give it up, Lena! You two aren’t the only ones with secrets, or the only ones who can bake. I’ll bake with you! How about that/”
“You can’t cook, though. Remember last time? You had to gear up to put out your own fire.”
“That was seven years ago.” She gritted her teeth, trying to bring down her emotions and not get locked into another argument. That was the whole point of making Ben leave. For the sake of peace.
“Fine. I’ll bake with Aaron and Sheila.” Lena finally gave in, and Lanie didn’t come back with a comment about Lena’s questionable taste in male friends. “Let’s squeeze as much fun out of the night as we can. Just as a goodbye.”
“None of you had better say anything! I’m not sure how you found out, Mickey, but this is the only chance I’m going to get. If he finds out, he’ll be insufferable, and there’s no way I’ll be able to try again next week.” Lanie gave them all warning glances, and they nodded gravely.
“Whatever.” Lena flicked her wrist.
“This trip is screwed, you know.” Lanie sighed, finally accepting the reality that she’d been running from. She’d known all along that a safe record would mean nothing. She’d been hiding, and it was probably time to own up to what she really needed to do.
Ali stretched her arms. “What do you mean?”
“The suits want to shut down Towers.”
“Well, yeah. Don’t they threaten to do that every year?” Ali tilted her head, cool scrutiny touching Lanie’s face.
“They mean it this year. I can’t tell you everything, but I’m going to need your help. Especially you, Mickey.”
Lena puffed her chest. “Why Mickey? I want to help, too.”
Mickey rolled her eyes.
“Shut up, Lena. I didn’t say you couldn’t help. But if you do, you have to know you’re putting your life at risk.”
“Even more than I already am?”
“Yeah. Even more than that. But it’s for the children.”
Lena’s eyes hardened. “You know I’d do anything for them.”
Mickey nodded. “For the children.”
Spontaneously, they all put a hand in the middle of their circle. “For the children!”
And for you, Chelsea. I’m sorry. I know you believed I could do this without shedding anymore blood, but I know you understand.
“Um, Lanie?”
“Yeah, Mick?”
“How about you put that gun away, though.”
“Oh, right. Almost forgot.”
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