The night air still clung to me as I stepped inside, but the shift in atmosphere was instant. Something was off.
No usual noise, no casual remarks. Just silence.
I didn't need to look up to know I wasn't alone, but when I did, I found them all waiting. Adrian was the first to notice me, but it wasn't just him. One by one, the others turned, their gazes settling on me like they had been waiting.
Something felt off. The room wasn't loud or chaotic—just an odd stillness that made my steps feel heavier.
"What's with the looks?" I asked, glancing between them. "Did I turn into a ghost or something?"
No one spoke right away. Then I saw them—the bags.
Ah. So that's what this is about.
Ethan finally broke the silence. "Do you know anything about these?" His tone wasn't accusatory, just laced with doubt.
I exhaled, already knowing there was no easy way out of this. "I don't know how you guys are going to take this, but… I ran into James earlier. These are from him." I kept my voice steady. "He said it was an apology for everything that happened and… he asked if I'd be interested in working with him."
A weight settled in the room. No one looked thrilled. If anything, it was like they had just found the missing piece to a puzzle they didn't want to solve.
"So, what's inside?" I asked, feigning ignorance. "Something useful, or is it just a bunch of junk?"
Ryan was the one who answered, his voice sharp. "Junk? These things probably cost more than everything we've bought in the last ten years combined." He let out a short breath, almost in disbelief. "Watches, clothes, luxury stuff… And working with him? What does that even mean? Was this a gift, or are we looking at a bribe?"
Before I could respond, Ethan's voice cut through. "A bribe," he repeated, shaking his head. "And where do you think that money comes from? You met him. Tell us. What did you two agree to?"
I had spent the day without thinking about Dane, without worrying about James or the weight of this whole mess. For a few hours, life had felt normal again. But now, it was crashing down all at once.
Did James give the bags back to Dane? He could've just held onto them, kept them quiet, and none of this would be happening.
Owen shifted, breaking the tension for a moment. "Daniel, maybe we should just leave this alone."
Zach, however, wasn't ready to drop it. "Why did you even meet him?" His eyes narrowed. "Was there trouble?"
I scrambled for an answer, but no matter what I said, it would be a lie in one way or another.
Ethan stepped in again, his voice firmer this time. "James might not be the worst guy, but we both know what he does isn't right. And you—why do you keep getting involved? Why does it feel like you're trying to step into his world?"
The words hit me harder than I expected. Before I even processed it, I found myself speaking.
"James isn't a bad guy," I muttered. "He's just like us. He's fighting battles he never had a choice in."
I hesitated, then finally admitted, "But… it wasn't James. These things were given to me by someone else."
I exhaled, feeling the weight of their eyes on me. "A few days ago, I got a message asking if I was the Daniel who fought James." My voice was steady, but I could tell they were already picking up on the seriousness in my tone. "At first, I ignored it. Thought it was just some prank. But after what happened at the mall with the third years, I realized… we've walked into too many problems—intentionally or not. And others have gotten caught up in it too."
Their expressions didn't change much, but I could sense their patience thinning.
"I wanted to know what it was about, but I didn't want to drag you guys into it," I admitted. "Turns out, the message was from a guy named Dane. He used to work with James. He's like him… but he has his own territory to control. When I met him, he was trying to mock James, making it clear that he was above him. He said he was interested in me. Wanted me to join him or something. But before I even had to refuse, he just—dropped it. Like he already knew my answer."
I gestured at the bags. "These? He gave them to me, calling them gifts. Said it was an apology for wasting my time. I didn't want to take them, but he said they'd reach our house anyway, whether I carried them or not." I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration surfacing. "He knew about us. About all of us. And I knew… I wouldn't be able to stop him if he decided to pull something."
Silence hung in the room.
"So I went to James," I continued. "I wanted to know more about Dane. James told me Dane's powerful—way more than I realized. And he's got his own reasons for showing interest in us. He wants us to start attending these monthly meetings he holds. Said he'd protect us if we did." My voice dropped slightly. "I don't know what you guys think, but I didn't want to carry trouble with me. That's why I even left the bags with James, thinking that'd be the end of it. Somehow, they still ended up here."
I sighed. "I only did all of that so no one else would get into trouble because of us."
Ethan's jaw clenched. His voice was low, but the weight behind it was unmistakable. "Why didn't you tell me?" His eyes locked onto mine, and for the first time in a while, I saw something in them I wasn't ready for. "Am I still a stranger to you?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I had no excuse. No explanation that would make this better. With everything going on, I'd forgotten the one thing I had been trying so hard not to do—make them feel like I was pushing them away.
Before I could force out a response, Ryan let out a small laugh—sharp, not amused. "Didn't you hear him, Ethan?" he said, turning toward him. "He just said it. 'Because of us.' He knew we were all in this together." Ryan leaned back slightly, the tension in his posture barely easing. "But if he's planning to handle this alone again, then I think we all know what we have to do."
Julian, Logan, and Adrian exchanged glances. They looked like they wanted to say something but weren't sure where to start. Maybe they were already too deep in their own thoughts about all of this.
I swallowed, then finally said what had been forming in my mind this whole time.
"I'm going to the meeting next friday." The words settled between us, heavier than I expected.
No one looked surprised. Not really.
Ethan's eyes didn't leave mine. "Then we go together." His voice was quieter now, but it carried weight. "And next time, don't keep things from me, Daniel."
Ryan exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a smirk. "Guess we're starting our weekend early, huh?"
Julian, who had been silent until now, let out a breath and motioned toward the expensive bags still sitting there. "So… what do we do with those?"
Ryan tilted his head, looking at them for a second before grinning. "I don't think we deserve them." He leaned back, stretching his arms. "Let's just leave them for the future."
A small laugh escaped Logan—barely there, but enough to ease the weight in the room. The tension didn't disappear, but it loosened, just slightly.
I leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Guess we're in this whether we like it or not."
No one disagreed.