I was groggy the next morning when Tyson's alarm woke us up. Tyson and I took turns showering and got dressed in our Braxton uniforms. We went downstairs, where his parents were moving around the kitchen.

                "Here, I made you and your friend lunches," Mrs. Strazio said, holding brown paper bags out to us.

                "Oh, you didn't have to do that," I said in surprise.

                "What, and let you go hungry? Here, I hope you like it," she said, pushing the lunch into my hands.

                "Thank you very much," I said gratefully. I'd just planned on buying lunch today.

                "Thanks, mom," Tyson said, tossing his lunch into his bag. "I have a Social Action meeting afterschool. And I might run to get tea with Farren after that."

                "Text me and let me know where you are after your meeting." Mrs. Strazio hugged him and kissed his head. "Have a good day at school. I love you."

                "Yea, yea. Love you too. Bye guys," Tyson said.

                "Bye, Ty!" Mr. Strazio called. "You boys have a good day at school!"

                "Thank you for letting my stay here," I said, waving to them as I followed Tyson out the front door.

                "No need to suck up to my parents," Tyson said, unlocking his car. "Not a word about what happened last night, either. You don't breathe a word of our activities outside of Social Action meetings."

                "I'm not stupid," I said.

                "Debatable. Let's go before we're late." He got in his car and shut the door.

                I got in my car and the two of us drove off to school. I was surprised that Tyson was actually walking the path to the school with me once we got out of our cars.

                "Your parents are nice," I said.

                "Would you expect anything less once you met me?" he said, and rolled his eyes when I laughed at that. "I see Farren. We're done here. Don't be late to the meeting afterschool."

                He took off, hitting Farren's shoulder as he approached. The two took off for their lockers, talking as they went.

                Kids were whispering to each other as I went to my locker. Even the usual bullies seemed reluctant to go after their targets, meaning news of what we'd done to Marcus must've gotten out already.

                I went off to class, trying to pick up whispers as I sat at my desk. From what I could tell, people knew there'd been a new target, but no one was quite sure who it was.

                I wasn't even surprised when the principal's voice came over the speakers. "Students, we'll be having an assembly this morning. Follow your teachers to the auditorium."

                So just like last time, we followed our teachers out of our classrooms and down to the auditorium. I looked around and spotted Tyson and Farren sitting together. They both looked unbothered by the assembly, talking casually with each other. I looked around but couldn't spot the twins or Connor in the crowd. Too many students were still moving around, and it was fairly dark in the auditorium.

                Once students were seated, the principal stepped up to the microphone. "Students, last night there was another break-in and blackmail case. This time, the people behind it also broke things in the house and frightened the family. This is getting out of hand, but this morning our school held a meeting. I'd like to turn the microphone over now."

                He stepped aside and a man I'd never seen before stepped up. He was dressed in a neat suit, looking at ease in front of the crowd.

                "Thank you, Principal Devin. Hello, students. My name is Patrick Mallory," the man said.

                I looked to Tyson, wondering if he knew what was going on. His expression surprised me a little, though.

                He'd narrowed his eyes, and Farren leaned over, whispering something to him. Tyson shook his head and took a slow breath, but the look he gave Patrick Mallory was nothing short of hatred.

                "My two children attend this school, and I hate to see students being terrorized like this. I've been donating money to Braxton for a long time, and I'd like to see this school safe and productive. I'll be joining the efforts to catch whoever is behind this rumored revenge service. Those behind this are not heroes nor vigilantes. They are nothing more than a social menace, thriving off the fear of young students. We'll catch those responsible and see them punished," Mallory promised.

                The principal moved forward again. "Along with the police, Mr. Mallory here will be assisting us in our efforts. As always, any information you have should be reported to the school or the police immediately. We take this matter very seriously, and wish to protect all of our students. The police may be questioning students again, so please give them your full cooperation if they have any questions for you. Thank you everyone."

                He went on to give a speech about staying safe at home and looking for suspicious activity before sending us back to class. The day passed with the whispers and rumors slowly dying down, kids seeming more curious about Mallory's involvement. I had no idea who he was, but I was a little afraid to ask after seeing Tyson's reaction to the man. I'd just wait until Social Action Club, and if I hadn't learned by the time the meeting ended, I'd ask someone in class tomorrow.

                By the time school was over, I still hadn't learned anything about Mallory, other than he was well known around here. I went into the Social Action room, where the twins and Farren were.

                "-just saying, he won't be in the mood for your shit today, Talon," Farren was saying.

                "He's never in the mood for my shit and that hasn't stopped me before," Talon said.

                "Your funeral," Nyssa said.

                "Don't be heartless, sis," Talon said.

                "Don't be stupid, bro," Nyssa said. "Oh, wait, sorry, I know that's asking too much of you."

                "I'm heartbroken," Talon said, slapping a hand over his chest.

                I sat down with them. "Are you guys worried after that assembly?"

                "They do an assembly after we make a move to make it seem like they're getting somewhere in finding us," Farren said. "It's all a load of bullshit. I hear my parents talking about the case sometimes, and the cops don't have a clue who's behind it. They're fairly certain it's students from Braxton, but that's all they've got. They don't know how people hire us or how many of us there are or how we pick a target."

                "Most people ignore the bullying problem at Braxton, so I doubt the cops stop to think if it's just bullies being targeted," Nyssa said. "The cops around here aren't the brightest."

                "My dad is beyond ready to retire," Farren said. "If he didn't have to finish putting my sister and me through college, he'd back out already."

                "A good man with a shit son," Talon said. "Opposite of someone else we know."

                "Shut it," Nyssa said, hitting her brother. "Leave your jokes for another day."

                The door opened and Tyson and Bishopp came in, followed by Connor. They shut the door and everyone but Tyson took a seat. He was pacing back and forth.

                "Of all the people to involve," he said, shaking his head. "A man has money and suddenly that makes him worthy of being an investigator? Fine. We'll play him too."

                "Tyson," Bishopp said nervously. "Calm down. Let's go over what happened last night and then figure out what to do about Mallory."

                "No, I'm glad Mallory is throwing his weight around in this investigation. I can't wait to lead him around in useless circles and show what an idiot he is. Money won't buy him the answers he's looking for," Tyson said, stopping at a desk and placing his hands on it, leaning over a little. "Now things get fun."

                "Things don't change," Farren said. "We separate our personal feelings from our service. This is one toy you don't get to play with."

                Tyson shot him a dirty look. "I'll do as I please. I'm the president of this club. I make the calls."

                "And we're not mindless followers," Farren said. "So sit down and do what Bishopp said. Let's go over last night."

                Tyson reluctantly took a seat. "Fine. A floorboard creaked and it woke Marcus up. Outcast and I hid."

                "When his mom went to call the neighbors, Talon snuck downstairs and shattered a vase in the hallway to get her attention and get Marcus out of his room," Nyssa said. "I got the window open for an escape."

                "I got stuck. They were searching for me. I was hiding in a bathtub. If they'd pulled the shower curtain aside, I would've been fucked," Talon said.

                "I was already hacked into their laptops, so I blasted music out of one of them to get their attention and draw them away from their bathroom," Connor said.

                "It gave me a chance to escape out the window," Talon said. "And trust me, their bathroom window was small. That was a tight squeeze. Thought my thick ass was going to get stuck and that's what they'd see when they came back in."

                "Everything was fine in the end," Tyson said. "It's impossible to know when stepping somewhere will cause the house to creak or which targets are light sleepers. We just have to react to situations."

                "I'm surprised outcast managed to hide the way he did," Nyssa said. She glanced at me, seeming a bit reluctant. "Good job."

                "Quick and quiet. I had a feeling he'd come in handy," Tyson said. "I want to give him a bigger role in our next job."

                "What do you think Mallory's involvement will mean for the investigation?" Connor asked.

                "Virtually nothing. He'll toss them some money, go around saying he's doing everything he can for his beloved children and community, and sit on his ass hoping someone else will get him results that make him look good," Tyson said. "He just wants attention."

                I knew my plan was to sit quiet and wait for information, but I couldn't help myself. "Who is Patrick Mallory?"

                Bishopp shot Tyson a look to stay silent. "Patrick Mallory owns a massive company in town. He's well known and very influential. There are rumors he plans to run for mayor in the future."

                "He's the true social menace." Tyson leaned back in his chair. "If that's what he thinks we are, though, then let's show him just how menacing we can really be. Farren, our next target."

                "Don't get reckless," Farren said. "Dexter Erwin. Three requests for this one. He gets very jealous when people start to get close to knocking him out of his top ten spot in the grades. Threatens, lies, cheats, does whatever he has to, to keep his spot. Gotten physically abusive a few times."

                "Talon and I hit his house on the candy bar sales," Nyssa said. "He has a dog, but that's the only thing that could pose a problem. They have a shed in their backyard Farren could hide in to keep an eye from. They also have automatic lights in the front, so we'll have to sneak in the backyard. A lot of trees around though. It'll be hard for the neighbors to see anything."

                "His mom works nightshifts," Connor said. "My mom knows her."

                "Does your mom know you brought your dog to school again?" Talon asked, nodding at Connor's bag.

                Jonesy had poked his head out of the bag, looking around curiously. Connor blushed and nudged him back in the bag with his foot.

                "I'm just going to pretend I didn't see that," Bishopp said. "I know Dexter Erwin. He's in one of my classes. He always seemed like one of the bullies, but I've never actually caught him doing anything wrong."

                "I've looked into it and it's legit. Connor and I will try to get blackmail," Farren said.

                "He was on the rugby team last year," Nyssa said. "I'd bet anything he's a locker room bully. Talon can get visual blackmail."

                "I'm on it," Talon said, flashing thumbs-up at us. "Oh, yea, I remember that prick from rugby. Went way too hard against his own teammates during practice."

                "Was he also on the track team?" Nyssa asked.

                Talon shook his head. "No, no, you're thinking of Derek Ernie. You beat him in six races and he threatened you."

                "Right, I did mix them up," Nyssa said.

                "We get it, you two play every sport known to man and are great at all of them," Connor said impatiently.

                "Aw, don't worry tech geek. I'm sure someone will love your scrawny, computer-hacking ass," Talon said, grinning in amusement.

                "And I'm sure someone will love to see your search history," Connor said.

                "God, no one wants to see that," Nyssa said.

                "Can you guys get on track anytime soon?" Tyson said. "That would be fantastic. The nice thing about the outcast is that he rarely talks during these meetings. He's starting to become less of a pain."

                "How did I ever become any sort of pain?" I said.

                "I just said your strong point is that you don't talk. Keep your mouth shut and your words to yourself," Tyson said.

                "We all need to keep our heads. Things could change a little with Mallory involved. Everyone just be on your guard," Bishopp said.

                "Nothing will change with Mallory involved," Tyson said. "He comes in, gets his attention, does his damage, and vanishes. We just have to wait until he gets bored and looks for attention somewhere else."

                "Could take a while. Attention around this spikes every time we hit a new target," Farren reminded.

                "I'd like all of you better if you didn't talk," Tyson said. "We'll get what we need on Derek and act in a few days. We'll let things die down."

                "Dexter, not Derek. Derek is the one who's offended a girl is faster than him," Talon said.

                "I don't care if we're after Derek or Dexter or George fucking Clooney, just get what we need so we can get on with this," Tyson said impatiently.

                "A please goes a long way," Talon said.

                "So does a punch. Do your work," Tyson said. "I can't think straight right now. We're dismissed. Go before I really do hit someone."

                "Keep your head. We'll be okay," Bishopp said reassuringly.

                "Go," Tyson said, pointing at the door. "I don't need useless reassurances. I need actions and results."

                "Let's go. His moods scare me," Talon said, tugging Nyssa with him towards the door. "Tech geek, grab your ugly ass dog and let's go."

                "Jonesy is the cutest fucking animal on this planet and I'll let him bite you if you insult him again," Connor said, lifting the dog out of his bag and cradling it in his arms as he followed the twins out.

                Bishopp shook his head, sighing. He left the room after a concerned glance at Tyson.

                "Are you okay?" I said, watching Tyson. "You're angrier than usual. That's kind of saying something."

                "It's been a long day. You get no special privileges, so get out of my face," Tyson said, picking his bag up and slinging it over his shoulders.

                "You clearly have a personal grudge against this Mallory guy," I said, trying to keep my nerve even at the look Tyson shot me. "But it's not like you're going at this alone. You have all of us in the club. If you can't keep your rational calm while he's involved, maybe listen to us instead of telling us to get out of your face."

                "The outcast says something useful," Farren said in mock surprise. "Let's head out, Tyson. I have some sales to make. I found old junk in my basement and I'm selling it off as brand new to some suckers."

                Tyson tossed his phone to Farren. "Tell my mom I'm with you."

                Farren took the hint and left the room. Tyson moved a little closer to me, anger in his eyes but composure back on his face.

                "You slept at my house, but that does not make us friends. My mom made you lunch, but we're not pals. You were forced into our club, but you're still the outcast here. Don't talk like you know me. I don't need your deep, motivational speeches. I need you to do what you're told," he said.

                "Well too bad," I said. "I'm not a mindless follower. If I think what you're doing is reckless, I'll speak up. You're putting all of us at risk. We're trusting you to make good calls, and personal anger is going to get in the way of that. So if you want to risk your friends, you better be ready for the consequences of that. I don't know what Mallory did to you to make you so angry at him, but I do know that revenge is never worth losing yourself for. There are things you can't come back from, Tyson."

                "Mind your own business, outcast. We have another job coming up and I'm going to test you. You already saw that things can easily go wrong, and I won't save your ass this time," he said, which I knew was a lie. He wouldn't leave anyone behind if he could help it. "Mallory is just a temporary headaches in our plans. Keep your focus on what I tell you to do, not whatever stories your head is forming about my feelings towards Mallory. He is nothing to me."

                He left the room without giving me a chance to answer to that. I picked my bag up, waiting a little so Tyson had time to storm his way out of the school.

                I left once I was sure he was gone, heading down to the parking lot and getting in my car. I started the car and gripped the wheel.

                Revenge could twist you in ways you didn't want to be twisted. The thing about revenge was that you had to become something worse than what had hurt you in the first place.

                Whatever had happened between Mallory and Tyson, it was going to get in the way of how Tyson ran things. He clearly wanted to use this opportunity to take digs at Mallory, but that was putting the rest of us at risk. Tyson wasn't thinking clearly now that Mallory was involved, and that was dangerous. Tyson was our leader. If he started making bad calls, things would spiral out of control fast.

                I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I'd keep an eye on Tyson and step in if I thought he was being too reckless. I wouldn't let Mallory's involvement damn us all.