I wonder if it's frizzy enough.

Lexi roughly teased through her long hair as she finished off her look. She had plenty of time left to get ready for the Halloween party, but she'd wanted to get Hermione's hairstyle just right. Mindy had been MIA that afternoon so she'd had to get ready for this one on her own.

A ping alerted her to a new text message and her heart skipped a beat thinking it was Tom. But she quickly saw that it was her mom instead.

Mom: Emergency family meeting at the house. Come home ASAP. It's about the case.

Lexi's eyes widened as she re-read the text. What could it be? She glanced at the clock and saw that she had time. She'd go home, get the updates, and then quickly make her way to Tom's place.

Lexi played through every possible scenario as she made her way to her parent's house. Perhaps her mom had found a faculty member that showed signs of foul play. Or perhaps her dad was able to figure out some of the code that they had been stuck on for weeks. Whatever it was, she was excited that something was finally happening. The closer they got to solving the case, the closer she got to revealing the truth to Tom.

She parked her Prius in front of the house and saw that everyone was already home. Oh good! I won't have to wait to hear the news. Lexi nearly started skipping up the path leading to the front entrance. Her witch's robe swayed in the process and she adjusted her red and gold Gryffindor tie on her white button-down top so it wouldn't fly in her face. Given the weather was a little colder, she had opted for black stockings underneath her black shorts.

"Hey guys, I'm here!" she said as she opened the door. "What's the-" She froze as soon as she took in the sight of everyone in the living room before her. Her parents were standing with their arms folded and looking as if they were about to murder someone. Mindy was on the couch with bloodshot eyes and a wad of tissues beside her. And Cole had been pacing the length of the living room but stopped abruptly when Lexi walked in. "Um, what's going on?"

"Do you have anything you'd like to share with us, Lexi?" Scarlett asked sternly. The only other time Lexi had seen her mother this upset was when she and Cole were kids and they ruined the nice dining room chairs with markers.

Lexi's heart began to race. "Wh-what do you mean?" She looked to Mindy who started to cry.

"I'm so, so sorry Lex. It just came out." Mindy wailed and put her hands over her face.

"Wh-what? What came out?" Lexi's heart tightened.

"Lexi, we need you to be completely honest with us right now." Jason lifted a hand motioning towards her before continuing, "Are you seeing Tom Miller?"

An icy sensation traveled along Lexi's skin and she was too stunned to say anything.

"Mindy told me, Lex. You might as well come clean," Cole said with a removed expression.

Lexi jerked her head to her best friend who was shooting daggers at Cole with her eyes. "Mindy?"

Mindy jumped up and clasped her hands together. "Lexi, believe me when I say, I really didn't mean for it to slip out. Cole and I had gone out for ice cream and he had asked me about you. I told him how happy I was with how things were going with you and Tom. I wasn't thinking! I'm such an idiot! I'm the worst person in the world!" Mindy shrieked.

Lexi's heart continued to beat faster. Her brows furrowed and her nostrils flared. "Why were you going out for ice cream with Cole?" She glanced between her brother and Mindy and it was as if a missing puzzle piece had been found. "What the-"

Mindy began sobbing again and sat down on the couch. Cole cleared his throat and crossed his arms. "Mindy and I are dating, alright? We didn't want to say anything to anyone yet, to not freak anyone out. But things are going really well, so it's about time people know."

"What the hell?" A vein bulged from Lexi's forehead. "Are you serious?" Lexi was trying to process Cole's words but they were as indiscernible as a returned Null after running thousands of lines of code. Her mind reeled back to all the instances of Mindy and Cole together, and she began shaking her head.

"Let's discuss one thing at a time!" Scarlett interjected. "Starting with this Tom business!" She sighed exasperatedly, forcing Lexi to turn her attention back to her mother. "Not only is he a past target, but he's also your professor! Lexi, you need to tell us what is happening this instant!"

Lexi's fists clenched. "Okay, fine! Yes! I'm seeing Tom!"

Silence cloaked the room. It was as if Lexi said someone they loved just died based on the looks on her parents' faces. The pain searing through her heart kept growing the more the silence grew. Slowly, both of her parents began shaking their heads. Lexi decided to break the agonizing silence. "We've just been talking mostly! We're not dating officially. I'm just getting to know him." She clutched the charm on the necklace Tom had given her earlier that day as if it was a lifeline.

"Okay, well, listen very carefully, Lexi." Jason pointed his finger in the air. "You are to stop all communication with him and you are never to see him again."

Mindy's sobbing filled the room and Lexi's eyes grew wide. "I'm not a child anymore! You can't forbid me to see him!"

"When you pull shit like this, Lexi, it's very clear you're still a child," Cole said.

"How dare you speak to me after going behind my back!" Lexi practically growled out at her brother. She shook her head and then glanced between all the faces around her. "So, is this it? Did you guys plan this ambush and decide you don't want to listen to anything I have to say about it?" Her mind was working rapidly and kept moving from her parents finding out this way to Mindy and Cole dating behind her back.

"Lexi, don't you see how bad this is?" Scarlett said with a sharp edge in her voice. "Red flag number one: he's the brother of a past target, which means we can clearly see what kind of family he comes from. Number two," Scarlett held up two fingers in front of her before continuing, "he's your professor, which is so unbelievably unethical I can't even get into that right now! And number three," Scarlett brought up a third finger, "he could very well be a dangerous hacker that could ruin thousands of lives. He works at the university, which means he is not immune to being a suspect!"

"You don't even know him! You don't know anything about him! Tom is one of the most amazing, smartest, and kindest people I've ever met and it just so happens he's my professor! I love him! I'm in love with him!" Lexi's eyes grew wide at her admission and her rapid heartbeat quickly traveled up to her eardrums.

"That's it, young lady! You're off the case. We're pulling you out!" Jason bellowed.

"You can't pull me off!"

"We just did. We're withdrawing you from the school's system," Scarlett said with resignation in her voice. "I knew something was off with you today when I saw you earlier. I just didn't realize it would be this big."

"I can't believe you guys!" Lexi shrieked. "You're being ridiculous! I know you would all love Tom if you got to know him. I just hate that you're not even giving him a chance!"

Her parents both shook their heads. Jason sighed. "Lexi, we love you. And because we love you, we've made this decision. We could never give him a chance because think about it, what kind of person would abuse authority like that? He doesn't know you're not a student, and he's pursuing you! A student! It's disgusting!"

Tears began rolling down Lexi's cheeks. She couldn't take listening to her parents talk about Tom that way. Each knock against him was like a sharp dagger to her heart. "I will not stand here and listen to you say that about him." She quickly wiped the tears and turned to leave.

"You walk out that door and you'll be out of a job!" Jason said gruffly prompting Lexi to freeze in her place, with her back still turned. "That means, no more cases."

"Jason!" Scarlett said to her husband with surprise in her voice.

"She needs to learn Scarlett," Jason said in a sharp whisper.

A wave of nausea filled Lexi. She loved her job and she was loving fieldwork even more. Yet, she knew there was something, rather, someone, who held a more prominent position in her heart. The thought of never seeing Tom again was too strong of a force. She had hacked into something, albeit unintentionally, that brought so much joy and color to her life. She tasted love and now, she didn't want to let go. No matter what it took.

"Consider this my resignation," she responded and walked out the door.

***

Poor Lex! 😭 Do you think her family's reaction to the news was reasonable? Thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! ♥️