“Well,” interrupted Veronika. “Thank you, Rose, but that was a colossal waste of time. Danielle, we are here to track down Jacob, not interview the peasants.”
“’The peasants’?” asked Sophie. “Wow, don’t I feel the love.”
Veronika ignored her. “Danielle, let’s get going.”
“You want to interview Jacob?” asked Rose. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but he didn’t show up to school today.”
Veronika was about to say that this was suspicious when Sophie looked back at her and groaned.
“Of course he didn’t,” the shorter girl said. “His girlfriend just almost died. That isn’t suspicious, that’s expected.”
“I didn’t say it was suspicious,” said Veronika.
“You were about to,” said Sophie. “You had your suspicious face on.”
“I have a suspicious face?” asked Veronika.
“Yeah,” said Sophie. “It’s the only expression that deviates from your angry face.”
Danielle laughed loudly, but Veronika just glared. After a moment, Sophie sighed.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing her hand and dragging her down the hall, “let’s go interview some more peasants.”
“Other way, Sophie,” called Danielle from behind them.
“I knew that!” Sophie spun them around and pulled her in the opposite direction.
“No, you didn’t,” said Veronika.
“Shut up, Véro,” groaned Sophie. She started up the stairs.
“Wait!” called Danielle from behind. “I have to pee!”
. . .
Once Danielle had taken care of her bladder, and had conveniently remembered that the Kensington jazz band’s rehearsal would be wrapping up around then, the girls were headed across the street to the music building. Veronika wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, cursing the November cold. What a pointless month.
When she voiced her thoughts aloud, Danielle turned and raised an eyebrow. “You were born in November,” she told her.
“I know that,” replied Veronika. “So?”
Sophie rolled her eyes, but Danielle persisted. “So you should have some gratitude for the month that bore you!” the girl exclaimed, her ponytail flapping in the wind.
“The month didn’t bear me,” retorted Veronika. “My mother did.”
Sophie cracked up at this. When Veronika raised an eyebrow at her, Sophie just rolled her eyes, grabbed her and pulled her through the door.
“You do not understand how funny the things that come out of your mouth are,” she informed Veronika.
“I’m not trying to be funny,” objected the taller girl.
“Exactly,” said Sophie. She unzipped her puffy gold coat as the air from the heater hit them.
Danielle was already halfway up the stairs. Veronika, fearing that she’d have to run again, caught up to her as quickly as she could.
The band had already been dismissed, as it turned out, but a bunch of students were still loitering in the halls.
“Let’s split up,” suggested Danielle, as they reached the top of the stairs. “We can talk to more people that way.”
Sophie offered Danielle a look of mild horror.
“I know what you’re thinking,” sighed the dark-haired girl. “How could I sick Veronika Metzger on a group of innocent bystanders without a translator for her sociopathic ways?”
Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Actually, I was going to say that I don’t know my way around Kensington.”
“Admit it!” exclaimed Danielle, pointing her index finger at Sophie. “You were thinking it wasn’t safe to sick her on Kensington!”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t going to say it,” muttered Sophie. At Veronika’s accusing glare, she laughed, grabbing the taller girl’s arm. “I’m joking, I’m joking.”
“Just because I function on a higher level than you doesn’t mean you can poke fun at it,” said Veronika.
“Yes, it does,” replied Sophie.
Veronika glared at Sophie, but the taller girl didn’t really mind at all.