"So. Care to tell me why you're asking me to pick you up from your super elite private high school thats built in the middle of a lake?"

Jack sighed as he grabbed the outstretched helmet Donnie had offered him. As soon as his friend had turned sixteen he'd gotten his license and registered for a junior motorcycle license. He was now the proud owner of a sleek gunmetal grey Yamaha YZF-R1.

"I have an internship meeting but Mom couldn't come pick me up." He lied. Donnie seemed to accept this and scooted forward a bit so Jack could climb on behind this.

Honestly, Jack loved Donnie's motorcycle. He wished he could have one of his own, but his mom had seen it once, called it a flaming death trap, and told him he wasn't getting one until she was dead and gone.

They raced through the streets of New York. It was the middle of the day, so while traffic was bad, it wasn't absolutely horrible. Donnie wove between taxis and cars easily.

They ended up in front of the corporate building for Masters Industries.

Donnie whistled as he pulled his helmet off and looked up at the towering skyscraper in front of that. "You got an interview here?"

Jack shrugged and pulled his own helmet off. "The CEO, Tony Masters, is one of the school's supply providers, and donates a lot to get things fixed up. I just got lucky in getting his attention one day during gym and I guess he liked what he saw."

"Lucky you, dude. I'm gonna go to that pizza shop down the street, text me when you're done." Donnie leaned the bike to one side a little so Jack could get off.

"Thanks again, dude." Jack handed him the extra helmet. Donnie nodded and stowed it, then popped his back on. He shot Jack a two-fingered salute and pulled away into traffic again as the other boy took a step back onto the sidewalk.

Jack shook his head, smiling at his friend. Donnie was the oldest of their group and he'd drop anything for any of them.

Turning around, he squared his shoulders and tried to plaster a confident look on his face before marching into the building.

It was quiet inside the main lobby. A small fountain gurgled cheerfully in a corner, and sweet acoustic music played throughout the room. Jack noted that there were lots of plants and several plush couches and chairs set up to one side, like a waiting area.

"Can I help you?" The redhead at the counter asked politely.

"I'm here to speak with Tony Masters." Jack realized too late that this could crash and burn easily if Tony didn't want to see him. He'd shown up un-announced and without an appointment.

"Name?" The redhead asked. Jack noticed a nametag on her desk that read 'Sylvia' in a thick font.

"Jack Wild." He said slowly.

Sylvia typed his name into her computer and his heart began to pound.

"Yes, he's expecting you."

He inhaled sharply, nearly choking on it. "He- oh of course." The lie kicked in almost automatically, saving him from a messy explanation.

"You can go right up, he's on the fifth floor."

"Thanks!" Jack headed to the elevator, wringing his hands nervously.

The music in the elevator was surprisingly good, but Jack was too tense to really appreciate it.

He was expecting a hallway or another lobby when the elevator opened, but instead he stepped into an indoor garden of some sort. Water features ran throughout the room, and brilliantly colored plants bloomed in every direction he looked.

"Hello, Mr. Wild."

Jack craned his neck to look at the platform that rose up over the beautiful scenery that had been placed in the room. A man in a simple blue button down with a grey tie leaned against a railing. The man from Dean Hill's office, the day of the football game.

"Mr. Masters." Jack said respectfully. "How are you?"

The man chuckled. "Well mannered. Uncommon among those your age."

"Thank you, sir."

"Come up here, Mr. Wild. There are stairs around the back."

Jack nodded and quickly made his way along the thin stone path that wove through the foliage. A small, bright streak flew past his face and he realized with a start that there were birds and probably other small creatures in the room, native to wherever these plants came from.

He found the stairwell and climbed it quickly to find Tony Masters' office.

It was a large oval shape, with the desk on one end and a table that could be used for meetings on the other. A canopy draped over them, probably to protect the lavish carpet from the birds.

"Do you like it?" Tony Masters was now leaning against his desk.

"It's amazing. What made you put it together?" Jack looked around the room in awe.

"I've always loved nature, and I had the idea not even two years ago. The room is regulated to keep it at a temperature that suits the flora and fauna."

Jack nodded, watching a tiny hummingbird zip from flower to flower near the platform they stood on.

"Mr. Wild." The CEO spoke again.

Jack dragged his attention over to the desk.

"Lets get to business." Mr. Masters suggested. "Why did you want to talk to me?"

[A/N so I said Donnie was never gonna show up again but here he is and thats his bike up top]