"What the hell were you thinking?" Monse's voice cut through the room like a whip, her arms crossed as she stared Ceaser down.

"I had it under control," Ceaser shot back, his tone defensive as he paced the room.

Xiomara leaned against the doorway, her gaze flicking between the two. "Had it under control? That's not what I heard. I heard you almost got caught."

"It wasn't that serious," Ceaser muttered, refusing to meet her eyes.

Monse threw her hands up. "Not that serious? Cease, do you even hear yourself right now? This isn't a game! People are watching us, and if they catch on..."

"Monse's right," Xiomara interrupted, her voice calm but firm. "You need to be smarter than this. The Santos aren't going to protect you if you keep making reckless moves."

Ceaser finally stopped pacing and turned to face her. "And what would you know about it? You left. You don't get to come back and tell me how to handle my life."

The words hit harder than Xiomara expected, but she didn't let it show. She stepped forward, her eyes locking onto his. "I left to protect you, Cease. To protect all of you. Don't think for a second that it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done."

The tension in the room was palpable, but before anyone could say anything else, Jamal burst through the door, completely out of breath. "Guys, you're not going to believe this."

Monse frowned. "What now?"

"It's Ruby. He's...well, he's...just come see for yourselves."

"You've got to be kidding me," Monse groaned as they all crowded around Ruby, who was decked out in an absurdly flashy suit, striking exaggerated poses in front of a mirror.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked, grinning as he turned to face them. "This screams 'boss,' doesn't it?"

Jamal clapped his hands together. "It screams something, alright."

"Ruby, why do you even have that?" Monse asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"It's for the dance, obviously," Ruby replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Xiomara raised an eyebrow. "Dance? Since when are you the type to care about dances?"

Ruby puffed out his chest. "Since Olivia's going, and I need to make an impression."

Monse groaned again. "You're hopeless."

"I prefer the term 'romantic,'" Ruby said, smoothing down the lapels of his suit.

The group eventually found themselves back at Monse's house, sitting in a circle as Jamal laid out a map on the floor. "Alright, listen up. I have a plan."

Monse rolled her eyes. "Here we go."

Jamal ignored her. "We're going to find the RollerWorld money. And when we do, we'll be set for life."

Xiomara's eyebrows shot up. "RollerWorld money? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious," Jamal replied, his face lighting up with excitement. "It's real, Xo. And we're close. I can feel it."

Ceaser crossed his arms. "And how exactly do you plan on finding it?"

Jamal grinned and tapped the map. "With this. I've been doing research—deep research—and I've got a lead."

Monse snorted. "You mean another wild goose chase?"

"You'll see," Jamal said confidently. "When we're swimming in cash, you'll all thank me."

Xiomara leaned back, a small smile playing on her lips. As ridiculous as it all sounded, there was something endearing about their determination. It reminded her of the simpler times, before everything got so complicated.

But she couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Freeridge was full of secrets, and chasing after something like RollerWorld money could lead to more trouble than any of them were ready for.

Still, as she looked around at the familiar faces of the core four, she couldn't help but feel a spark of hope. Maybe, just maybe, they'd be able to hold onto the innocence they had left. Even if just for a little while longer.