Who would have thought that the troubled social misfit would be here at a party out of all places and here right before her?

Jezebel tilted her head confusedly at him. Not sure what to make out of this situation. Should she be worried that he was here or weirded out because he's talking to her? She fought off this weird feeling and set it aside as she replaced it with her dignified expression.

"What are you doing here? I never see you around in parties," Jezebel began.

He didn't care for social events. She heard the deal was that parties were nothing but a waste of time, according to him. And he wouldn't attend to one.

Not until this moment where Mackinley was present at a party.

He laughed as he approached a step forward to her. "I don't need an invitation. I overheard your little conversation with your pals, and I know I have to see that in person."

She cautiously stepped a foot back away from him. "See what in person?" 

"You're looking for somebody." He raised his eyebrows high, and his eyes were hinting at something. "And I want the fun of it."

"Don't you have something else better to do?"

"And miss out on the action? There's no time than now to watch you see what you'd do."

His strange eagerness was something Jezebel couldn't comprehend. Was he here to make fun of her? She didn't want to have the time to put up with him. "Look, I'm here on a serious mission, and this is a one-woman mission. So go do something else or bounce off this party since you clearly don't care about being here."

Jezebel widened her eyes noticeably and plastered on a customary to-go smile that's just there to be polite enough. "And I mean well."

"Dummy," Mackinley said. "You think I come here to socialize? I want the main exclusive of catching a bad guy."

"Have I asked for your help?" Now this was too unbelievable for her. She barely acknowledged his presence around school yet he would now choose to approach her. "Anyway, I don't have time. I need to move on."

"Then it'd be easier for me to tag along. I know you're looking for that guy your friend likes. It's a big party, and you know what they say, two eyes are better than one. Then again, it's actually four eyes because you have two and I have two."

She sighed roughly. Considering the option that she'd prefer to find him fast and get to the bottom of things, he might be useful during the search. She narrowed her eyes at him. "There wouldn't be a catch, would there?"

"Catch?" Mackinley drifted his gaze as though he stalled their time to think about it. He moved his gaze back shortly. "I'll let you know if I think of one."

To think she would let him join her on this pursuit was nonsensical. Laughable. Accepting help from an visually impaired seventy-one-year-old grandma would've been better than him. But she had to take the circumspect with what's more important.

"Alright, fine, you can come with me." Jezebel allowed and made an exception, but she pointed her finger sternly. "But you better actually help and not just look."

"Partners?" he asked, extending his hand out to her.

Her eyes focused on his hand. She was looking at trouble; she'd never agree to this but getting to the bottom of the truth for Olivia was more important, so this would be another temporary part he'd play for her. She shook on it.

"Partners one more time," she agreed.

They went around the yard to look for the guy. Jezebel filled him in about what she knew little about Aubrey and what he looked like. She told him that something wasn't right even if she didn't have concrete evidence for it, but confronting him would figure out if what he felt towards Olivia.

Their prime suspect wasn't around the area so they returned to the house. Jezebel scanned for him, but he wasn't back in the main living room. Olivia was still hanging around with some girls, but there was a seep of disappointment hiding behind her social smile. She knew she wanted to catch up more with Aubrey.

"If I'm going to be here for a while, I should help myself to over there." Mackinley landed his gaze on where the table of snacks and drinks was, but he looked specifically toward the chocolate fondue.

"Focus, there's time afterward," Jezebel said, her gaze lightly threatening that she didn't want to afford to play around.

"It's called making a pit stop. Admit it, you've probably been socializing around that you haven't made your way to the table and stopped for refreshments. Call me out if I'm wrong." He looked at her with a challenging expression.

Was he not taking this seriously when he agreed to shake on it with her? "You can take a break once you help me out. I'm on a time limit here."

"What is this? An exam? I don't think this Aubrey guy is going anywhere if he still hasn't made a return to your friend."

"He better," she replied, trying to stay calm on the outside, but inside it was working up violently.

"Then this is your chance to refuel." He didn't stop to check with her as he sauntered to the snacks table.

She trailed behind him quickly, taking offense to him picking up a strawberry and dipping it in the chocolate fondue. "I never said you can take a break."

He didn't respond as he took a bite of the chocolate-covered strawberry, relishing in the flavor as he let out an Mmmh. "Okay, they have one thing going."

Jezebel put up a smile when some people were noticing her and sparing glances as though she had nothing to be upset about and was relaxing with her time with some snacks. Some paid attention to his appearance and looked on in surprise when they saw Mackinley, and some were whispering next to others. This did not look good, now did it? As long as she remained cool, it'd just be a few mentions but nothing too much out of it.

She lowered her voice into a whisper-yell only for him to catch her words. "Are you here to help me or just crashing into a party just to fill your boredom?"

"Jeez, Jezebel, help yourself to a chocolate-covered strawberry and be less agitated. It's not going to do you good if you raise your blood pressure." Mackinley held up a strawberry for her.

She held her breath, looking at the strawberry at the hand of some stranger. Quickly looking back at him, he was waiting if she was going to take the offer. Leaving her defensive side out of the way, she snatched the stick of the strawberry away from him and dipped it into the chocolate. She took a bite, and although she wouldn't say it out loud, she felt a tad better from the taste.

"See? Isn't it better that you took my suggestion?" he said.

"Don't push it," she replied.

Breella walked over to Jezebel. "Hey, how's it going? I figured that I don't want you to go alone on this, so I'm here to make sure you don't look for any trouble." Her eyes peered over at Mackinley, and she raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What's he doing here?"

Mackinley looked at her fascinated, but Breella ignored him.

"He uhh..." Jezebel paused for a second. "He came to help me with the Aubrey mission."

"I thought I..." Conscious that he was there a few feet away, she carefully whispered to her closely. "I mentioned you shouldn't run into him."

"I know, but since he's here, why not make a use out of him," Jezebel whispered back with a light shrug.

Breella appeared that she had more to say, but she kept them tight-lipped. She contemplated to herself, glancing back at Mackinley and then at Jezebel. "For now, I'll go along with it. He's here to find something on Aubrey and then leave?"

She shrugged. "I just need a reinforcement on my side."

"Fine. This is already a terrible decision made." Breella looked to Mackinley with a plain expression. "Don't you dare be wasting our time, you understand?"

"What do you take me for?" he replied.

Checking the hallways and the unlocked bedrooms and bathrooms, but he was nowhere in sight. They headed up to the staircase to the second floor, where there weren't as many people except a few people kissing or talking by the walls occupied by them. The hallway up here was long and narrow; the white walls were less barren with some modern art paintings framed and expensive looking. A floating wood shelf near the lower ground matched the brown tiles with a glow lamp and a ceramic bud vase that was there for decoration.

A couple of doors inhabited, but none of them had Aubrey in there. They turned to a corner at the end of the hall, walking up the small staircase before it lead them to a longer stride.

"He's around here, right? There isn't anywhere else in the house to look for," Jezebel spoke out, slightly frustrated.

"What if he left early?" Breella suggested.

"Not possible, he has to be around somewhere."

Mackinley had his hands folded behind the back of his head as he looked casually around the hallway. Jezebel looked at him with annoyance. "Don't be a freeloader."

"Can't a guy look at a rich guy's house? I don't even come at all," he remarked.

Breella rolled her eyes. "I told you he's not someone to trust."

"Trust, don't trust. That's all your perception. I'm doing you a solid keeping an eye out. I'm just not stressed over it," Mackinley said unworriedly.

Jezebel regretted internally letting him come along. Was he really helping her out here? She doubted it. "I somehow don't think you're doing anything."

He shifted his head to her, a smirk coming along to the corner of his mouth. "Then what's your plan? How are you going to approach this guy? Ask him if he's in a secret cult?"

She pursed her lips tightly. It was almost tempting to smack him in the back of his head, but her touch with him would be a waste and rather disgusting. He's just like a pig. Filthy and drowning themselves in dirt where they belong.

"I have a sensible approach, you know." She tilted her head up, showing an air of authority.

"Let's hear it." His eyebrows quirked instantly.

"Do you have to be annoying?"

"Oh, am I annoying you?" He made a look where it's showing that he's definitely pressing her unquestionably.

Jezebel scoffed. "No wonder you're such a troublemaker."

"Correction, the term is rulebreaker."

"Same thing, isn't it? You're still making trouble regardless."

"Focus here, you two," Breella called to their attention. She dipped her chin forward. "We're closing to an end of the hall."

"I guess that's the last place to look or he's not here anymore," Jezebel said quietly. 

The end of the hall led them to an arched entryway as the three slowed down their footsteps and took more precautionary, safe steps. A couple of voices were within the ear's reach. Jezebel decided to be the front person while Breella and Mackinley stayed behind her. She lurked behind with the wall support at the trims with her fingernails touching and slowly peeked inside at who was there.

I knew there's something with him. She was adamant that Aubrey didn't like Olivia enough because he was right there when Aubrey sat alone with a different girl. Just the girl she expected as she saw black hair, sat on top with a dark pink headband, and her light green knit sweater with diamond pattern all over.

It was that Irene girl who was close with him.

The two of them sat in a homely atmosphere in a condensed space of a library room. They sat by the side on the tan polyester couch, surrounded by an elegant-looking coffee table, a side table, and a large Persian rug underneath their feet. A welcoming fireplace faintly blazed from inside the panel glass across from them and the glowing ceiling fan dawned onto them, coloring their faces in a different warmth glow. A set of books and encyclopedias were all around them with a couple of chairs near the shelves and an area of the bay window.

What else would they need a private space for if they were just friends? Friends could go out and have a great time with others. Had he even introduced this girl to Olivia?

Jezebel listened in on the conversation. "I've known you for a long time. Remember when you like looking into the fireplace, and that's kind of how we started to talk to each other? You looked so lonely the first time, and you could look like you need a friend." Irene smiled at Aubrey, recalling fondly.

He turned to face her. "And I told you to butt out. I was semi-harsh to you, weren't I before?"

"It didn't bother me. I still tried talking to you, and you let me even though you threatened with curses and monsters when I sleep every night."

"Yeah, well." He tilted his head, laughing like he remembered it well.

Irene looked the other way. "You like someone else, right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I... saw the way you hang out with this other girl tonight and the past five days... and I don't know, you look like you're getting along well with her." She muttered the last few words, inhaling deeply.

Jezebel's eyes widened. Is this a moment of truth? She was hoping that at first he'd be alone and she'd talk to him about this, but this might come out better since he would be more truthful to someone else as opposed to if she asked; it could be a lie.

It looked like Aubrey placed his hands on top of Irene's that was on the couch, and she gasped softly. "She doesn't mean anything... you mean a lot more."

"I mean a lot more?" she asked, her mouth slightly open.

Seriousness clouded his eyes, determined with something with what he was about to say. "What if I were to tell you with my body language instead?" Aubrey scooted closer to her, his hand touching the side of her head. He gazed deeply into her eyes, desperation found as he wanted to lean in, and he did it slowly.

The madness began in Jezebel with her eyes glaring.

"That was a good show!" Mackinley's voice boomed out.

Their heads turned abruptly. Even Jezebel didn't know what in the name he was doing because now they knew they were watching them. Aubrey and Irene sprang apart from each other, Aubrey's eyes directed his gaze angry at him.

"What the fuck?" Aubrey seethed.

Mackinley stood there with a large grin taking over. He had a phone in his hands out holding it horizontally. As she got the picture this whole time he pressed record at them.

She looked back to Breella. The mysterious mind of that girl lengthened herself away from the room. So as to decide to not involve herself further as the scene unfolded.

"Now we have the evidence right here. Mind if this passes on to someone?" Mackinley asked.

Aubrey charged forward aggressively and readied to pounce on him, but Irene held him by his arm. She looked at him sadly. "Don't. It's going to make us look more bad. Just let it go."

Mackinley laughed. "Listen to the lady if you know what's good for you." He stopped recording on his phone and slipped the phone into his jean pocket. "You have a good night now," he boasted with a smile, turning his back on them and walking off.

Aubrey moved his glare to Jezebel. She shrugged innocently. "Whoops. At least you showed her your true feelings, yeah?" She laughed quickly.

He strode down to the hallway with quicker steps as Jezebel and Breella moved along with his pace. "Shall we go show your friend the evidence? She has a right to know, and that's what you want, right?" Mackinley caught her glance at him.

"Yeah, but..."

The main living room area still went on with the music, dancing, and other people mixing around the room like buzzing bees. He held up his phone to her and gestured to Olivia, who was taking a drink from the red cup.

"Don't chicken out what you instigated. Let's go show her," he said.

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Hello, hopefully, your fourth of July is spectacular. I didn't see any fireworks, lol. So what do you think of this chapter? 

Mackinley makes an appearance in this chapter, and we have a little more interaction with him this time. You'll surely see him more around in future chapters. And how about their interaction? Is it a sort of type of amusement and fun to watch their small banter?

I'm just trying to enjoy my time. I don't think I can really draft out long times for this story since I'm on my laptop and not at my computer at home. Because I'm currently not at home for at least a month. It dies rather quick. But I thought here's one chapter update for this month because just why not. 

Look forward with me to future chapter updates. Probably will start next month again in a slow/moderate progress. Until then.

Please vote and comment as it means the world to me.