AGAPE | Yuri Plisetsky

19 | alex is with us

The same voices echoed inside the dark and empty hideout. "Look who came to visit us today," said the mastermind as the door opened. "Hey, poser."

"I was never a poser," replied the girl with a rather familiar white hoodie, and at her back was a cowardly guy flirting with his non-living knife. "I was just following orders, mastermind."

"Ah, I can't recall a situation in which you followed an order properly." Glaring, the mastermind smirked. "I told you to infiltrate the junior men competition. But you screwed up and took action in junior ladies, in which you also pointed your gun at me."

"I felt like it was the right thing to do."

"It wasn't. And I just had to put on an act so others wouldn't suspect a thing. It was troublesome, and you just had to ruin my plan. . . Alex."

The guy behind stopped shaking and defended his friend. "A-Alex didn't—"

"You shut up, Johnny! You can go play with your knife, Robert. That's what you always do. You and your bitch are the worst. Tell me a reason why, Alex."

The caring best friend then looked at the mastermind and answered, "It was Valerie. I'm also her best friend! I promised her that I would cheer for her. I even told her that I'd bring the whole squad. But when I pulled the gun's trigger, I didn't know she'd be there . . ."

The mastermind narrowed her eyes in complete anger. "Valerie! It's always Valerie! Your friendship wasn't​ even part of the plan, Alex! And you were originally supposed to kill her, right? You're lucky I saved your hands from getting dirty, and this is how you—"

"Don't talk about my past, please," shaking, Alex requested.

The mastermind just laughed. "The one about the young murderess tasked to kill the daughter of a criminal? And not just a criminal, an Alekseev. We all know that crime flows in Valerie's blood. You really suit her. Go kill each other, crime-headed asses."

"I didn't do anything like killing," Alex defended. "I've decided to put that past aside."

"You didn't do anything like killing because I saved you from your bloodbath. I gave you the freedom that you longed for, Alex. The freedom where you didn't need to kill for money," the mastermind clarified. "I knew all along that you were part of some shit-ass gang who loves killing sprees. And that you were forced into joining it."

"You shouldn't have done anything about it."

"Shouldn't  have?" The mastermind laughed yet again, her aura wild enough to split Alex's soul into halves. "You actually owe me, and you could have closed the deal by simply following my orders. SIMPLY. FOLLOWING. MY ORDERS. Valerie is always a hindrance. And stick this into your mind, Alex, that you were the only one who chose to get close to her. I don't fucking care about your relationship: it's out of the plan, it's out of your debt. It's out of my orders."

"What plan? Do you even plan to execute the plan, mastermind? It seems like things have been bothering you lately," replied Alex, smiling as though she wanted to burn everything away.

"You shut up. This is none of your business."

"Bullseye," smirked Alex, turning around and walking away. "Who knew love was enough to make you crazy, our mastermind. You once told me, that love is a poison. Guess you're starting to rot out of its venom."

"GET OUT OF HERE!"The mastermind narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists. "Shit."

—

"Alex! What are you up to?" called the ignorant Valerie under the rhythm of the school bell.

Her best friend smiled at her like she usually does, "ah, nothing. How about you? How are things with Laurence?"