Suzy grabbed Ella’s elbow and motioned for her to stay behind as Tiffany and Tyrone walked ahead.
“We have a slight problem to solve, so we’ll be with you in a minute.”
Tyrone and Tiffany shrugged, “Whatever,” and went ahead.
Brad and Suzy crowded closer to Ella so no one else could hear them.
“We’ve got some dope on those two new kids. They’re tight with the Witch Girl and Bean Boy,” said Brad.
“Plus, we caught Sophia and Pedro coming out of that private park on 83rd Street together. Sophia has a key!”
Ella’s eyes grew much larger than normal. “You what? Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“I was out in the Hamptons with my family and I used my mom’s credit card without asking, so they took away my cell phone,” said Suzy.
“Those two Black kids are suspiciously weird. There’s something off about the way they act. They’re too polite. We’ve been keeping our eyes and ears open. We think they might try to get into JSCA for the fall! That’s all we’d need—Witch Girl and Bean Boy with allies!” said Brad with a low growl.
“All right. We’ll closely monitor this situation and meet later. Creepy Red’s up to something!” said Ella.
Tyrone and Tiffany stood by the table, holding their box lunches, and watched the machinations of their friends. They couldn’t believe the juvenile clique vibes they were emitting. “Get a load of them!” said Tiffany.
“Yeah—definite grade school activity!”
When the Crew noticed them staring, they quit whispering and approached their friends.
“Uh, what’s the big secret?” asked Tiffany.
“Nothing much, just some school business.” Taking her lunch, Ella turned and walked toward the seating. “Coming?”