80

You try to imbue those two words with all the iciness of that wintry despair you felt in your parents' garage.

Nobody doubts that you mean business, least of all Darien Vance.

"OK, OK. You are way, way too trusting, Guth. Do you know how easy it was for me to take pictures of your notes when you weren't paying attention? I mean every page." Vance's laugh is filled with scorn. "You left your notebook in the lab! And Thorne—was there ever a bigger sucker for a polite smile from a well-mannered young man? But I hadn't counted on you making a stink to Dean Mean. That bastard threatened to expel me right along with you. Ha! My dad's financial incentives took care of that detail. And then Skyler here was so good about collaborating to bring this project to fruition. So you see, here I am. And you know what? I'd do it again, every day of the year."

Skyler looks down at her shoes at this point. Casey silently crosses his arms and glares at you. Brett looks indignant, outraged on your behalf.

But Vance, despite his bluster, has desperation written all over his face. "Now get me out of here, before…" Voice cracking, he trails off, having sunk farther into the mire. His face is redder still.

You proceed to the rescue.

Teamwork