ALICE POV
Max and the others were certainly up to something. I could feel it in the way they exchanged glances, how they avoided my eyes, and the forced casualness in their voices. It was like they were trying too hard to make everything seem normal. My gut told me otherwise.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Max called out, his voice overly chipper as he jogged over to me. “Come with us, we’ve got something cool planned.”
I raised an eyebrow, catching sight of Val and Angie whispering off to the side. The moment they noticed me looking, they straightened up and quickly acted as if they weren’t just huddled together like co-conspirators. I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. “What are you all hiding? You’re not exactly subtle, you know.”
Max grinned, putting on his best innocent face, but I wasn’t bu
