Jake ran toward the bus. He was late, but luckily the school bus driver saw him and stopped to wait. Jake smiled to himself, thinking, Yes, my mom is not going to kill me. He stepped onto the bus and looked around for his friend James, but James was not there.
Later, when Jake arrived at school, he saw James during the little break. James came late because he had been at the dentist. His voice sounded strange—he had lost two teeth. The dentist had warned him, “You better not forget to brush your teeth again.”
Jake asked, “How many days did you skip brushing your teeth?”
James laughed and said, “Days? Nah bro, months. Like six or seven months.”
Jake was shocked. Then the bell rang, and the break was over. They ran to class. They had math next. Jake was happy because he loved math, but James hated math with his whole life. He always said, “I’d rather brush my teeth than have math.” When the bell rang, James sprinted to class like Usain Bolt.
When Jake came home later, he saw James’s dad standing on the front porch waiting for him. When Jake approached, James’s dad said, “I wanted to ask if you want to come over for a sleepover.”
Jake answered, “Sure, why not? But first I have to ask my parents.”
The next day, Jake told James, “I can sleep over tonight. I brought my things with me.” The bell rang, and it was time to go home. When they arrived at James’s house, James said, “Let’s play video games or watch television.”
Jake replied, “Sure, coming up.”
Night fell. They fell asleep on the couch with soda cans and chips around them. Suddenly, Jake heard a weird sound coming from downstairs. He quietly called James’s name. James said calmly, “Let’s go check. It’s probably my dad. He’s used to smoking at night.”
Jake said, “I don’t feel good about this.”
James replied, “Okay, I’ll check.”
A moment later, James screamed, “Run! Go left, open the door, and wait for me!” It was a panic room. James ran back, and Jake closed the door behind them.
Jake asked, “What about your parents?”
James answered, “They’re in their own panic room.”
“What happened downstairs?” Jake asked.
James said, “I saw someone with a gun searching for something. He was reloading, and that’s why I shouted. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have warned you.”
They didn’t know what to do. Should they call the police or watch the cameras? They decided to watch. The man was destroying everything but ignoring jewelry, which made them realize he was searching for something specific.
Soon, James’s father spoke through the camera and asked the thief what he was looking for. The thief said it was in one of the panic rooms and that they wouldn’t leave until they got it.
At the same time, Jake needed his heart medicine urgently. He had left it in James’s room. Without it, he could die. The thieves heard this and said they would bring the medicine if they were allowed to search the panic rooms. James’s father demanded that they drop their guns in front of the cameras first.
The thieves entered the panic room and gave Jake his medicine. Then they destroyed the floor with a pickaxe. After 25 minutes, they found nothing. When they went to James’s parents’ panic room, they finally found what they wanted: 10 kilos of gunpowder, bombs, and gear.
When they were about to leave, one thief killed the other out of greed. Suddenly, a third thief in black shot him. He escaped before the police arrived.
The police came because a neighbor had called them. After investigating, they discovered something shocking. James’s dad had been involved in the mafia for a long time. The assassins had planned to kill