"I don't even know why the kids resonated with my presentation so much." Haiden replied. "I'm nothing special; Mr. Crossley could have delivered it much better."
"I think you are." He looked away, putting his hands in his pockets. "Special, I mean."
Haiden's eyes met Xeno's for a moment. "I think you're special too." He replied with a smirk.
His cheeks reddened slightly. "Haiden, I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, or with the departments that might get cut even if we do everything right." He began.
"I'm sure that it'll work out in the end." He reached out uncertainly to hold his hand.
"I do know that I'd like to keep in touch with you after, even if I'm still sacked, and if palaeontology gets cut." He continued. "I don't want to lose you."
"Xeno, I've been meaning to ask you for a while, would you.. maybe want to go on a date with me?" He asked.
He felt his face get hot. "That's what I was about to ask you." He replied, grinning.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT:
Xeno hurried across the museum car park. He'd walked as he thought that people who knew what his car looked like would get too suspicious, but the light cover of just a jacket made him shiver in the late October air.
Haiden had been briefed on the plan. He was going around talking to the members of the palaeontology and astronomy departments separately, convincing them to be at the planetarium by around one o'clock that day. Xeno hoped that he'd been specific enough with them, while giving nothing away. It was vital for him to remain at the museum until then, without Ms. Pepper getting wind of their plans beforehand.
When he got to the astronomy entrance, he tried the door. Locked. Frantically trying to come up with a backup plan, he willed that Dr. Aruda would pick up her phone. He'd been trying to text her recently, but her responses took hours to come back.
The phone trilled once, twice, three times before she finally accepted the call. "Hello, Xeno."
Relief flooded him. "Hey, I'm outside the astronomy entrance right now, could you-"
"Haiden's told me everything I need to know. I've still got the astronomy key if you need it. I'm coming over now." He knew what she meant- she wasn't really supposed to know much about their plan, but she'd probably worked out that something was up. She wouldn't have let Haiden go without an exact description of everything that was happening. For once, he was glad of her nosy nature.
Relief surged through his body. He didn't even notice how oddly formal Aruda was over the phone. He was just barely able to utter, "Thank you." Before she hung up. The door swung open as she let him inside. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he walked through it, even though it had only been about a week and a half since he'd left. It was like coming back to school after a half-term.
"Xeno, listen to me," Aruda whispered. "I know what you're doing, but where were you going to hide out until then? If you're seen, you'll get escorted out. Your.. presentation? It isn't for another half an hour."
She was right. "I was thinking I could go to my old office? Not my head of department one, but the other one." He replied, grasping at straws. Despite their best efforts, he had no idea how he would actually get to the planetarium undetected, or where he would hide out until then.
"Honestly, come with me." The pair walked briskly to Dr. Carmazan's old office, where Aruda opened the door, rapidly gesturing for Xeno to come in.
As he entered, he noticed some of Aruda's things on the desk. "You're head of astronomy now?" He asked breathlessly. Despite Jess telling him, it hadn't properly sunk in.
"Not by choice, Ms. Pepper made me. She said she needed "someone she could trust." More likely, she just wanted me to head the department as it went under." Aruda paused. "Speaking of which, I understand you've got some kind of proof that she framed you? your.. friend was in a rush and didn't spare me the details."
"Yeah, I was going to play it on the projector in the planetarium. It's on this." he said, brandishing the USB.
"I assume it's conclusive proof?" She replied, looking at him over her glasses. "If it's not, then this is all just a risky waste of time."
"Yeah, we got her on camera destroying Steve. Oh, Steve's the-"
"The pterodactyl creature that dropped on the party, I know." She chuckled a little before continuing. "Haiden told me that much, but not much else about your plan. I know you're going to tell everyone that it was Ms. Pepper who started the prank war, but what else?"
"That's basically it." Xeno looked away sheepishly.
She sighed, looking away. "I was always slightly suspicious of her. I know you know what happened between me and Henr-.. Mr. Crossley, all those years ago."
He perked up at the mention of the original incident. "Yeah. Wait, you don't think..?"
"That she was the one who orchestrated the whole thing? I do think so, yes. At least, I've had my suspicions." She folded her arms, still holding the astronomy key.
"I just need somewhere to hide so that I can prove it was her." He pleaded.
