The Jigsaw Project

By Cameron Beach

When an innocent prank goes horribly wrong, how far would you go to escape the blame?

In Cameron Beach's The Jigsaw Project, summer is fast approac

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Degree Press
• Release date: May 5, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885041638

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The Jigsaw Project

The Jigsaw Project

Cameron Beach

New Degree Press

Copyright © 2022 Cameron Beach

All rights reserved.

The Jigsaw Project

ISBN 979-8-88504-058-7 Paperback

979-8-88504-613-8 Kindle Ebook

979-8-88504-163-8 Ebook

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

"If he has a conscience, he will suffer for his mistake.

That will be his punishment—as well as the prison."

—Fyodor Dostoevsky

Chapter 1

This was the one. It had to be. He just knew it.

Theo took a deep breath and carefully reached into his back pocket, fishing around for a tiny screwdriver. It was a nifty little tool—it even folded in on itself, so it didn’t poke Theo when he sat in class. Booker had gifted one to each of them when it all began, penning their names in his boyish scrawl—Theo. Madi. Nolan.

It was all for the Jigsaw Project.

Theo took a deep breath and gazed up at the ladder towering above him. It looked much taller than it had from the entrance of the high school auditorium now that he was up close. A few weak lights illuminated the stage beneath his feet, but the auditorium behind him was quiet and dark. Still, Theo swiveled his head left and right, sweeping anxiously for signs of life.

But the drafty auditorium was just as empty as it had been when he sneaked in, the rows and rows of seats behind him folded up tight. This was a one-man show.

He glanced down at his phone—6:31 p.m., it blinked back. It was a Tuesday night. Nobody had a good reason to be in the Midland High School auditorium on a Tuesday night. He was alone. He balled his hands into tight fists, trying to slow his racing heart. Nobody’s coming, he promised himself over and over again.

Still, his hands shook as he took the first rung of the ladder.

A loud creak from the first step made him freeze, and Theo whipped his head around again, nearly losing his balance. But nothing had changed. The cavernous room was still deserted.

He shook his head and continued upward, rung by tentative rung. Don’t look down, he repeated the familiar adage to himself, which made him do just that. He nearly gasped when he caught sight of his sneakers dangling at least eight feet above the wooden floor of the stage. That fall would hurt.

He gulped and refocused on his shaky hands, forcing them to reach higher.

He didn’t have to continue climbing. This was a choice…but then again, was it?

They only had one month left of school, barely any time before the end of the Jigsaw Project. Booker had already stolen a screw from the rock-climbing wall in the gym and the teachers-only food court. Just last week, Nolan had bragged about swimming down to the bottom of the pool and loosening a screw from there.

And of course, Madi was sure to come up with something brilliant because that’s just who she was.

But Theo hadn’t taken any real contenders yet. He’d swiped a couple screws from the lockers, one from a lamppost outside, one from the boys’ bathroom in the STEM wing. Every day, he came to school thinking the opportunity for the perfect one would just present itself.

It hadn’t—until today. He’d stayed late after school tutoring a friend in trigonometry, and like magic, everything had fallen into place.

The empty auditorium, the late hour, the janitor forgetting a ladder on stage…it was unmistakable. The universe wanted Theo to get this one. And he was going to.

After what felt like years, he finally scaled the ladder, swaying dangerously at the top. Behind him was just air, rows of unfilled seats, the unforgiving wood floor of the auditorium. He knew nobody would hear him if he fell.

But in front of him was the key to the Jigsaw Project.

Was he tall enough to reach it? Theo stretched his arms out hesitantly, tiptoeing on the ladder’s edge, until his fingertips just brushed the electric cords hanging from the ceiling.

He was close enough. His heart soared.

Carefully, he lifted the little gift screwdriver above his head. It took three, four, five turns until a long, silver screw tumbled down from a rod in the ceiling and fell into Theo’s shaky hand.

Holy shit, he breathed, turning it over in his palm. The shiny treasure looked nothing like the rusty screws he’d gotten from the lockers or the boys’ bathroom.

This was the one. Theo knew it. If this didn’t win, nothing would.

He smiled and slipped the screw into his pocket, taking out a sheet of yellow smiley face stickers in its place, the ones his teachers used to offer for good grades in elementary school. He carefully unpeeled one and stuck it to the hole where he’d taken the screw, the mark they used to prove that the Jigsaw Project really did happen. The yellow sticker sparkled brightly against the black ceiling rods.

Theo pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, thinking about the prize in his pocket and all the things he’d tell Booker. His friend would be so impressed. He’d sneaked into the auditorium after hours, scaled a ladder…all things that were very out of character for Theo.

Patting the treasure in his pocket once more, he made to climb back down when it hit him. What if he lost it? Screws were so small, so easy to misplace. And winning was, as Booker had put it, a one-way ticket to badassery.

Without thinking, Theo stretched his arms toward the ceiling again and stole one, then two more of the gleaming screws. He slipped them both into his pocket to join the first. As he began unscrewing a fourth, the rod above him creaked and groaned, wobbling slightly on its hinges.

Theo froze, watching it quiver above his head.

It was time to leave.

He scrambled down the ladder, grabbed his backpack, and scampered toward the exit of the auditorium, peering through a crack in the doorway to make sure the halls were barren before slipping into the empty school and darting away from the scene of the crime.

He took his first deep breath only once he threw open the doors to Midland High, stepping outside into a cool spring night. The sun dipped behind the high school just as the football stadium lights flickered on, illuminating the girls’ lacrosse team as they jogged around the field. A soft breeze ruffled Theo’s hair as he made his way toward the parking lot, the three stolen screws clinking softly in his pocket. He smiled.

For the first time since August—the very beginning of their senior year—he felt a Jigsaw Project–sized pressure lift from his chest.

When he finally reached his car, he emptied his pockets to stare again at the three perfect screws. They glimmered in the parking lot lights, winking at Theo as if to whisper, You did it.

I did do it, he thought triumphantly.

He wouldn’t bring these ones back to Booker’s house and put them in the red bucket where they kept their growing cache of stolen screws. No. He’d keep these in his desk drawer at home, stashing them away for a grand reveal at the end of the year.

Theo brushed his messy hair from his eyes and gently placed the screws in his cupholder, watching them roll around for a moment. These were the ones. He had a very good feeling.

He’d done something big.

Chapter 2

Theo sat, curled up in the shade of their favorite oak tree, listening to Booker get angry. Or fake angry. His friend had always been good at pretending.

"Dude, come on, Booker half whispered, half growled into the phone. He bounced on his toes as he pressed the phone into his cheek, leaving a little indent near his jaw. I’m telling you, it’s money no matter what. Tell him it’s money no matter what."

Madi rolled her eyes, picking at the blue nail polish on her fingers and glancing at Theo with an are-you-kidding-me look. He’d seen that stare from her before, usually when Booker was inspired with a new project. And inspiration struck Booker often.

By now, Theo knew the signs. Booker’s brown eyes would widen, his dark skin breaking into a sweat, and from somewhere deep inside, a new prank idea would emerge, tumbling out of his mouth like a landslide hurtling down a hill. It had happened with the Jigsaw Project, and Theo could feel it was about to happen again.

When he’d first proposed the Jigsaw Project as the group’s senior prank, Booker had spoken so fast that Theo had only caught a few words. Screws—smiley face stickers—best senior prank ever. Only later did Theo put it all together. Booker wanted to spend the year stealing unessential screws from all over the school, leaving behind little smiley face stickers as proof of the prank.

They needed something truly original for their senior prank, Booker had argued, something that would land them in the annals of Midland High history. And to Booker, nothing was more iconic than presenting their principal with a bucket of screws stolen from all over the school at the end of senior year, promising she’d never quite find the right places for all of them. It would be Principal Miller’s unsolvable puzzle…or her Jigsaw Project, as Booker called it.

It’s an instant classic, he’d said. He’d even suggested that they have their own competition among the four of them—the craziest, most dangerous screw stolen from Midland High by the end of the year wins.

The four of them had been collecting hundreds of screws from across the high school since August. Now it was April, the little red bucket in Booker’s room was nearly full of their bounty, and Theo finally had his contenders for craziest screw from the auditorium ceiling.

Booker had been right back then—the Jigsaw Project was insane, convoluted…an instant classic, just like he’d said.

But that didn’t mean he’d stopped planning pranks. Today, Theo could tell, another one was coming.

No, we can’t pay. I told you that, Booker continued into his phone, now jogging in place as he grew louder. But the school’ll have to pay to remove it, so he’s gonna get his money no matter what. And come on. What’s the harm? Get his cousin a day out of school? Tell him to think of it as a graduation present.

"Booker, can you be a little quieter?" Nolan urged, gesturing to the stream of students flooding out of Midland High. He swiped lazily through his phone as he lounged against the oak, curly brown hair flopped past his eyebrows. As usual, his football helmet was tucked under his knees.

Sorry, Booker mouthed to Nolan, still bouncing on his toes.

Yeah, yeah, I’m here, he continued into the phone. Listen, just tell him this. The Midland security guys leave at ten o’clock, and they don’t come back ’til five the next morning. So there’s plenty of time. Just tell him to think about it. Okay? Okay. Bye.

Booker sighed dramatically as he hung up the phone and flopped down in the grass next to Theo. He glanced expectantly at each of the group in turn.

Honestly, Booker, is it even worth me asking? Madi finally quipped, raising an eyebrow at him as she leafed through some French novel. Nolan snorted at her snarky glance as he scrolled through his phone.

"Oh, Madi, Booker sighed, stretching his lanky body across the grass. Madi, Madi, Madi. Always so quick to doubt."

She rolled her green eyes and looked back down at her book.

Okay, okay! Booker hollered, sitting upright in the grass. "If you guys really want to hear about my fabulous, brilliant, absolutely-guaranteed-to-work plan, just say so!"

Theo laughed, watching Booker’s big eyes dart between the group. Inspiration had clearly struck again. His friend puffed up his chest and cracked his knuckles.

Okay, dude, go for it, Nolan smiled, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

So! Booker began, clapping his hands together loudly. "Liam—you know, Liam, basketball dude with the long hair? Yeah, so that Liam, his cousin owns a junk removal place downtown."

Mm-hmm, Madi nodded, one eyebrow arched skeptically.

And you know those big boulders by the beach, the ones that block people from the edge of the cliffs?

The group nodded in unison.

Midland was ringed by soaring beachside cliffs—they were beautiful and dangerous and the only real tourist attraction in town. Sometimes, on nice days, the group went to dive off them, though Theo had always been too scared to try.

Well, I figured… Booker trailed off, a devious sparkle in his eye. You know, it’d be so easy for a junk removal place to move those boulders, with their big trucks and all.

A small smile spread over his face now.

So, Liam’s gonna ask his cousin to move one of those boulders into the Midland parking lot tomorrow night! He was beaming now, a huge, charming smile. Theo imagined that grin was how his friend always managed to wriggle out of trouble.

That means no parking at school, Booker continued, rubbing his hands together in delight. "No one in, no one out. And you know what that means? School canceled."

He paused for dramatic effect, looking at them with his eyebrows raised high.

"And listen to this. I checked Google, and it’s the only junk removal place in Midland. So, the school’ll have to pay Liam’s cousin to remove the thing!"

Madi shook her head in bemusement, her chestnut hair spilling in waves around her shoulders.

Simple. Genius. Booker punctuated the words with a clap, finishing with a flourish. And a well-deserved day off for us.

For a moment, the group was quiet, listening to the breeze whistle through the oak leaves and the laughter of students leaving school.

Then Nolan burst into giggles. For such a brawny guy, his laugh was high-pitched, almost girly. It always made Theo smile.

You’re kidding me, dude, Nolan chuckled in disbelief. I mean, man, that’s pretty good.

Booker, is it genius or madness? Madi quipped. The world may never know. But we’ll see. If this works and we’re off school tomorrow, I will actually do something. With you guys.

Booker gazed at her expectantly.

"Not studying," she finished, rolling her eyes.

Yes! Booker punched his fist in the air triumphantly before reaching it out to Theo for a tap. Madi likes us more than studying.

Theo curled his hand into a fist and met Booker’s, then went back to running his hands through the grass.

The idea was pretty good, Theo had to admit—like Booker said, Liam’s cousin would get paid no matter what. And if they did get the day off, he wouldn’t mind spending it with just Madi, Nolan, and Booker.

The foursome was once a common sight under the big oak tree—when they’d started as freshmen at Midland High, they’d come there nearly every day after school. Back then, Theo and Nolan had weighed the same, Booker was failing nearly every class, and Madi spoke in shy whispers to everyone but the three boys.

Now, Nolan had muscles that bulged out of his T-shirt and a full football scholarship to North Carolina State. Madi was the captain of the debate team, torn between Yale and Columbia. Booker, though still nearly failing out, was the verifiable king of Midland High—and, without once campaigning, its senior class representative.

Everything was different, but the first licks of springtime always felt the same.

Today was Midland’s first truly warm day in months, that magical moment when the wind finally stopped biting at your hands and nose. Theo couldn’t help but notice that Madi had cast off her favorite sweatshirt—the Aerosmith hoodie he’d given her for Christmas one year—in favor of a tight blue tank top underneath, her pale skin glowing in the afternoon sun. He tried not to think about it.

No, he wouldn’t mind spending a day with his friends. They hadn’t been together in weeks, between Madi’s debate and Nolan’s football practices and Booker doing whatever Booker did. But Theo still found himself glancing toward the oak tree each time he left school, a small part of him hoping they all might be gathered there.

Hey, you guys wanna come over? Booker asked, jumping off the grass and onto his feet. Free house! No parents!

"Yeah, Booker, like you parents are ever home, Madi teased. But no, I can’t. I have a calc test tomorrow, and that’s my worst class."

"Oh, that’s my worst class, she says, Booker laughed. Probably has an A-minus. God forbid. But fine. Nolan? Theo?"

Nolan shook his head. Sorry, dude. I told my mom we’d get dinner tonight since I don’t have practice and she’s off work.

Booker crossed his arms. Yeah, yeah. Mama’s boy. We know.

He turned to Theo. You?

Theo stared down at the grass, hoping the question wouldn’t come to him. He, as usual, had nothing to do after school. Uh…

"I knew it! C’mon. Booker grabbed Theo by the elbow and yanked him up to his feet. It’s FIFA time."

Theo sighed and relented, letting Booker lead the way to his car. The group of four said goodbye, split apart, and walked to their rides—Booker and Theo to Booker’s roofless Jeep, Nolan to the bus stop, Madi to her blue Chevy with a dent in the side.

As soon as Theo slid into his seat, Booker rolled the windows all the way down and turned the radio all the way up. With one hand on the wheel and the other stretched out the window, he waved and shouted at people he knew, only sometimes glancing back toward the road. They were taking the long way out of the parking lot.

Brandooooon! Good luck tonight, bro! Booker bellowed at a big guy toting a lacrosse stick, who pointed back at him and winked.

Yeah, that guy’s a total dick, he whispered back to Theo once the guy had passed, rolling his eyes.

Samantha! You still throwing down this weekend? he shouted to a pretty girl in a yellow sundress.

Mm-hmm, and you’ll be there? the girl replied, shooting Booker a bright smile as she walked closer to the car.

Wouldn’t miss it, he grinned back.

Once she turned around, Booker fanned himself jokingly. "Dude, that girl is…phew," he fawned as they finally made it out to the