Life Within The Halls

Chapter 10: "My Big Secret"

LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Victoria

Thursday, 12th February, 8:10 a.m.

What happened the previous night gave me a sleepless night. Did Jayden Scott, of all people, actually help me? We were like oil and water, constantly at odds. So, why did he lie to Gideon and Sandra for me, insisting I knew about their secret meeting when I had no idea?

As I walked away from the sports field, dropped off by the helicopter, I couldn't stop overthinking. I wanted to know why Jayden helped me and, most importantly, what their meeting was about.

There were two ways to find out: either ask Jayden about their meetup and risk being questioned about my presence in the records room, or remain silent and still face scrutiny about my motives. I knew Jayden too well—he'd definitely call me out on it. So, it was better to take the initiative and ask him first.

My reason for sneaking into the records room at a late hour wasn't shady. But admitting the truth would paint me as reckless, maybe even desperate. That was my big secret, and I wasn't willing to let it out anytime soon.

The sound of chanting brought me back to the present as I mulled. A group of students, mostly Black, sang passionately between the school building and the Ship House. They were waving flags representing African nations like Ghana, Nigeria, Jamaica, and South Africa. The SMS crew, dressed in their club attire, were capturing every moment—their cameras and lights moving to the beat.

Preoccupied with my current situation, I had forgotten it was Black History Month—a time to celebrate Black heritage, including my own. I used to lead these events in previous years, but now I was just a passerby.

"Who we are... is all that matters!"

The chant blurred in my ears as I entered the main entrance, the rhythm guiding my steps. Three steps into the prefects' room lane, the siren wailed. It was unusual for it to wail early in the morning, unless there was an important message.

"Attention students and faculty, Principal Wilson speaking," came over the intercom. "A break-in has been reported at Mr. Bennett's office. If you have any information, please contact the school administration or security immediately. Thank you for your cooperation."

The announcement made me wonder what everyone's obsession with Mr. Bennett was. Jayden and Gideon had put him on their suspect list regarding Daniel's disappearance, and now someone had broken into his office? This semester was clearly not going well for him.

"Victoria!" a voice called out from behind me just as I reached for the doorknob. I quickly turned to face the speaker, confirming my guess. It was Ella Anderson. And she wasn't alone; my sister was by her side, as usual.

There was something unusual about her. She wore her cheerleading outfit, typical for a squad member. But the head cheerleader wristband on her arm was my issue—she wasn't in that position to put it on.

"Why do you have that wristband on?" I asked, pointing to it.

"Oh," she looked at it and smiled. "I'm the new head cheerleader. Blimey, pretty cool, eh?" she said in her not-too-good British accent.

The timing seemed suspicious. Hannah had died just three days ago, and now she had taken her place.

"Did you have anything to do with Hannah's death?" I asked, looking her straight in the eye.

"Sis?" Olivia shook me and looked at me like I was crazy for asking such a question.

Ella chuckled slightly. "I know you and Jay don't get on, so I get why you might point fingers at me," she said. "But accusing me of something like murder? That's a bit far-fetched, innit?"

I tried to play it cool. "I was just joking, obviously." I didn't want Olivia to think I harbored bad thoughts about her friend, even though I did.

"Whatever!" Ella rolled her eyes. "Seen Jay about, have ya?"

"No, I haven't."

"Well, then I'll wait for him inside." She stepped forward to grab the doorknob.

I blocked her path with my arm. "You can't just barge in here. You need permission, I'm sorry."

She huffed and stormed off, holding Olivia's hand, and muttered "Pathetic!" in disgust.

I didn't know what Ella saw in my sister that made her stick to her for so long. It had gotten to the point where she even rode in Olivia's car to and from school. If I remembered correctly, Ella never had long-lasting friendships due to her bad character.

I waited for them to be out of sight and entered the room with a sigh. Sandra and Jayden were inside.

Sandra was engrossed in the pages of a book. She turned the cover toward me, and I read the title: "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn. With the look on her face, if I hadn't known about the book before, I would have thought she was reading a comic book. She was actually reading a mystery thriller with a smile. So odd!

Jayden, on the other hand, pocketed his phone and stood up. His eyes narrowed as he sized me up. I felt an urgent need to bring something up to steer the conversation away from last night.

"You're here, and your cousin is looking for you."

"Ella is Jayden's cousin?" Sandra lifted her head from the book, as if she had just heard something terrible.

Jayden jumped in, "Yeah, she's my cousin. The one you thought you hadn't met."

"No wonder," she said and returned to her reading without another word.

Jayden gave me a subtle nod, signaling for me to follow him out. I knew he wanted to discuss last night. why I had been in the records room.

"What's up with you two?" Sandra asked, closing her book with a snap. "Want to talk about last night?"

"Is there something to talk about from last night?" I asked back in a shaky tone.

"I know you had your own reason for being in school last night," she stood up and jabbed a finger at me. "You didn't know about our meeting. Jayden lied; I know for sure."

"What are you saying?"

"If you insist that I'm the one lying and you knew about our meeting, tell me the reason for our meeting." She fixed me with a piercing stare, her eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made me feel like a suspect under interrogation.

"Fine. I didn't know we were meeting, but you have no right to question me," I challenged her.

"If Sandra can't question you, can I?" Jayden said. "I covered up for you out of pity. I did you a favor; now return it by telling us what you were doing in the records room."

The room fell silent. Both of them had their eyes on me, waiting for an explanation. I couldn't bring myself to meet their eyes. Even though they had no authority to question me, I felt somehow obligated to explain.

The sound of running water coming from the restroom in the corner of the room broke the tension. It stopped, and the restroom's white door opened. Gideon came out, wiping his hands with a tissue. I hadn't even known he was in there all along.

"I know Victoria all too well," he said, tossing the tissue into the bin before closing the door. "She's not going to tell you so easily." With a smirk, he added, "So, why don't we forget about her for now and focus on something more important?"