Secrets in Locker 23F

Chapter 2: Between the Lines

By the time lunch rolled around, I'd turned half of my notebook into a conspiracy board dedicated to Locker 23F. Circles, arrows, theories—some wildly unhelpful—peppered the page in a mess of half-legible scrawls.

"Are we seriously doing this?" Jasper asked, staring at the mess of notes in front of him with a half-amused, half-resigned expression.

"Absolutely," I replied, tapping my pen with more determination than I felt. "It's simple, really. We need to go straight to the source: Benji Palmer himself."

"Ah yes, Benji, the wellspring of reliable information," Jasper deadpanned. "The guy thinks he's destined to start a band called 'Fungus Among Us.'"

"Details, Jasper. Focus on the task at hand."

I spotted Benji across the cafeteria, poking suspiciously at his mashed potatoes. He was alone, which wasn't unusual, and perfect for an ambush. Jasper and I slid into the seats across from him like a couple of bad detectives.

"Hey, Benji," I started, leaning in conspiratorially. "Let's talk about your... locker situation."

His face lit up immediately, and he glanced around as if waiting for paparazzi to leap from behind the milk dispensers. "So you heard?" he whispered. "It's wild, right? The locker's... haunted or something."

"What, exactly, did you put in there?" I asked, keeping my tone level, like I was genuinely curious. The last thing I wanted was for him to take this as a joke. "Give me all the details."

Benji's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. "I just wrote a little note, that's all. Said something like, Hey, future me, don't be a loser, and keep practicing guitar." He beamed. "Pretty solid advice, right?"

"Definitely," I replied, resisting the urge to laugh. "And the response? Describe it."

Benji's gaze got faraway, like he was reliving the moment. "When I opened the locker this morning, there it was, sitting on top of my history book. Neat handwriting, a little smiley face, and it said, Don't worry. I'm watching out for you."

"Are you sure no one saw you put the note in?" I pressed.

Benji shrugged. "Positive. Plus, there's no way anyone could have gotten in without knowing my combo. That locker's stuck half the time anyway. Has been since freshman year."

I filed this info away, feeling the stirrings of a theory. But then Jasper nudged my arm, nodding subtly toward the cafeteria door. Eli had just walked in, hands shoved in his pockets, eyes scanning the room until they landed on us. He gave a small nod before heading in our direction.

Of course. Because why would the mystery be straightforward?

"Great, our new friend," Jasper murmured, smirking.

Benji glanced up, following our line of sight. "Oh, him? That's the new guy, right? He transferred from—actually, I have no clue where he's from. He just appeared out of nowhere."

How fitting. I plastered on a smile as Eli reached us, tilting my head. "Fancy meeting you here, Eli. Checking out our haunted locker theories?"

Eli shrugged, pulling up a chair without bothering to ask if we minded. "Not exactly. Thought I'd come over and see if you had any breakthroughs."

Jasper snorted. "Oh, there are plenty of breakthroughs. We've basically solved the entire case. By next Tuesday, Rowan's going to write an exposé."

I shot Jasper a glare, but Eli looked only mildly amused. "Good to know," he said, voice perfectly steady. "But if you're so close to figuring it out, why not check the other lockers?"

"The... other lockers?" I asked, thrown for just a second.

He leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. "You know. Maybe 23F isn't the only one with... quirks."

I narrowed my eyes, trying to read his face, but he remained annoyingly neutral. Was he messing with me? Or did he actually know something?

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious. "And how would you know that?"

"Just a thought," he replied, but the look he gave me was anything but casual. "Maybe that's where you'll find something useful."

"Maybe we'll follow up on that," I said, feeling more determined than ever not to let him outsmart me. "But thanks for the suggestion."

He looked pleased, or maybe just amused—it was hard to tell. "Anytime."

I grabbed my notebook, Jasper giving me a quizzical look as I stood up. "Let's go check it out," I muttered to him, ignoring Eli's gaze.

"Where?" Jasper whispered, tagging along as I led the way out of the cafeteria.

"Other lockers," I said, trying to keep the excitement out of my voice. "If 23F has secrets, maybe it's not the only one."

We made our way to the empty hallway that housed a long stretch of lockers rarely used anymore—most of them broken or permanently jammed. With the school half-empty for lunch, it was eerily quiet, every footstep echoing off the tiled floors.

"Rowan," Jasper hissed, glancing around. "You're really planning on snooping around old lockers because the new guy told you to?"

"Jasper," I replied, shoving him toward the wall of lockers. "Don't question the process."

"Fine, but if a ghost jumps out of locker 17G, I'm out of here."

We started popping open the few that would still open, scanning inside for any signs of old notes or messages. Most were empty, just dust and random scraps of torn paper.

But when I tried one on the far right, my fingers brushed against something cool and metallic. I pulled it out, squinting at it in the dim light. It was an old, rusty key with a faded tag that read Library.

I shot Jasper a look. "Did we just hit the jackpot?"

"A... library key?" he asked, brow furrowed. "What would that be doing in an abandoned locker?"

"Good question," I muttered, slipping the key into my pocket. But in the back of my mind, pieces were already falling into place. If this key belonged to the school's library, then maybe, just maybe, there was a whole other layer to Oak Ridge that no one knew about.

Jasper pulled me back to reality with a sigh. "Alright, Sherlock. What now?"

"Simple," I replied, grinning. "We head to the library after school. See what this unlocks."