The Fleeting Happy

Prologue

I don't know how things got so messed up.

Really.

It was supposed to be a normal day. It was a Monday, too. Nothing eventful ever happened on Mondays. Today was supposed to be neutrally boring at best and excruciatingly boring at worst, as my average weekdays typically were. At least it started off normal enough, with roll call and Mr. Tulille checking the homework that I didn't do.

It all went downhill when the voice over the morning announcement speakers called down four students to the principal's office. My name was one of them.

"-- and Aurora Caples, please head down to the office as soon as possible."

At the time of aforementioned doomsday announcement-- precisely 8:41 AM-- I was in first period pre-calculus. The day had just barely begun, and I was so sure it was going to be yet another dull, mundane morning in sleepy suburbia that I would've never even imagined I'd be so colossally, laughably wrong.

Mr. Tulille excused me reluctantly with a disdainful look.

Walking through the empty, silent locker-lined hallways on my way to the principal's office, I had no idea what was waiting for me. Surely, it couldn't be that bad-- nothing like suspension or expulsion, at least. Maybe a detention or two. At this point, detentions were nothing to me. I wasn't feeling dread so much as I felt confusion and slight curiosity and a little bit of relief from escaping pre-calculus.

As I walked, counting the speckled tiles on the floor and brushing my fingertips along the cold, mustard yellow lockers, I kept reminding myself that tomorrow would be Tuesday-- Tuesdays were always better than Mondays.

When I got to the office, the three other names were already there, looking pale-faced and queasy, all fidgety hands and restless, darting glances. I took a seat among them wordlessly.

I don't think any of us knew for sure why we were there. Certainly, we were troublemakers, but it couldn't possibly be for our latest stunt, because one of us was missing-- the fifth person. It didn't make sense to just have the four of us.

"Any ideas?" came a nervous whisper.

I shrugged. "Maybe they found a hidden stash or something."

"Can't be. We emptied it, remember?"

"Okay... then I'm stumped."

"Do you think it's about last night?"

All four of us shook our heads, still looking uncertain.

That was settled.

Before we could discuss it any further, Principal Singh appeared from the doorway, flanked by a couple of the teaching staff, some people I've never seen before and two uniformed police offers.

As soon as we saw the cops, we all exchanged alarmed looks. To us, the cops were never good news.

"Ms. Caples, you've finally arrived," Principal Singh said tensely. "We were waiting for all of you to get down here before explaining the situation to you."

"What's happening?" I asked. We all must've looked completely disoriented.

"I don't know how to explain this to you, but this is Officer Haley and Officer Abdul." Principal Singh gestured to the two cops. "And this is Detective Lancaster and Mr. Long, the evidence technician for this case."

None of us spoke. I blinked, still feeling a sense of discomfort weighing in my chest. "Principal Singh, why just the four of us? Why are we here? Where's--"