Pursuit of Perfection

Chapter 5 - School's Out

The following morning, Stephanie arrived at her and Jonathan's bench to find him already there.

'So?' he said excitedly. 'Did you hook up?'

Stephanie looked shocked. 'What? No, of course not! Gross!'

'Well you started it all' Jonathan joked, 'Kissing him then shooing me away. I was sure you would be getting some!'

'Hey, you dared me,' Stephanie reminded him. 'And anyway, I'm not that kind of girl.'

Jonathan raised his eyebrows at her knowingly.

'I mean I bet there'll be way hotter guys in college anyway.'

'Yeah probably,' Jonathan agreed.

Only Jonathan had any real indication that Stephanie wasn't really interested in that sort of thing. He joked on, but he knew. She liked kissing guys, sure, but she really didn't find the appeal of anything more than that. She put on a front that she was really flirty and sexy but thankfully, she thought, it had never got to the stage where she was expected to be anything else. And her act was mostly for the other girls in school anyway, to assert that she was one of the 'cool' ones and not some pushover.

Stephanie's first period was History, and she had been given a seat next to Kim Phillips. Jonathan had been put next to a nerdy guy at the back. Kim Phillips and Monica Taylor were the ones to watch out for in school, unless you wanted your homework as well as your head flushed down a toilet. Early on, they thought Stephanie and Jonathan would be easy targets; they were two smart kids who didn't really have any other friends, and they could be teachers' pets at times. Jonathan wanted to stay exactly as he was and not change for anyone, regardless of how many times they spread rumours about him or threw things at him during lunch. However, Stephanie quickly realised that by undoing her tie a little and the top button on her shirt, dropping out of her after-school physics club and almost failing one or two tests, she could keep them off her back, and Jonathan's too.

This didn't stop Stephanie hating them both for making other people's lives miserable, but as usual, she slapped on a smile and gritted her teeth until lunchtime, when she and Jonathan had a routine of talking about how awful Kim Phillips and Monica Taylor were to be within ten feet of, and how neither would touch one of them with a long stick, not even for a hundred pounds.

Stephanie and Jonathan were discussing just this, walking down to the cafeteria together, when an announcement came over the school speakers.

'CAN ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF PLEASE COME SWIFTLY TO THE ASSEMBLY HALL FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT'

Jonathan looked at Stephanie, smirked and rolled his eyes, and they turned around to head to the assembly hall.

'What's happened now? I've already had the worst morning ever and now I'm missing lunch!' Stephanie said, but suddenly she didn't feel hungry anymore. Surely if someone had seen her last night then she would have been called in alone? It can't be that, she told herself. It must be something else.

'Welcome staff and students,' the headmistress said, standing at the front of the hall behind a wooden lectern. The other members of staff lined the sides of the hall, while the pupils sat cross-legged on the floor.

'I apologise for bringing you here on such short notice, but there is some important news which is relevant to you all, though I do not wish to alarm you.'

Jonathan and Stephanie looked at each other nervously.

'This morning, a student has been found injured in our local area. We have been kindly notified by our neighbouring school in order to ensure the safety of our pupils, and the news will be made public shortly. The safety of each and every one of our young students is always our top priority, and I therefore regret to inform you that on these grounds, the school will be closed indefinitely from lunchtime today until the circumstances of this crime have been thoroughly understood by the police.'

Some excited murmuring had arisen in the hall, and was getting progressively louder.

'Quiet please!' It grew quiet.

'You may collect your lunch before you leave if you wish, but I recommend that you either get parents to pick you up, or you walk home as a group with friends. Avoid walking home alone and stick to the main streets. The staff members around the room have letters to disperse to you, which you MUST give DIRECTLY to your parents to inform them of the situation. Is this understood?'

'Yes Miss' mumbled the crowd.

'Stay safe, and keep studying when you are at home, this isn't a holiday! You may leave.'

At this holy word the entire room packed with students seemed to leap to their feet and make for the doors like the room was on fire. Stephanie and Jonathan followed suit and made quickly for the nearest exit, grabbing a letter each from the nearest teacher.

'Well that was a load of rubbish,' Stephanie said, tearing open her letter.

'You're not meant to open that, it's for parents...' Jonathan trailed off as Stephanie was already reading the letter. He read over her shoulder.

'Unfortunate death? He died? Oh my god, school only said he was injured!' Jonathan almost shouted.

'Yeah it says a schoolboy was found dead and police are currently investigating and looking for suspects. Family have been contacted.' Stephanie said.

'So he was murdered?' Jonathan asked shakily. 'No wonder we're being sent home, there's somebody out there murdering kids! I wonder if there'll be another one!'

'We can only hope not.' Stephanie said. 'But hey, since we're off do you want to hang out at my house? My mum doesn't get home until after dinner.'

'Sure,' said Jonathan. 'I didn't really want to walk home alone anyway, not with some maniac on the loose!'

Stephanie laughed, but when she looked away from Jonathan, her smile quickly faded.

'Come on then,' she said, and they walked out of school.