Life Within The Halls

Chapter 10: "Why the Records Room?"

LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Victoria

Thursday, 12th February, 8:15 a.m.

The events of the previous night left me baffled. Did Jayden Scott, of all people, actually help me? He was on my blacklist, and I was certainly on his as well. We were like oil and water, constantly at odds with each other. So, why would he deceive Gideon and Sandra, insisting that I was aware of their secret meeting when I had no idea of it?

As I walked from the sports field, dropped off by my parents' helicopter, I couldn't let go of the nagging question: "Did Jayden cover up for me out of pity?"

There were two ways to find out: either confront him about why he saved me and risk being questioned about my presence in the records room, or remain silent about his assistance and still face scrutiny about my motives for being there.

I hadn't planned on sneaking into the records room with any nefarious purpose. But admitting the truth would paint me as reckless, maybe even desperate.

The sound of chanting brought me back to the present, as I mulled over my options. A group of students, mostly black-skinned, sang fervently in front of the school building. They waved flags representing African nations like Ghana and South Africa. The SMS, in their signature club attire, were capturing every moment—their cameras flashing and lights dancing in rhythm with the music.

I had almost forgotten it was Black History Month—a time to celebrate the heritage of black people, including myself.

"Who we are... Is all that matters!!" The chant blurred in my ears as I entered the school building, the vibrant rhythm guiding my steps to the prefect room.

I silently prayed Jayden wasn't in the room. Me being such a bad liar, what excuse could I come up with to avoid revealing why I had been in the records room?

"Victoria!" A familiar female voice snapped me from afar, just before I could reach for the door knob to the room.

I quickly turned to the voice and confirmed my guess—it was Ella Anderson.

As she approached, I couldn't help but notice something unusual about her. She was wearing a cheerleading outfit, which wasn't a problem considering she was part of the cheers. But what caught my attention was the brooch she was wearing—it was the same one head cheerleaders worn.

"Wait... are you the new head cheerleader?" I asked, pointing to the pink brooch on her chest.

"Oh." She looked down at the brooch. "Yeah, I'm the new head cheerleader," she confirmed in her British accent. "Do you have any problem with that?"

The timing seemed too coincidental. The previous head cheerleader had died just three days ago, and now Ella had suddenly become the new one. Strange, wasn't it?

"Do you have anything to do with the head cheerleader's death?" I confronted her, locking eyes with her.

She chuckled slightly. "Are you for real? I know you and my cousin Jay don't exactly get along, 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, don't you think?"

"You didn't take me seriously, did you? I was just joking," I lied with a smirk playing on my lips. I didn't want her to know I was suspicious.

"Whatever! Have you seen Jay? I heard he's with you, Gideon, and that new girl in our class."

A voice interrupted from behind, "I have a name. It's Sandra Wilmer." Sandra pushed the prefect room door open and marched inside without waiting for Ella to say anything else.

As the door began to close, I caught sight of Jayden sitting inside the room. He gave me a signal I didn't quite understand until a moment later.

"I haven't seen Jayden. He's not in the prefect room either," I told Ella.

"Well, then I'll wait for him in the room," she said, stepping forward to grab the door knob.

I blocked her path with my arm. "You're not allowed to enter without permission. You can wait for him somewhere else, but not in the prefect room. I'm sorry."

"Whatever!" She waved her hand dismissively as she turned away. "Pathetic!"

I entered the room with a sigh, finding Sandra absorbed in a book. She flipped to another page, and I caught a glimpse of the title: "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn.

Jayden, on the other hand, pocketed his phone and rose to his feet, his eyes narrowing as he regarded me. Feeling the urgency to steer the conversation away from last night's event, I interjected. "Why are you ignoring your cousin?" I asked, aiming to shift the focus.

"Ella is Jayden's cousin?" Sandra lifted her head from the book. "Is she half British?"

Before I could respond, Jayden jumped in, "Yeah, she's my cousin. And no, she's not British. She just has the accent."

"Oh, okay," Sandra returned to her reading.

Jayden gave me a subtle nod, signaling for me to follow him outside the room. "We need to talk," he murmured cryptically.

I knew he wanted to discuss last night, to delve into my motives for being in the records room.

"Are you two going to talk about last night?" Sandra closed her book with a snap and strode over to us, her tone accusatory. "I know you had your own agenda for sneaking into school last night," she jabbed a finger in my direction before turning her sharp gaze to Jayden, "and I know you lied about Victoria knowing we were meeting up."

"W- why would I lie?" Jayden stammered.

"Stop pretending. Everything was clear to me last night," Sandra continued, turning to me. "What I don't know is why you were in the records room." She fixed me with a piercing stare, her eyes boring into mine with an intensity that made me feel like a suspect under interrogation. It was as if she had transformed into a detective, and I, well, I felt like a thief from a heist movie.

"And who do you think you are to question me?" I boldly challenged her.

"If Sandra can't question you, can I?" Jayden's voice rose. "We both know Sandra's telling the truth. I covered up for you out of pity. You weren't aware we were meeting up, so what were you doing in the records room late at night? It's time to let out your little secret."

The room fell silent. Both Sandra and Jayden had their eyes on me, waiting for an explanation. I couldn't bring myself to meet their eyes; I was afraid. Even though they had no authority to question me, I felt obligated to explain since we were now a group.

The bathroom door in the room swung open, and Gideon emerged, wiping his hands with a tissue. "I know you all too well, Victoria," he said, tossing the tissue aside. "You're not going to spill it out so easily." With a shrug, he added, "So, why don't we forget about it and focus on something more important?"

Something more important? I didn't know what he meant, but at least, I was spared from further questioning.