Life Within The Halls

Chapter 20: "To Die for Love"

LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Sandra

Saturday, 14th February, 10:45 a.m.

The Valentine's Day celebration was evident everywhere in Bel-Air. The hotel I lived in, the interior and exterior of my school, and even the streets-all were decorated with bright red designs.

Getting ready for the Val's day school party was a headache for me. Partying wasn't my thing, so it took me hours until I could decide on an outfit-a floral sundress with a denim jacket and sneakers.

As I stood by, waiting for Victoria who was rummaging through the records room, searching for the drugs she had hidden, two students started kissing inches away from me.

They both glanced in my direction, catching me off guard. I smiled at them, meeting their gaze.

The girl whispered something to the guy, and they both turned their attention back to me. It was clear from their expressions that they felt uncomfortable being caught in the act.

With a subtle nod, the girl silently communicated, "Let's go from here." And off they went.

Couldn't they have engaged in such behavior in the privacy of their own homes instead of at a school party? It seemed rather silly of them.

"I found it!" Victoria shook me gently while swinging a small paper bag in my face.

I snatched it and opened it, only for my mouth to drop.

"That's a lot of-"

Victoria quickly covered my mouth. "Someone might be listening to us."

I removed her hand and said in a low tone, "If you've been using this drug, you really need to see a doctor."

"I had a checkup yesterday. The results were good," she assured.

"Mm. Have you heard from Gideon?" I changed the conversation as we began to walk down the hall, where a group of girls in matching designer dresses danced to the beat of music coming out from the assembly hall, where the party was going on.

"I talked with him last night, and he told me he has found out who AnonymousX is," she replied. "But he didn't tell me. He said he wants to tell us all together."

"Where is he now?"

"Talking about me?" Gideon's voice came from ahead of us. He was wearing a cashmere sweater over dark wash jeans and suede desert boots.

"Did you have to keep us in suspense for so long?" Victoria rolled her eyes at him. "Tell us who AnonymousX is. Is it Chloe?"

"Yes," he replied. "Chloe Wilson is AnonymousX. And... Jayden knew about it all along."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"You remember Jayden snapped a picture with the new janitor when we were sneaking into the Ship House the other day?"

Victoria and I nodded stiffly.

"When I was using Jayden's phone to get the location of AnonymousX's messages, I mistakenly paired his phone with mine, so all his pictures were transferred to my phone," he explained, bringing out his phone and swiping it open. "This is the picture Jayden snapped with the new janitor." He zoomed in, revealing a faint image of a girl in glasses in the background.

"That's Chloe in the back," Victoria interjected.

"So if Jayden knows Chloe is AnonymousX, why hasn't he told us about it?" I asked.

"Why would he tell us when he's the snitch?" Victoria said.

"But why would Jayden work with her? What did he offer her in exchange for her not to post his video?" I wondered aloud.

"It's Daniel!" Gideon exclaimed. "Jayden told me to bring Daniel to the party. I'm sure Chloe had requested him to do that."

He called Daniel's phone several times, each met with no answer. He called Jayden too, same thing.

"Let's track Jayden's phone," Victoria suggested, and Gideon did so.

After a couple of minutes, we found out Jayden's location. The location showed he was on the rooftop.

To get there in time, we took the elevator to the fifth floor and burst through the rooftop door.

Funny enough, even upon what I witnessed on the rooftop, I still wasn't fully convinced that Jayden was a snitch.

"Finally, we've all come face to face," the girl in glasses, whom I presumed to be Chloe Wilson, said upon our arrival. "It's a pleasure!"

Victoria walked over to Jayden, who stood near Chloe, and hit him hard on the arm. "You betrayed us! You're a traitor!"

Jayden took hold of her hand. "You, Gideon, and Sandra were by my side when the world was crushing on me. Do you think I would really betray you?"

"Stop the act, Jayden," Chloe said, adjusting her glasses. "They know you betrayed them. Why don't you tell them our deal-I keep your intimate video a secret, you make Daniel mine."

"You think I'm gonna make Daniel yours?" Jayden giggled, though it sounded hollow to us. "Daniel will never be yours! You will rot in jail for murdering the head cheerleader."

A moment of silence fell over us, the faint sound of music from the party in the assembly hall providing a surreal backdrop.

Chloe suddenly laughed evilly. "Daniel will be mine! And if any of you try to stop me, I will kill you like I killed the head cheerleader."

At the mention of her last words, Daniel, escorted by two police officers, joined us on the rooftop.

"Miss Chloe Wilson, you're under arrest for murder, kidnapping, and defamation," one of the officers said.

Chloe took a step backward, nearing the edge of the rooftop. "If Daniel can't be mine, I don't have a reason to live." With that, she jumped from the rooftop to the green grass field below, falling flat.

Students who were present on the field screamed at the scene.

Blood trickled from her head, creating a stark contrast against the lush green grass. Her body lay motionless on the ground, and her heart had likely stopped beating. I had always thought people died for love only in movies, not in real life.

We descended from the rooftop, our faces mirroring the devastation of the act that had unfolded right before us. The party had abruptly ended, the atmosphere replaced by a somber mood. Chloe was a murderer, but she didn't deserve such a death. Especially on a day like Valentine's Day.

The police officers arranged for an ambulance to transport Chloe's body. By the time the ambulance arrived, the media had swarmed around the school grounds, hungry for the latest scoop on the tragic event.

"Reporting live for News Channel Eight. It looks like bad things keep happening in this school all the time," one news reporter declared, with a camera fixed on him in the hallway. "This school is now infamous for being a hotbed of tragic news..."

Principal Wilson was being interviewed outside as he wept for the death of his daughter. For the first time, I could see genuine concern on people's faces.

Ms. Murphy, along with a police officer, was cleaning out Chloe's locker. Inside, they found a bunch of letters, most of them expressing her obsession for Daniel. There was also a receipt for $55k, which proved she was the one who paid Matthew Clark to impersonate Daniel.

"I'm sorry for thinking you could betray us," Victoria apologized to Jayden.

"I'm sorry too," Gideon added.

"Well, I never pegged you for the betraying type, so no need for apologies, right?" I quipped, flashing a grin that managed to coax smiles from their faces.

Jayden briefed us on how he managed to fool Chloe into thinking he was on her side. He then explained how he gained Daniel's support and trust in pulling it all together.

"It's been a long week for us," he said. "Everything's over now, so let's go out and chill. The four of us."

We all agreed, feeling relieved that it was finally over. But for me, nothing was over. My purpose for being in the school still wasn't achieved. I had to play along with them. After all, it was just the end of the first week of a whole new semester.