Chaos erupted. People in the crowd screamed, lights flickered like a disco party gone wild, and the music blasted out all distorted. Between the flashes of light, Principal Roberts looked like he was in a glitchy video game, hopping around, trying to fix the projector, but no luck. Then bam! The main lights clicked on, the winter ambience ruined in favour of the harsh fluorescent lights. The music cut, and everyone froze, like statues under a spotlight. Behind the podium, Principal Roberts' face turned redder than a ripe tomato.
"Party's over," he spat, "Everyone go home, and when I find out who did this, you're getting expelled."
There was a moment of stunned silence. Nobody moved.
"Go!!" he yelled, and suddenly, the crowd sprung into action, like they'd just woken up from a crazy dream. Emily whispered to Dakota as they braved the chilly air outside.
"I've never seen him so angry," Emily whispered, pulling Dakota aside into their own secluded spot as the crowd spilled outside.
"Who would do something like that? Was that supposed to be a prank?" Dakota pondered, holding her shoulders. "It's just so evil."
"Someone with a vendetta against Samantha, clearly," Emily replied, looking over the passing crowd, "Seen Noah around? I've not seen him all night,"
"Neither have I," Dakota admitted.
"Weird. Maybe he couldn't make it." Emily looked down at her dress. "It seems like a waste not to do something tonight while we're all dressed up. Wanna stir up some trouble?"
Dakota shook her head. "Nah, I'm kinda spooked. I think I'm gonna call my dad and just go home."
"Oh, okay. Well, text me when you're home safe, okay? And if he's taking forever, swing by my place, and we'll figure something out."
Dakota grinned. "Thanks. See ya!"
With a wave, Emily joined the stream of students heading to the dorms, leaving Dakota feeling a bit lonely again. She scanned the dimly lit school grounds—the shadowy trees, the dark alleyways—but everything seemed normal. With so many people around, surely nothing sketchy would happen, right? What was she even worried about? She tried calling her dad, but no answer. Ugh. And with Mike running off with Bianca and Noah nowhere to be found, there goes her chance for a ride back home. There was only one choice left...
"Hey there, honey!" Mrs. Crawford exclaimed when she dialed, a tad too excitedly. "How's the dance? Why the surprise call - shouldn't you be dancing and jiving right about now?"
"It got shut down. Something went down," Dakota replied succinctly.
"What happened?! Are you okay?" Her mother's voice rose with concern.
"I'm fine, Mom. It wasn't a big deal. I'll fill you in later," Dakota hesitated, then went for it. "Hey, um... any chance you could swing by and scoop me up?"
"Yes! Of course, I'll be there in ten!"
With a click, Dakota ended the call, mentally kicking herself for promising a chat later. Amidst the growing chaos outside, she shuffled over to the main road and plopped down on some steps, whipping out her phone to play Candy Crush. It was quieter here, or should have been, for her quiet time was interrupted by loud voices.
"- you should be thanking me! It's thanks to me you're not rotting in a jail cell right now!!" A familiar female voice hissed.
"I never asked you to do that for me! If you had stuck to the truth, it would have been the same. You didn't have to add certain embellishments." a gruff male voice retorted.
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Greenwood Bay
غموض / الإثارةFresh off that Arizona heat, Dakota plans for her new life in a sleepy town on the Washington coast were simple: keep your head down, get good grades, and breeze through her sophomore year without making waves. But guess what? The universe has a fun...
