LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Gideon

Wednesday, 11th February, 1:20 p.m.

After almost an hour and a half of searching, we were no closer to finding my best friend, whom I was certain was still missing. Despite our efforts, we hadn't found any big clues or leads, except for what Jayden claimed to have seen.

"Are you sure of what you're saying?"

"Yes," he replied. "I saw Mr. Bennett talking with the fake Daniel in the third-floor hallway minutes after lunch break was over."

Sandra sighed, shaking her head. "It's hard to believe someone like him would be involved in something like this," she said, her eyes scrutinizing the picture of Mr. Bennett we had shown her, since she hadn't met him yet.

Mr. Bennett, our biology teacher, was the youngest teacher in the school. With his charming smile and movie-star looks, he was the object of affection for many of the girls, which, not for my dislike toward him but honestly, made the classroom dynamics awkward.

"I know you're finding it hard to believe just because of his pretty face." Jayden leaned in. "Believe me, I saw them together, right in the middle of class hours."

What made Jayden's claim a big thing, assuming he wasn't mistaken, were two factors. First, it was rare to see Mr. Bennett talking with a male student alone, as he was always surrounded by girls. Second, even if he did engage with male students privately, the timing violated school rules; teachers weren't allowed to interact with students outside of class during lesson hours. He was very much aware of that.

Either way, Mr. Bennett had an explanation to do.

"Mr. Bennett can't be involved," Victoria expressed her doubt. "It must just be a coincidence. A big one."

Victoria's take ended our discussion, and the room fell silent. The three went about their own stuff, leaving me consumed by worry about Daniel.

The closing bell rang, and we packed up, leaving the room together. The halls buzzed with students eager to head out—some rushing off to sports practices, others to the School Magazine Society meeting, since it was a Wednesday.

Gone were the days when I was part of those attending the SMS meetings. But that was no longer the case. I had stopped being a member even before sophomore year. Being there just reminded me of the past—the same one I was desperately trying to escape.

"What's our next move?" Sandra asked, lowering her voice.

Victoria snorted. "Next move? We've done enough today. I don't want my face splashed across tomorrow's front page for sneaking around, especially not with you three. I'm already a laughingstock thanks to AnonymousX's video." With a flick of her curly hair, she added, "School's closed. Olivia's waiting for me. Later," and strode off, leaving us staring after her.

Sandra turned to Jayden and me, her eyes darting between us. "Is she always like that?"

Jayden replied dryly, "Yeah, she's consistent." He shared a look with us, expecting us to find it funny, but I didn't. Neither did Sandra.

I scanned the hallway, ensuring no one was listening. "Let's go home and meet back at 6:30 tonight. We'll break into Mr. Bennett's office without anyone noticing."

Jayden nodded. "Sounds like a plan, but I don't think Sandra's parents will—"

"I'll come, don't worry," Sandra interrupted confidently. "It's you who needs to focus on getting here without a bunch of girls following you, Mr. Popular." She turned, rolling her eyes at him, and walked away.

Jayden went in the opposite direction of hers, joining a few guys from the basketball team, while I merged with the crowd heading toward the parking lot.

As I anxiously awaited my driver's arrival, I saw Ella get into Olivia's car with her. The fact that they used to take separate cars but no longer did was questionable, but it didn't matter to me. I was more concerned about getting home before my dad returned from his trip to Canada. Their issues weren't mine.

I gave up waiting eventually and ordered an Uber. If I didn't leave soon, the gate would be closed, and I'd have to spend extra minutes waiting for security to let me out, which would definitely make my already terrible day even worse.

My mind began to wander, numbers running through my head as I watched the passing scenery in the Uber. Fifty-two to fifty-four hours since I last saw the real Daniel in the cafeteria; two hours later, he vanished. Then, a guy who looked like him showed up out of nowhere twenty-four hours after that.

It felt like I was racing against time.

The car pulled up to the place I'd called home for sixteen years, and I stepped out, paying the fare through the Uber app. I tiptoed through the front door, trying to avoid my mom's attention. She always failed me when I needed her most, so I wasn't willing to indulge in her fake displays of love.

As I began to climb the stairs from the living room to my bedroom, fate decided to throw me another curveball. "You're home," she said, approaching me with a smile. "I wanted to pick you up from school since the driver is unwell, but work got in the way."

I stopped, her words grating on my nerves. She never performed her motherly duties, always too busy with her own affairs.

"Work?" My lip curled in disdain. "Mom, you're a housewife. The only work you do is updating your WhatsApp status and cooking food."

Her face flushed with anger. "How dare you speak to me like that? I am your mother."

I liked it when she got angry.

"You remember that now? You didn't seem to remember it when you left me stranded at school."

"I'm sorry, okay? I'm really sorry."

"There's no need. I ordered an Uber anyway," I said, unwilling to dwell on her apology.

"Well, your father will be home very soon, so—"

I clamped my hands over my ears, clicking my tongue repeatedly as I hurried upstairs to my room. I didn't want to hear whatever she was saying, especially since it was about Dad coming back home.

When I got into my room, I tossed my school bag aside and let out a deep, frustrated sigh. My mind was a jumble of questions, each one tangling with the next. Where could the real Daniel be? What connection could Mr. Bennett have with the fake one? The more I thought about it, the more my unease worsened.

A notification sounded on my phone, indicating a new message in the chat group I had created. Jayden had sent a link to his Instagram livestream. I clicked the link begrudgingly. Though I had never watched his live videos before, I had to for once, knowing he was willing to help me find my best friend.

My screen lit up, showing the backdrop of his setup. The chat had already begun filling with messages and reactions as the stream went live.

"What's up, people! It's Jayden Scott here, coming to you live from my studio. Hope you're all doing awesome today!" he said with a laid-back grin.

The viewer count soared from hundreds to thousands in minutes.

"So, I wanted to jump on here real quick to give you all a heads-up," he announced. "Unfortunately, I won't be able to livestream this evening like I usually do."

Watching him, I now understood how he managed to build his brand to its peak within a few years. His charisma was infectious; he even put a smile on my face. But his arrogance gave me a reason to hate on him.

"And hey, maybe this is a sign that you guys should take a break from your usual stuff too, go outside, enjoy the real world for a..." I swiped away the app, tossing my phone onto the bed. I moved to my study desk and turned on all my computers—there were three.

Dad had bought me one, and I'd purchased the other two with my monthly allowance. He'd asked me why I needed so many, but I'd lied, not letting him know I'd actually bought them to teach myself coding and other IT skills. If he knew, he would seize them and lock them away. My interests didn't matter to him.

I quickly closed all the coding forum sites I had opened on the computers in the morning. I didn't want Dad to see them in case he checked, as he usually did. I then changed into blue shorts and a white shirt with dot designs and headed downstairs.

The doorbell rang as I descended the stairs. Without even having to look, I knew exactly who it was.

"Bro!" Jasper yelled, bounding toward me. "Canada is awesome!" He had gone with Dad on his trip. Seeing my little brother again was the only good side of his return.

He cleared his throat, interrupting our reunion. I gently patted Jasper's cheeks. "Go to your room; we will chat later," I told him, and he obediently scampered off.

"Well done! I heard you topped the math test again," Dad praised me, his words feeling like salt in an open wound. Topping tests was all he cared about.

"Yes, and thanks," I said, making eye contact with him. "I have to meet Daniel at 6 tonight. Can I go?"

"Meet for a class project?" he asked predictably, settling into the cushion. If anything involved school, he would approve without thinking twice, even if it meant spending a lot of money.

"Yes, please," I lied, and he gave me the go-ahead. That was it—everyday lies!

He told Mom to serve me food since I wouldn't make it for dinner, and she did. She brought a tray laden with hot plates of steamed rice and vegetable stir-fry to the dining table.

As I took my first bite, my phone rang from upstairs. Dad never allowed me to take food to my room, so I was torn between leaving the food unfinished to answer the call or finishing my meal and ignoring the call. I wasn't one to leave my food half-eaten, but I also didn't want to miss the call.

He noticed how I was slowly tapping my fork on the plate and said, "You can take your food upstairs, just for today." That didn't come as a surprise at all to me, because I had passed the test, and at the moment, he would do anything for me.

I quickly grabbed my plate and went up to my room. I flopped onto the bed, checking my phone's Recent calls. First on the list was "Sandra (New girl)" with three missed calls next to it.

A smirk crossed my face. Not gonna lie, it really bothered me that she had started her paper late but still managed to make it into the top four.

Maybe Jayden was right; Sandra's success did seem to threaten mine. My position as class valedictorian meant everything to my dad, and I dreaded losing it to her—just like I had lost it to the late scholarship girl two years ago.