This chapter is dedicated to pweety_1

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The office was quiet and dark, with just the table lamp brightening a small portion of the room, but enough for the inspector to see through the stack of papers containing information regarding his newly appointed case. Several times he had played the recording tape just in case there was something that could lead him in this case, but every time he always saw himself in a dead end.

"She was hated by the majority of the students but loved by teachers," he mumbled to himself. "She wasn't bullied and was strong-willed, based on the students' stories.

"There isn't any other fingerprint aside from hers on the knife, paper, and pen," the inspector went on. "So irrespective of my intuition telling me it's something way more than just self-harm, everything points to her committing this to herself."

He reached for the cup of water on his table but stopped when his office phone rang.

"Hello?" he answered.

"What are you doing?" He could tell by the voice who this person was.

"I'm still working on the case, sir," he responded.

"The case should be closed," the SP ordered. "It's disrupting the other students at that school. They can't concentrate, knowing a student just died. Well-known names are investing greatly in that school and don't like the name of their investment on the Internet for a bad reason."

"But sir, I'm still investigating. I can't just close the case," the inspector said, standing up with one hand strapped to his waist.

"Do you have any leads? So far, everything proves she committed suicide. What's there to investigate?"

"But sir—"

"Listen to me, Officer Jerry, and follow my orders!" The SP shouted. "Close this case and focus on a new case that will be on your desk on Monday morning. You are wasting time, energy, and finances on a case that's already settled. No one asked her to kill herself."

Officer Jerry saluted, though the man at the other end wasn't physically present. "Yes, sir!" 

The inspector hated the order being passed to him, but this was from the higher-ups; there was nothing he could do.

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Monday was finally here, but I wasn't looking forward to it in an exciting way. I'd woken up early and prepared myself so I could be at school on time. I decided to put all my textbooks and a maximum of five exercise books in my backpack because I wasn't sure what subject we'd be studying for the day. Hanging my backpack on both shoulders, I decided to look at myself in the mirror.

Instead of seeing my image, I saw that of Danielle. I imagined her in this same uniform leaving the house and going to that hell hole she called school. The jacket fitted perfectly well, as did the inner white and flare skirt. It felt like the school knew my measurements before selecting the uniform. I grabbed the tie and stepped out of the room while knotting it.

"Good morning, sis Debby." I moved to peck my sister on both cheeks. I looked around during that, and thank goodness, Trust wasn't in sight.

"You look happy today," she smiled. "It must be a good decision to let you go to this school."

If only she knew. The only reason I was smiling was because I didn't want to worry her.

"Come on now, go take your breakfast so I can drop you off at school." I looked over at the dining table to see the tea and sliced bread she'd prepared.

"Sis, I did say I didn't want others to know that I'm Danielle's sister." I reminded her. She usually dropped Danielle off. One look at the car and everyone would know.

"But it's pouring hard outside," she tried to reason. "At least let Trust give you a ride, as he's going to the company."

"Trust should do what?" I shook my head rapidly. "I'd rather trek to school in the rain."

Debby sighed through her mouth and placed her right hand on her temple. I could tell she was feeling exhausted. "Okay, at least let me call in an Uber; we've got an umbrella or two lying around."

"Better," I nodded.

"Now go eat. It'd be here by the time you're done." I decided to obey my big sister as I turned and headed for the dining table.

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The Uber driver stopped outside the school gate, which was an inconvenience on my part, knowing how it was raining cats and dogs outside. I proceeded to open the umbrella before completely getting out of the car.
 
Standing under the umbrella, I couldn't admire the building or the school's premises as I did last Wednesday because of how chaotic everything was. Students without umbrellas were trying to beat the rain by racing to the next available shelter, while those with one were walking with hurried steps. Even though I had an umbrella with me, I wanted to get to the school's main building ASAP.

Splash! 

I jumped when a car zoomed past me, but not fast enough to stop the dirty water from splashing on my white sneakers and socks.

"Aha?"

I looked at where the car had parked and watched as the back seat opened. I knew I was going to come across one of them in this school, but seeing that one would be the first student I would encounter, riled me up.

I matched up to the boy now under the umbrella he'd just opened, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. I wasn't sure he'd even noticed my presence.

"Apologise," I forced out, looking at the boy who now had his eyes on me.

"What?!" He yelled, trying to beat the sound of the heavy downpour.

"Apologise," I repeated.

This guy placed his left hand at the back of his left ear while cupping it. "What?! You have to speak louder! I can't hear you cause of the rain!"

"Your car splashed dirty water on my shoes!" Now he was getting on my nerves.

"You are looking for where to buy some juice?" Okay, now he was playing with me. "I don't know, the cafeteria?"

"Are you deaf?" I tightened the grip around my umbrella's handle. "I said your car—"

"Got to go," he cut me off after looking at something on his phone, then sidestepped me. I stood there for a long time as I watched him go into the school's main building. Was he taking me for a fool?

I increased my pace so I could catch up with him, and thank God I did. I closed my umbrella once I got to the hallway and walked over to this annoying person who was still looking at his phone.

"I told you to apologise." I placed a hand on his shoulder and forcefully turned him to face me, irrespective of how tall he was. His eyes were wide for a bit, but he shrugged my hands off of him.

"What is wrong with you?"

"I should be asking you that," I spat at him, ignoring the students looking at us instead of minding their business. "Your stupid car splashed dirty water all over my socks and sneakers; can't you see that?" I pointed at my shoes with both palms. "Apologise!" 

"Why?"

"What?" Was he being serious? "You're asking me why?"

"I'm not the driver, so why should I apologise?" He shrugged, placing his hands in his pocket. "If you want an apology, then go over to my driver; he'll give you one. I'm off to class."

Before I could open my mouth to speak, this guy was already striding off. What an arrogant rich man pikin! I wanted to scream, and it didn't help with the way others were looking at me like I'd upset their pet dog.

"This won't do," I mumbled to myself. I scanned the hall, ignoring the eyes of a few who were still giving me judgmental looks. My gaze landed on someone resting against a wall. He wasn't looking like someone who'd paid attention to what happened. Now that I think of it, he wasn't paying attention to anything.

I walked up to him and noticed his eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily. Was he sleeping? Sleeping in this position?

"Hey," I said, snapping my fingers a few times, but there was no response; he was clearly sleeping. "Hey!" 

"What, what, what?" I watched his comical way of frantically looking around to make sure he was alerted. When he finally noticed me, he yawned and leaned against the wall once more. "What is it?"

"Um, excuse me," I began. "But is there like a tap somewhere I can use?"

"You're acting like you're new," the boy scoffed. But when he saw I didn't respond, he coughed. "Oh, you are new. Anyway, welcome to Greenville High. I hope the wahala won't send you packing."

"Thank you. So where can I see running water?" I questioned. 

"The purest running water is literally pouring outside." That wasn't funny if he thought it was. "There's a tap at the sports complex, but I doubt you'll find your way there. Just go to the restroom."

"Thank you," I acknowledge. "But how do I get there?"

This boy leaned away from the wall. "This school has six restrooms in total. Three for the males and three for the females. The junior high male and female restrooms are located on the left wing, first floor since that's the junior high students' arm. The senior high male and female restrooms are located on the right wing, second floor. And the last two toilets are for the teaching and non-teaching staff."

Couldn't he have gone straight to the restroom for senior students? Irrespective of that, I decided to show my gratitude. "Thank you." 

But he didn't say a 'you're welcome' before turning and walking away. I tried to ignore it. If I reacted to everything happening to me in this school, I'd lose focus.

I took the right wing and climbed the stairs to the second floor as directed by the school's sleeping beauty. I was supposed to meet the principal once I arrived, but because of this incident, I couldn't at the moment. I finally got to two doors close to each other with the labels Senior Female Toilet and Senior Male Toilet, respectively. I opened the female restroom and walked in. The female restroom looked like that of my previous school's. It had a total of five stalls, a small space between the stalls and the sink, and a rectangular mirror plastered on the wall.

I proceeded to pull my sneakers off and then my socks. I did not need to wear the socks knowing how dirty it was, so I placed them in my backpack. For my sneakers, I brought out my hand towel and damped it with water from the sink tap before scrubbing off the brown stains on my sneakers. It took a couple of minutes before I could finish, and thank goodness no one stepped into the restroom while I was busy.

I was late.

I put on my sneakers and raced out, almost bumping into a girl entering the restroom. I remembered where the principal's office was located, and once I got there, I quickly controlled my breathing pace before gently knocking on the door.

"Come in," I heard the voice of the principal say, and then I opened the door.

"Oh, Delphine," the principal acknowledged as I walked further into the room. "You look brilliant today."

"Thank you very much, ma," I said to her.

"Hold on, let me get a hold of your class teacher," she said, grabbing the phone from her desk.

I waited patiently as she sent her call across. "Hello, Mr. Obi, yes. Delphine Peter just showed up in my office. Can you come get her so you can introduce her to the students in your class? Yes, okay, we'll be waiting." She dropped her phone and looked at me. "Sit; he'll be here in a second."

I moved to the comfortable sofa in her office and sat down. The principal seemed busy as she searched for something in her desk drawer.

"Come, Delphine," she instructed. I stood up and moved over to her desk. "Have this." It was the school's handbook, judging by the cover. "Everything you need to know about Greenville High is in there. Amazing clubs and sports teams are listed there for you to join."

"Thank you very much, ma." I took the book from her and was about to look through it when the door to the office opened. A fair young man, though average in height because I was taller than him, walked in. He looked like he was in his early thirties, judging from his look. He had a receding hairline and minimal facial hair; his face was also filled with big pimples, which was a bit distracting.

"Delphine, meet your new class teacher, Mr. Obi."

"Good morning, sir," I said.

"Good morning," he responded.

"Mr. Obi, please help take her to her class," the principal instructed.

"Okay, ma," he said, then turned to me. "Come with me."

I joined Mr. Obi as he led the way out of the principal's office.

"Welcome to this great institute," he said, as he led the way to my new class. "You'll love it here."

"Thank you, sir." I wasn't sure what to say to him and had to reply somehow, so things wouldn't get awkward.

We finally got to a class with Ss3 Arts on the door. Mr. Obi opened the door, and we both walked into the classroom. There was a pretty, fair woman standing in front of the class. Her attention and that of the class were on us as we walked in.

"Sorry to interrupt Miss. Oluchi, but we've got a new student today." Mr. Obi said, walking further into the room.

"New student?" I could tell she was shocked, judging by the tone of her voice. "Welcome dear." 

"Thank you, ma," I responded.

"Everyone," Mr. Obi called out. "This is Delphine Peter, and she will be joining you today. Make her comfortable, and don't exclude her from things because she's new. Okay?" 

"Yes sir!" The excitement came mostly from the guys, while the girls cared less.

"Alright, Delphine, why don't you sit with Kim over there?" Mr. Obi said, pointing at the only available seat in the class, which was beside an Asian-looking student. I could tell she was a blasian at first glance.

"Okay, sir," I said. I held the straps of my backpack and cautiously moved over to my new seat. I'd never been a new student before. I've seen new students join my class in the past, but I've never been new myself. How was I meant to act?

"Okay, let me leave you to your class," Mr. Obi said to the teacher. "You people should not disturb this pretty woman; let her teach in peace."

"Yes, sir," most students said.

"Ashawo," someone else muttered, but it wasn't noticed by the teachers. Mr. Obi left the classroom, and I proceeded to take my seat.

"Hi, I'm Kimberly Park or Kim for short." She stretched out her hands to me, and I took it out of respect. "Yeah, I know, I get the looks during first meetings around here, but I can't help it; I'm Nigerian-Korean."

"I'm Delphine, Delphine Peter," I said to her with a smile.

"Glad to see you both are getting along," the teacher said, drawing our attention back to her. "Welcome to Greenville High, Delphine. This institute is like a second home to all students, so I hope you make it your safe place."

How could I make it my safe place when it couldn't save the life of someone dear to me?

"You know," Kim leaned in to whisper. "I thought I'd never have a seat partner again."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Something tragic happened to my former partner." I knew well enough that she was talking about Danielle.

"Before Delphine got introduced, we were talking about something." Miss. Oluchi said to the class. "Do people work only because of money?" That was when I noticed the written words on the board. "Two had volunteered and were ready to give their take on this topic. Let's welcome Krystian and Romeo."

The class began clapping and I slowly joined them, though I wasn't sure what was going on.

"We're currently having Economics," Kim decided to help out. "And she was talking about the hierarchy of needs. When she asked this question, the class was divided. Some said people worked for money, and others said there are other factors why people work." 

I watched as two familiar faces walked to the front of the class. One was the guy I'd asked for directions to the restroom, and the other was the reason why I had to ask for directions in the first place.

"That's Romeo," Kim whispered, pointing at the boy on the left. He was fair in complexion and had curly hair in two shades. Brown and lighter brown. He was also putting on glasses, unlike earlier when I asked for directions. "He's a jerk and a rich snub."

"What do you mean by rich snub?" I questioned.

"He's a scholarship student and only mingles with scholarship students. He says awful things to the students from well-known families like it's a crime to be born rich. I'm the class rep, so you know. There was this one time when a teacher asked me to get the students' notes. When it was time for me to get his, he asked me to hold on so he could thoroughly clean his notebook with his hand towel so it wouldn't stain my rich golden hands. His words, not mine." She narrated.

"Did he mean it in a bad way?" I asked. 

"Of course!" she almost exclaimed. "What has he ever done that isn't meant to be in a bad way?"

"And the other?" I questioned, nudging my chin towards the next boy.

"That's Christian, but spelled with a KRY. Krystian Williams, son of the famous actor Henry Williams." Kim introduced. Krystian was boyishly lean and had curly black hair. He was darker compared to Romeo, and his height wasn't unnoticed. "He's part of the Elites." I looked at Kim, and she shook her head. "A story for another time." I decided to let my curiosity die. "He's the reason most females go to watch the football practice or just random fun game on the field. He's a Greek god."

I remembered the things he and his friends said at my sister's funeral and also the things he'd done earlier today, which riled me up a bit. "He's a Greek god . . ."

"I know right—"

". . . the lowest version of a Greek god." He probably knew the hard gaze I was throwing at him as his eyes met mine.

"Let's start with Romeo," the teacher unintentionally interrupted whatever tension we had going on with our gazes. "You were one of the few who said people work only because of money and volunteered to give your take. So let's hear it."

Romeo stepped forward and pushed the glasses up his nose. "Yes, people work only because of money. I do not care what the rich kids believe, but this is based on my perspective."

"See what I mean by rich snub?" Kim trailed in.

"Why work if not for money? What's the point of working?" Romeo said, spreading his hands wide. "Because I don't see any reason if not to make money. Even the so-called rich work to make more money. Money is what we use to survive in this economy and the only motivation we use to work. Even Yahoo boys sweat so they can cash out."

His last take sent many students chuckling.

"Okay," Miss. Oluchi let out a chuckle. "Let's hear from Krystian."

"I think people don't work only because of money, and it's not because of being rich," Kim said, gaining my attention.

"Are you saying that because you favour Krystian over Romeo?" I asked. 

"No, I'm not," Kim said, shaking her head. "I'm the head of the debate team, and no matter how much I like someone, I stand on a valid take. What do you think?"

"Well, money is primarily the reason, like Romeo said, but there's a keyword in the question, only. This is focused on the hierarchy of needs like you said, so other factors can come in after money is being met." I said to her.

Kim looked at me in awe. "Would you like to join the debate club?"

I let out a small laugh and said, "No, thank you."

Romeo stepped back, and Krystian stepped forward. "Romeo said that money is the motivation for work, but I'm here to say that money can be a key motivation, but it isn't the only motivator."

"Go on," Miss. Oluchi nodded. "Let's hear your take."

"You asked a question: Do people work only because of money, not do people work because of money? There's a difference. It's just like the popular misinformation that money is the root of all evil instead of the love of money being the root of all evil. It all falls to understanding." Krystian was currently walking back and forth, gaining the class's attention. "Aside from money being a motivator, other motivators could be independence, acquiring skills, getting into a community, passion, and even safety. You see, most people work for independence because they want to have more control of their lives, so people can see how responsible they are and take them seriously. Some work because they want more knowledge and skills. Some because they want to belong somewhere, to make new friends, and many because they have passion and excitement when it comes to their work."

"Who has a passion for work?" Romeo asked, turning to Krystian. "That's just rich people's talk."

"I don't know," Krystian shrugged. "Chefs, writers, artists, teachers, doctors? Most of them get passionate about their work, irrespective of their income. Haven't you heard of turning your passion into your profession?—"

Well, I have. . . .

"—Passion is more important because someone passionate about something earns good money at the end of the day."

The class erupted in a round of applause for Krystian, and I was sure Kim's was the loudest.

"Beautiful, Krystian," Miss. Oluchi applauded. "You both were brilliant. You both should have your seats."

I watched the two boys move over to their seats. Krystian sat with the other guy I'd seen at my sister's funeral, and in front of him were the girls. Why didn't I notice them when I walked in?

"You see class, people's needs differ, that's the point of today's topic, and that's where the hierarchy of needs comes in. Yes, most people work primarily for money, but there are other factors too. They go to work because they enjoy feeling respected by others and appreciated for their good work. When a need is met," she went on, "the next level of their needs will be their next priority. Don't worry, we'll get to see that during the day's lesson."

"I feel overjoyed with how Krystian ended Romeo," Kim said as she turned to the back, at the same time the teacher walked to get the book she'd use to teach the class. "Look at him, sleeping as always after being murdered with facts."

"I saw him sleeping while standing in the hall earlier today," I said to her.

"Not surprised. A teacher asked him to kneel one time, and he fell asleep while kneeling." I guess that was a funny sight. "But look at Krystian . . . "

I turned my head in a different direction to see the guy she was now focusing on. ". . . you won't catch him doing stupid things like Romeo. I guess that's why he's so popular."

"What do you guys use to determine the popular kids around here?" I questioned. My previous school was mostly based on brain, authoritative personalities, positions either in sports, clubs or the school body—like the head boy, head girl, etc, and charms, not necessarily good looks. "Looks, brains?" 

"Everything, he got it." Kim acknowledged, but I scrunched my nose. Brain, yes, but looks? Were they blind? He wasn't even close to Davidson from my former school when it came to looks. I was also sure I saw other nice-looking guys in the hall today, but I chose to keep my comment to myself.

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We've come to the end of today's chapter, yay to that😩

Update schedules are still Wednesdays and Fridays. I only posted today cause I won't be able to do so tomorrow and Wednesday.

I think this is the longest so far, based on the fact that it's over 4000 words. But compared to some chapters in MIX AND MAX, it's still on the average side. We'll get there.

What do you think about this chapter and Delphine's encounter with Krystian, Romeo and even Kim?

Don't forget to vote and comment in other to make this author very happy.

Till next time, bye!