Jude's Diary - A thriller with a supernatural twist!

Chapter 2

With just three weeks of school left, I had been feeling very confident that I would end my high school career as planned. I would ace my last few assignments, kill it in Cabaret, and wrap up my volunteer work. I had my valedictorian speech written and a post-graduation party on the yacht planned with a small group of friends. I would spend the rest of my summer relaxing in the French Riviera, then head to Princeton where I'd get my BA, and eventually land at Stanford to get my JD. I'd go on to practice Corporate Law, like my mother, so I could help protect the assets of private companies like the one run by my father. My life was right on track.

But as I headed to school the day after my party, I felt a tinge of concern. Just to be sure, I decided to double-check my academic standing.

I arrived at school extra early, parked my Audi in the student lot and walked across the lawn towards the Main Hall of Westerling High, the only public high school in my sleepy little Florida panhandle hometown of Lost Key. The campus was nestled in a copse of palm trees less than a mile from the white sands and turquoise blue waters of the Gulf Coast, and the walkways were lined with plumeria bushes and bougainvillea vines, which is to say, the walk across campus always smelled like the inside of a Sour Patch Kids factory.

The Main Hall was a two-story brick building that looked more like a courthouse than a school, and the front office was no exception. The long, narrow room had a solid hardwood counter that ran from one end to the other and a waxed tile floor. I opened the heavy wooden doors to enter and made eye contact with one of the lowerclassmen working as an Office Aide behind the counter. As soon as she saw me, she lifted a section of countertop and came around.

"Alissa, what are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

I snickered. "What do you think I'm doing here, Melody? Taking your Starbucks order?" I had bribed her earlier that year to keep an ear to the ground. Specifically, I wanted her to keep tabs on class rankings and let me know if she heard or saw anything unusual from the Selection Committee that picked the valedictorian and salutatorian.

She looked around furtively and then motioned for me to follow her. We went back out into the hall.

"I heard about your party," Melody whispered.

"Don't even go there," I said with a look that made her wince. "You know why I'm here. Anything new I need to know about?"

Melody licked her lips. "Same as usual. Dean King is still half a grade-point behind you. No new letters of recommendation. And you know he doesn't volunteer. You're still top of the list by far."

I felt gratified. Dean King had been my primary academic rival since elementary school. That douchebag was Captain of the football team and President of the Speech and Debate Club. He was Class President, too, and he was in every play and musical. He was Prom King and Homecoming Czar, and he went to every damn school event, and despite all of this, his grades were almost perfect. I had some theories as to how this was possible, but no proof. As long as my final grades were solid As, which I expected them to be, there was no reason to sweat.

I nodded at Melody. "Thanks. You'll text me if anything changes, right?"

"Actually, there is one other thing," she started to say, but at that moment, Principal Voss walked up behind her with a stern look on his face.

"Morning, Principal Voss," I said with the most coquettish smile I could muster.

Melody's mouth snapped shut and her eyes bulged. That girl had no chill.

"Morning, Miss Pike," our principal said, grabbing the door handle. "I'm glad I ran into you. Would you mind following me, please?"

Melody looked at me with cold fear. I found it off-putting how easily she was intimidated by authority. People like that are so easy to manipulate.