Life Within The Halls

Chapter 7: "52-to-54"

LIFE WITHIN THE HALLS

Gideon

Wednesday, 11th February, 1:29 p.m.

After almost an hour and a half of searching, Sandra, Jayden, Victoria, and I were no closer to solving the mystery of my best friend, Daniel, who had been replaced by his look-alike. Despite our efforts, we hadn't found any significant leads or clues, except for what Jayden claimed he had seen.

Sinking into the sofa, I looked at the others. "So Mr. Bennett is our only suspect now."
Sandra sighed, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but 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, the physics teacher, had only been at the school for a year. With his charming smile and movie-star looks, he became the object of affection for many of the girls, which, not for my dislike toward him but honestly, made the classroom dynamics a tad awkward.

"Is it just because of his pretty face?" Jayden leaned in. "Believe me, I saw him chatting with Daniel... Daniel's look-alike in the second-floor hallway ten minutes after lunch break was over. Right smack dab in the middle of class hours."

If Jayden wasn't mistaken about what he saw, then Mr. Bennett had some explaining to do. While I wasn't exactly the type to worry about following school rules, there was one rule that everyone knew and respected: teachers weren't allowed to engage with students outside of class during school hours.

"Mr. Bennett can't be involved. There must be a misunderstanding," Victoria expressed her doubt.

The final bell rang, and we packed up our belongings, leaving the prefect room together. The halls were abuzz with students eager to head out—some rushing off to sports practices, others to music and drama rehearsals.

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

Victoria scoffed, "Next move? I don't want my face plastered across the front page of the school newspaper tomorrow. Especially not with the three of you." With her typical air of superiority, she added, "School's closed. My copper will be here any minute. Bye," and strode away.

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

Jayden replied dryly, "Yeah, she's always been a bit too concerned about her image. But at least she's consistent." He shared a knowing look with me, expecting me to find it funny, but I remained serious.

I scanned the hallway, making sure no one was listening in. "Let's go home and meet back at school around 6:30 p.m.," I suggested. "We'll break into Mr. Bennett's office without anyone noticing."

Jayden nodded in agreement, though he seemed hesitant. "Sounds like a plan, but I don't think Sandra's parents will let her—"

"I'll come, don't worry," Sandra interrupted, speaking with utmost confidence. "Just focus on getting here without an entourage of girls, Mr. Influencer." She turned with an eye roll aimed at Jayden and walked away.

Jayden went in the opposite direction, joining his friend Henry and a group of basketball players, while I merged with the crowd of students heading toward the parking lot.

In the lot, I anxiously waited for my driver to arrive. I was desperate to get home before my dad returned from his trip to Canada. Minutes stretched on, each one feeling like forever as my impatience grew. You'd think growing up in a wealthy family would mean never having to worry about things like this, but the truth was, it only made the waiting feel even more agonizing.