“There are three police cars.What the heck happened?”I asked, straining to catch a glimpse of the scene.
“Everyone, please proceed to your classes; there's nothing to see here.Let's move along,” Mr.Baldi, our math teacher, directed.
“Hey, do you have any idea what's going on?”Emily asked a student at the front of the group.I edged closer to listen in.“They're calling it vandalism.Someone smashed the window of our lab class.It looked like there was a party; there were food scraps and empty bottles everywhere.I heard some teachers speculating it might be someone from our school,” the guy whispered.Well, that opened up many possibilities; 90 percent of our student body was full of 'unique' characters, some dabbling in drugs and others smoking weed.We were all artists, after all.
“Do you have any idea who it could be?”I asked Emily, intrigued to see if she had any leads.
“I don't know, but it could be anyone.Definitely a large group,” she replied, and I nodded in agreement.“Looks like no art lab for us today.”I felt a pang of disappointment; art lab was my favorite subject, a chance for us to unleash our creativity and work with our hands.
“Let's check the board for our first class,” Emily suggested as she walked toward it.
“Don't you ever check your emails?Come on, we have history first, in room 303.”
“Oh, right, but I tend to ignore my emails until they pile up to a hundred unread messages.”She flashed a grin.
Once we stepped in, there were only a couple of students sitting.Probably all the others were still trying to find some information.We waved at them and sat in our usual spot in the last row by the window.A moment later, a large group walked in, taking their usual seats as well.Someone waved at us; others just ignored us.The class was almost entirely female, with just one boy, Jonny, who wanted to be a fashion designer and dreamed of living in Milan.There were five groups that stuck together, and we named them all just for fun.
The Holy Trinity:Jonny and two other sisters; they were inseparable.If they could, they would go to the same bathroom as well.The Snobs:five girls with poor grades who didn't want to talk to anyone outside their group.The Rich:four girls who were competing to see who had more brands.The Nerds:four girls who slept with their books, the first ones to come to class and the last to leave, never missing a day.And, of course, the two of us—the Siamese twins, inseparable since day one.
“Aren't there any cameras in here?”Emily whispered, leaning toward me.
“There were, but none by the lab; they broke down before the end of the school year.Don't you remember?Somebody came to fix them, but eventually, they never did.”
“Oh, so it must be someone from this school then.”
Mr.Costa came rushing, looking nervous.
“Good morning, everybody!Hope you had a pleasant summer.”The whole class was silent.He continued, “As you may already recall, somebody broke into our lab room.This unfortunate event will not affect our schedule, and all classes that were supposed to be in that wing will be relocated soon.”He said, walking between desks and glancing at all of us, “If you and your friends have any information about who that could be, we strongly suggest that you notify your teachers.Now let's not waste any more time; let's begin.”
Just as he headed to his desk, someone knocked.“Yes, you may come in,” he shouted.It was a secretary holding a small piece of paper.“I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to bring one of your students to the principal's office.”Instant panic rose among the students.
“Ooh, this is exciting.I guess they already found out who did it,” Emily smiled maliciously, whispering in my direction.
“Sure, who are you looking for?”asked the professor curiously.
“Luna Bernardi.Is she in here?”My heart sank, and I was hit with gazes directed at me like arrows.Emily’s eyes were wide open: “Wicked.I guess I underestimated you,” she said, smiling.
“I didn't do anything, I swear.”Emily looked at me as if she wasn't sure if she could believe me.
Panic consumed me entirely; I hadn't done anything wrong, yet a sense of guilt was rising, preventing me from standing tall.The secretary's impatient gaze was fixed on me.“Ms.Bernardi, please follow me,” she commanded, her tone firm and unwavering.I rose slowly, my knees trembling beneath me.
“Should I grab my things?”I asked, but before she could respond, Emily waved her hand, signaling that she would handle it.As I moved, I felt the weight of curious eyes upon me.
As I got closer, I caught sight of the paper she held, my name written in blue ink.Without waiting, she started walking briskly, expecting me to keep pace.The silence of the long corridor was broken only by the rhythmic click of her heels and the frantic pounding of my heart.
In over four years, I had never set foot in the principal's office.As I walked, I racked my brain for any possible reason I might have been summoned, but nothing came to mind.
Upon reaching the door, she knocked, and a voice from within beckoned us to enter.The door swung open, and the secretary gestured for me to step inside, remaining by the entrance and closing the door behind me.I was left alone with a man I had never seen before.
“Please, have a seat,” he said, an elderly man with short gray hair and a thick yellowish mustache, gesturing toward one of the two chairs positioned in front of his dark wooden desk.“Give me a moment,” he added, returning to his writing with an intensity that made my heart race.I imagined it might leap from my chest, splattering all over his desk, splashing blood everywhere.What a sick thought to envision.
The silence was so thick that I could hear every scratch of his pen against the paper.The tension was unbearable.I scanned the room for any distraction.
A spacious window loomed behind him, offering a view of the courtyard below.To his right, a massive brown bookshelf reached toward the ceiling, filled with old tomes, relics of the school's illustrious history, all covered in a thick layer of dust.
On the left side, a sturdy cream-colored printer sat alongside five tall file cabinets, which formed a neat row against the matching wall.I also noticed a half-dead ficus plant, likely neglected during the summer months.The office felt aged, and as my gaze flitted around, I suddenly jolted at the sound of his voice breaking the silence.
“Ms.Bernardi, do you understand why you've been called here?”I hesitated momentarily.
