She says nothing, just stares at me as I stare back. I think it’s the longest we have ever really looked at each other, and I’m not sure how long it lasts, but it’s long enough to be significant. Her face is round, pretty, and wet. She’s crying.Why is she crying?
I always assumed people like Chiamaka—people with money—could buy their way into college. Why is she acting like that is not an option? And even without college, she’ll have a trust fund. They always do.
I watch her shoulders, which shudder like a cold breeze has passed through her. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a red USB.
“Did you get this too?”
Why does it feel like I’m in a horror film?
“Yeah, I did,” I say.
She looks up at the ceiling, wiping her face.
“Follow me,” she says, walking down the hallway. I follow. The heels of her shoes click loudly against the marble, while mine squeak after each step. Every sound feels deafening. We finally turn into one of the smaller libraries.
She sits on a chair in front of one of the computers, and I watch her type in her school login, throwing me a look when I’m still watching as she types her password in.
I sigh to myself.Why would I want her password?
She plugs the USB in.
“I didn’t get to look at your file much, since I had class, but it had a lot of folders. Maybe if you see them, you can anticipate and prepare before they strike, or maybe we can show Headmaster Ward these with the notes—”
“So after he blamed us for doing this to each other, you seriously want to trust him again to catch the real culprits?”
Chiamaka ignores me, focusing on the screen instead. The computer makes a loud sound, and the messageUSB NOT RECOGNIZEDappears.
She takes it out and puts it back in. The same thing happens.
I think with everything going on and the rate at which my heart has been going, it seems natural causes could very well be the reason for my death.
“Give me yours,” she says, holding her hand out. I take my bag off and reach inside, rummaging through books and papers, before feeling the cold metal of the USB. I grab it and give it to her.
She plugs mine in and it does the same.
“No no no no no!” I hear her mutter.
She hits the computer, then puts her face in her hands.
“The USBs were a setup,” she says. “Aces planted them on us. There must be something in the coding that destroys the files once they’ve been viewed.”
I swallow. “Why give us the information?”
“To confuse us? Or, I don’t know, make us scared of what the other person has seen…” She squints at me a little, like she’s searching my mind for what I saw.
I think back to the file labeledMurderer.I wonder if that has anything to do with it.
She stands, shutting the computer down. “I don’t know why, or how, but…” She pauses, lowering her voice now. “I think someone is trying to get us expelled.”
“Scotty and Jack too,” I add.
Chiamaka looks confused.
“Who’s Jack?”
“The other guy Aces blasted,” I say as I get my phone out, showing her the message. “Jack McConnel.”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t get that. I don’t think anyone I know got that either.”
