Twenty EIght

CHAPTER 28

Cafeteria- Golden High School.

"Didn't you make a mistake when you heard it, Britt?"

Brittany and Alicia were now sitting with the other students in the cafeteria. Just like the others, the two of them did not want to miss their lunch hour that day. The two of them sat in a corner of the cafeteria, as if they had marked the table as theirs beforehand.

Brittany stirred the spaghetti with lots of sauce and meat in front of her without interest. She just nodded weakly. "I heard it clearly, they're talking about you," she informed.

Alicia took a sip of her iced vanilla latte and muttered under her breath afterwards. "Do you know who was in there?"

Brittany shook her head. "For all I know, it's Ace's room." and shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

Then Alicia just flexed her forehead deeply. "Are you sure it's Ace?"

And all Brittany did was let out a long sigh. The blonde-haired girl then shifted her plate away, seemingly no longer having any appetite for the meaty meal. "I didn't say it was Ace. To be honest, I'm not sure either because his voice sounded like it was held back by something...," Brittany mumbled, trying to recall. "He sounded like he had a bad cold and you know, we always have different voices when we have a cold," she said at length.

Brittany stirred her vanilla latte before sipping the coffee over the rim of the cup. The black-brown liquid was no longer billowing steam as it had been left on the table for too long. "You'd better be careful with her," Brittany suggested.

Alicia chewed the noodle-based food in her mouth before asking, "Why is that?"

"I've noticed that Ace's emotions change a lot when he's with you. He gets warm, then turns cold as ice." Brittany concluded. "That's not who Ace is, it's like he's trying to be himself when he's not. But I'm not sure myself," she said convolutedly.

Alicia just rolled her eyes lazily and replied, "You're making my head spin, Britt."

The chubby-cheeked girl then snorted in amusement and got up from her chair. "Then finish your meal and help me finish Mr. Wilson's assignment," she concluded meaningfully.

Alicia frowned as she saw her best friend preparing to leave the cafeteria. "Are you really leaving me?" she asked curiously.

"I have to go back to my room and finish all those assignments. Like I said," she replied lazily. "I don't want my grades to drop again like last week or I'll end up living in this dorm with no money at all." Brittany turned her head lazily and let out a desperate sigh in front of Alicia. "My parents are so cruel, aren't they?"

And the ash-haired girl just chuckled amusedly. "But you haven't touched your food, Britt," she said. "I'm afraid you'll starve to death in your room in a few minutes."

Brittany sniggered. "Let's just say I'm on a diet. Ah, well, you'd better finish your food and go back to your room." She then turned around, facing the cafeteria exit. "I'll go first," she said as she left Alicia at her desk.

Brittany left the cafeteria because she had a bad appetite and it just so happened that the assignment from Golden High's CEO in history class was really worrying her. She hadn't done it at all and that would be the reason why her grades were low-like last week.

The main hallway was still bustling. With some students busy passing by there. While others, spent their time chatting in some corners of the hallway.

Nothing was out of the ordinary, until Brittany's cell phone suddenly vibrated and that meant a text message had just arrived in her mailbox.

Brittany quickly opened the message and found what she thought was an odd message. "It's a strange number," she said, staring at her phone screen.

Britt, I already know who it is. He's with me now in hallway 003. Get over here and help me! Remember, don't make any noise because I'm still on him. Make sure no one follows you. -Alicia.

"It's a foreign number, not Alicia's," he said suspiciously. He glanced around the main hallway and the people were still there, all busy of course. "I need to confirm this."

Brittany immediately looked up Alicia's number that she had saved in her cell phone and tried to call her. "Euh, why isn't her number active? I'm worried!" She tried a few more times with the same result.

Another message landed in Brittany's mailbox.

Sorry Britt, I forgot to tell you. I changed my cell phone number when I was detained at the police station yesterday. Get over here and you're in for a big surprise!

Brittany gripped her phone tightly and considered for a moment what to do. "I don't feel good, maybe I should call Nic." She monologued to herself, before finally calling Nic and telling him everything that had happened and asking him to come over.

An uneasy feeling came over Brittany at that moment. She tapped the edge of her phone furiously. Nicholas said he would see her soon, but waiting for him would take a long time. It might endanger Alicia up there.

And so the dilemma ended with Brittany's decision to run to the third floor (or hallway 003), to help Alicia. Aisle 003 or the third floor was reserved for students who had the first letters of the alphabet R through Z. And it had been decreed by the higher-ups two weeks ago (or to be precise, the day before Alicia's arrival and legalized the day after).

The hallway on the top floor of Golden High was deserted. There were absolutely no students passing by like the other hallways. Perhaps it was because all the students who owned rooms on floor 003 were enjoying their lunch hour in the cafeteria or the dormitory garden.

"Alicia," Brittany called cautiously.

Her feet stepped slowly, while her eyes watched every inch of the hallway warily. Lonely, that's how she felt at that moment. The fine hairs on Brittany's body suddenly bristled, as the girl remembered that she and Alicia were dealing with a murderer there.

"Where's Nic, I'm feeling terrible right now." Brittany called Nic several times, but there was no answer. "Maybe he's on his way here," she thought.

Brittany's cell phone suddenly vibrated. And she checked it as soon as she could. Instead of hearing back from Detective Nicholas, she received a message from Alicia's new number.

Go into Selena's room, I followed her this far and I've caught her. I need you to get her out of here.

Brittany's eyes rounded instantly. "Selena's room?" She immediately looked up and walked towards room 020 with Selena's name underneath. Upon arriving, her heart skipped a beat. She felt like something was wrong here. But she still dared to open the door knob which, as it turned out, was completely unlocked.

"Alicia?" Brittany entered Selena's room hesitantly.

She saw no one in the room but a gray-haired girl who was facing the large window (which led directly to the dormitory grounds) and her back. "Alicia, where is the culprit?" Brittany slowly walked up to the girl.

But the girl didn't respond. And Brittany's feelings were now starting to turn anxious. She cleared her throat, trying to stabilize her racing heart. Brittany was scared now.

"Alicia, why are you so quiet?" Brittany tried again.

Now the chubby-cheeked girl was right behind the ash-haired girl. Looking at her posture this close, Brittany was convinced that the person in front of her was indeed Alicia.

Without hesitation, Brittany grabbed Alicia's shoulders and was about to turn her around. But what happened next was...

.

.

.

"AAAAHHHHH!!!"

The girl grabbed both of Brittany's hands as hard as she could and pushed her senselessly out the window as she watched Brittany's body being thrown out... without any guilt, whatsoever.