Compared to the staff room, the Principal’s Office wasn’t meant to accommodate several guests at a time. An appropriate space had only been laid out for necessity. The desk, the chairs and two benches on opposite walls filled the floor plan. Others had been taken up by shelves and cabinets.
With Alex on the chair in front of Lilly, the rest had been designated to the benches.
“Are you sure Carla doesn’t mean Courtney?” Jae asked. He sat near the door, Logan beside him. He leaned on the wall with his arms crossed and one ankle on his knee, “She was adamant at exposing you.”
“Maybe” Alex replied, unconvinced. She shrugged, “Courtney happened before Carla happened. I doubt she’d say something like that if she meant Courtney. We already know Courtney’s stand in this. What’s the point of beating around the bush?”
“I agree with Alex,” Emily nodded. Her earrings swayed from the movement, “Unless there’s something Courtney has of Carla, there’s no reason for her to be vague.”
Lauren clicked her tongue, “I was about to say they’re good friends but Carla is merciless on her when it comes to practice.”
“Well, maybe she does have something against Carla. A sort of revenge for being treated that way” Logan supplied. Feet apart, his elbows rested on his knees.
“Is there any way to get her on our side?” Lilly suddenly questioned. All eyes turned to her, “She clearly knows something. If she said she didn’t want to expose Alex then, maybe it’s true. She’s just currently wedged in between the situation.”
“We can’t even know if that really is true” Emily scoffed softly, “Maybe it’s just a way for us to trust her. When we let her in, she’ll strike.”
Jae stared at her in disbelief, “Carla is many things but I don’t think she’d be capable of something like that.”
“Whose side are you on? Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“I think I clearly stated whose boyfriend I am.”
Steve knocked on his desk twice. Mouths clamped shut from the sound. The sudden surge of electric bolts in the room left him winded. All these people together right now but no answers came up. They only had one suspect in a long list of names.
“The matter of Courtney Wilson will be dealt with tomorrow” his voice boomed, “If it doesn’t get resolved tomorrow, we’ll replan the course of action. But other than her, is there anyone else you can think of?”
The teenagers kept their silence. Their mouths had been running off since they came inside. The conversation went back and forth, bench to bench. The adults had let them take over since they were the ones more involved. They hoped to pick up something but came up with none.
“I’ll look up if the family has offended anyone recently. Then, work my way back when there’s nothing” Lilly sighed heavily. It would be hard to be discreet and hide it from the rest. One slip could alert them of her activities. It wouldn’t take long for her twin to find out about it.
Principal Parker laced his fingers together, “If you need any help, I can have James lend a hand. Stealth is one of his strong points. Since this affects the school and its contract with Ethan, I couldn’t keep him in the dark.”
“It’s understandable and I’m grateful for the help.”
Emily smacked her lips. She felt like she’s missing an angle. Her darted around the ceiling. She willed her mind to think. There had to be something they haven’t thought about.
“Have you offended anyone personally, Alex?” The words slipped out before she could process them. When she did, her posture straightened up. A new light shone in her eyes as she gazed at her cousin, “I mean think about it… the only one suffering in this is you. There might be someone who holds a personal grudge against you around here.”
Lilly snapped her fingers, “That could be possible. Maybe the matter is smaller than we think. It doesn’t involve the family’s wealth and reputation at all.”
Alex licked her lips. She glanced in front of her, “I haven’t really interacted with anyone—other than these people in the room.”
“Do what I’ll do” her aunt instructed, “Backtrack little by little until you find an answer.”
===
Carla walked up the stairs sluggishly. A raucous floated out of the kitchen and echoed to the rest of the house. She sighed, pulling off her hair tie. Her dark brown hair fell with a bump in the middle. Her bag audibly smacked on each step as she climbed. Although, it wasn’t loud enough to drown the yelling.
She took a right turn when she reached the top. It took only a few strides to reach her room.
Her feet stopped outside. She scrunched her eyebrows. The light inside the room beamed under the door. If any of her family was in it, no one would close the door. It was one of their house rules.
A foul taste seeped into her mouth.
Carla turned the knob slowly, letting the door’s weight open itself. Her gaze low, it travelled from the door frame to her lavender carpet. Then, it swept over the bed until it landed on her study table. A person occupied her swiveling chair, back facing her. She entered the room and slammed the door shut.
“What are you doing here?” No hint of welcome in her tone.
A mop of black hair lurched at the sound of her voice. The owner shifted her head towards the left. Slowly, the chair turned around until her eyes could take in the head cheerleader’s weary state. A gleaming sweet smile spread on her lips.
“It’s lovely to see you too, cousin dearest” Skye fluttered her eyelashes.
Carla dumped her bag on her dresser. She finger combed her hair and folded her arms over her chest, “Again, what are you doing here?”
Her ‘cousin’ kicked a speck of dust on the floor. She lifted her foot, inspecting it, “So you got caught?”
“I don’t even know how you got here so fast” Carla’s mouth barely moved. It added an edge to her words, “But if you’re worried about me spilling the beans, I didn’t.”
Skye scoffed in mock humor, “Oh, no. I was never worried about that. I knew you’d cave.”
She waved a hand to emphasize her point. Then, she leaned back on the chair and used her feet to sway it side to side. She sighed dejectedly fake, “After all that time wondering, she finally found out it was another student. Not only that but also someone who figured it by accident. She must be quaking by now. One after another, her pillars are being knocked down. Her secret is on a balance. She’d be much more edgy and afraid.”
An arrogant cackle through pressed lips came from the chair. Carla remained quiet. It was like watching a cat play with a mouse—toying it gradually before the cat ate it. The shouts from downstairs reached the second floor. The raised voices turned into shrieks, hoarse throats howling like no tomorrow.
“Aunt and uncle sure are passionate” Skye grinned, her mouth closed, “They haven’t paused since I came.”
“They’re not your aunt and uncle” Carla sneered with her law locked, “You just married into the family.”
Her step-cousin rolled her head on the backrest. Doll black eyes twinkled in mischief, “Yet, I have more backing than you.”
The head cheerleader’s face showed her displeasure. Her hands balled into fists. If she had another way, she wouldn’t have agreed to the plan. She was obviously used as a scapegoat. She resorted to pulling the strings in loopholes.
Since the players didn’t want to be under the limelight, she could control what to say or not to say—even use roundabout ways.
“Did uncle lose more money to gambling again?” Skye proceeded to ask. Carla’s temple ticked, “I heard aunt had called to ask for financial assistance.”
The elder generation of the Conary family still favored males. Most of the wealth would be distributed among them. Unfortunately for Carla’s mother, other than a dowry for her marriage, her relatives hardly offered help over the years—especially when her father picked up vices. Despite their need for a large sum, she wouldn’t have taken the offer.
She only did so when her siblings came to mind. They couldn’t rely on her parents anymore.
“What is the point of telling me this? I already did what you asked. If you have more ideas, I’m afraid I can’t be of help anymore.”
Skye’s sickly smile never faltered, “Oh, I know. Father wouldn’t be happy if anything happened to you. I just came here to lodge a bit.”
Carla noticed the bags near her study table. A deep scowl surfaced on her brows, “You’re staying?”
Skye stood up. She strolled towards the head cheerleader, her hips swinging, “When I heard you got caught, I realized mother was right.”
She stopped a foot away. Carla’s expression fueled her playful desire, “If you want things done, you have to do it yourself.”
In her mind, Carla cursed the girl to hell. Her step-cousin had been so sure Alex wouldn’t tell the adults. Afraid to disappoint her, the head cheerleader left it out. Fabricated a story that Lauren remembered her from that time. After all, the cat needed to keep playing for it to get caught by the foxes.
Her own sinister smile blossomed, “I can’t wait to see it.”
