A few days had passed since the incident. Ms. Alstone, our class teacher, made the big announcement.
I was the valedictorian.
The room erupted in applause, but all I could hear was the bitter echo of irony. Among the clapping hands were the same ones that had tormented that boy, the same ones that had made his life a living hell.
Noah, the minister of foreign affairs's son and undisputed leader of the pack, was the first to approach me. "Hey, mind helping me with this assignment?" he asked, flashing a kind of polished smile.
I thought nothing of it, one request turned into another, then another. Soon, his friends followed suit. Then came the excuses. "Man, I just can't focus with everything going on at home, you're the smartest in class, why not help us out?"
At first, it was just a little extra work for a little extra money. But the payments grew. A few bills here and there turned into enough to cover my sister's expensive school lunches. It felt....good, like I finally had some control over my life instead of just surviving it.
But there's one thing about power, it is a slippery thing. Soon, they weren't just asking for help, they wanted the full answers, assignments, tests and I gave them.
By the end of the year, something that should have been impossible happened. There were two valedictorians, me and Noah, but Ms. Alstone wasn't stupid It didn't take her long to start asking questions. One afternoon, she called me into her office, her sharp eyes pinning me to my seat.
"I'll ask you a question and if you lie to me," she said, voice cold as ice, "I'll find out and that could result to you losing your scholarship."
I cracked, I told her everything.
The next day, Noah and his friends were called in. That was when things truly began to unravel, that was when I realized, Noah wasn't just going to let this slide. Before I knew it, I was their errand boy, the one who fetched their snacks, their sodas, their lunches, whatever they craved, I got it, no questions asked, no complaints, just quick feet and silent obedience.
It wasn't so bad, I told myself, at least they weren't hurting me.
That night, the school was nearly empty. The library, usually filled with quiet whispers and the rustling of pages, had fallen silent. I had stayed late, drowning in textbooks, letting numbers and equations suffocate the gnawing anxiety in my gut. By the time I looked up, the streetlights outside were flickering to life. I packed my things, slung my bag over my shoulder—
And froze.
My bag, I had left it in the classroom, muttering a curse under my breath, I hurried back through the dimly lit halls. The school felt different at night, like a place that had exhaled all its warmth and was now holding its breath.
I grabbed my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and turned to leave, then stopped, voices, coming from the staff room at this time. I hesitated, pulse quickening, it wasn't my business, I should just go. But something in the hushed tones, in the secrecy of it, made my skin prickle.
I stepped closer, my heart hammering, the door was slightly ajar, just a peek, I told myself. Just enough to satisfy my curiosity.
I looked inside and my stomach dropped.
Ms. Alstone was buttoning her blouse, a smirk playing on her lips, across from her, Noah fastened his belt, his face was unreadable.
The air was sucked from my lungs. My brain scrambled to make sense of what I was seeing, but before I could process it, Noah's voice cut through the silence. "Before I forget," he said, voice low and steady, "here's my test paper for tomorrow."
Ms. Alstone chuckled, slipping the paper into a folder. "You have to at least pretend to write tomorrow," she mused, amusement lacing her tone. "I'll mark the one you just handed in."
A chill ran down my spine. Then she laughed, a soft, knowing sound that sent ice through my veins. "You should've seen how he reacted when I told him he might lose his scholarship," she said, voice dripping with satisfaction.
Noah smirked. "He sold us out. I thought he'd last longer than the last guy."
I gripped the doorframe, my pulse thundering in my ears. This has to be illegal, a teacher and a student? And she was helping him cheat? Was I just a pawn in their little game? Questions crashed through my mind, each one more unsettling than the last.
Then, I heard his voice, "I'll see you tomorrow," Noah said, his tone oozing confidence right before he kissed Ms. Alstone.
My stomach twisted, I needed to leave, now.
I loosened my grip on the door handle, but it betrayed me with a sharp click. My breath hitched, had they heard that?
I didn't wait to find out, before my brain could catch up, my body had already decided, I ran. My heart pounded, my footsteps light but frantic, I had to escape before they saw me, before they knew I was there, before it was too late.
The next day, I walked into school, keeping my face blank, pretending I knew nothing. The moment I stepped inside, the taunting began, crumpled papers sailed through the air, bouncing off my desk, I ignored them.
Then the lunch bell rang, out of nowhere, crack! A sharp pain shot through my skull. Noah had slammed his hand against my head.
"It's lunch," he said casually, as if I didn't already know.
"I'm thinking pizza with soda on the side," he added.
Without a word, I held out my hand for money. "I forgot mine today," he said, voice almost teasing.
"I don't have anything either," I muttered, turning back to my book, hoping he'd let it go. But he didn't, before I could react, my head slammed against the table. Stars burst behind my eyes, my vision blurred.
"I thought we were friends," he said, smirking. Natalie was there in an instant. "What the hell are you doing to him?!" she screamed, her voice slicing through the classroom.
Noah didn't answer. He just walked away, as if nothing had happened.
Natalie knelt beside me. "Are you okay? Come on, let's get you, to the nurse's office."
Her voice was softer now, full of concern. I didn't argue. I just let her help me up, my head throbbing.