The echo of my footsteps resonated through the silent halls of the high school. I was heading to the teachers' lounge, where I would have to dedicate myself to writing reports and grading papers, the usual routine.
Suddenly, a loud crash coming from the library broke the silence. It was strange, considering the school day had already ended. At first, I thought I had imagined it, but another thud confirmed my suspicions.
"Who's there?" I asked, raising my voice.
In response, a series of hurried footsteps and murmurs began to echo from inside. Judging by the number, I deduced that it was several people, perhaps students hiding in the school.
"They better not be doing anything they shouldn't be," I muttered as I opened the door.
Upon entering, I didn't see anyone, but a pile of books and papers scattered on the floor indicated that someone had been there recently. Inspecting the surroundings, I quickly identified the hiding spots.
"Locker... Bookshelf... Desk," I said, naming them one by one.
Upon mentioning the last one, a blonde head slowly peeked out.
"Guess you caught us," said a voice with a resigned tone.
It was Alexia Martínez, one of my students. With her excessive makeup and arrogant air, she perfectly embodied the stereotype of a popular girl.
"Hey! Don't just come out like that!" shouted another voice.
A second student emerged from the locker, Leonard Paige. With his spiky red hair and his usual athletic uniform, he seemed annoyed by his classmate's actions.
"You shut up, idiot! We'll get into even bigger trouble if we don't cooperate," Alexia retorted, glaring at him.
"You shut up, stupid! You didn't have to give us away," he replied.
The scene was predictable: Alexia and Leonard were arguing loudly, demonstrating once again how poorly they got along. I couldn't deny that, in part, this was my fault.
I was the one who brought them together in an impromptu study group due to their poor academic performance, something reflected in their low grades. However, the group seemed to be missing one last member.
From behind a bookshelf, a young girl with bluish hair and a timid gaze stepped between the arguing pair.
"P-please, stop fighting..." she said with slight stutters.
It was Lilith Nereida, another of my students. A shy and nervous girl who, despite having the best grades in the class, lacked social skills.
"Stay out of this!" Alexia replied.
"Yeah, just keep quiet!" Leonard added.
Lilith shrugged, frightened by her classmates' aggression.
"Y-yes, I'm sorry," she murmured, almost on the verge of tears.
It was evident that her attempt to stop the conflict had failed completely. My strategy of using her as a guide and good example hadn't worked out at all. How naive I was.
But I still didn't understand why they were here. Were they looking for something?
While I was thinking about it, something caught my attention: a crumpled note on the floor. Without hesitation, I tried to pick it up, but as I did, both Alexia and Leonard tried to stop me. Unfortunately for them, I was faster, and I took it in my hands.
I began to read it, and upon finishing, I couldn't help but frown. It turned out the note said: "Possible ideas for the end-of-term project." An assignment I had given my class beforehand: writing a book report.
I wouldn't be so upset if it weren't for one small detail: the deadline was tomorrow.
"Hey, you three," I said with a slight tone of anger in my voice. "What is the meaning of this?"
The trio looked at me in complete silence, with a clear expression of guilt on their faces.
"Come on, answer me," I insisted. "If you don't, I'll fail you right here."
"D-don't do it!" Alexia said, breaking the silence. "If I fail, my parents won't buy me a new phone!"
"And mine won't buy me a new pair of sneakers!" Leonard added. "Please don't fail us!"
Faced with their pleas, I could only let out a long sigh.
"Fine, then explain to me what this is all about."
"Well... this... um..." Alexia stammered, with clear nervousness in her words. "Lilith is going to explain it."
"Huh? M-me?" Lilith stuttered, surprised.
Diverting all attention to her classmate was a clever move. Alexia knew all too well that I wouldn't be as harsh with Lilith; she didn't want to make her cry with my words. But by making her speak, she didn't think about the answer the little girl would give.
"W-well, the truth is we forgot to do the project," Lilith said, lowering her head. "W-we're very sorry."
Faced with her classmate's answer, both Alexia and Leonard had no choice but to follow her example.
"We're very sorry!" they both exclaimed in unison.
It was just as I suspected: since I had assigned the work, they hadn't submitted any progress.
"Honestly, it's not at all unexpected coming from the two of you," I raised my voice. "But coming from you, Lilith, I must say I'm somewhat disappointed."
I never expected my most diligent student to fall into the same mistake, probably as a result of being with that troublesome pair.
I felt guilty.
"W-well, the truth is I've been distracted by something," Lilith added.
After saying that, the little girl crouched down on the floor, right where the large pile of fallen books was, pulling out one that was at the bottom.
"I found this buried in the schoolyard, inside a small metal box," she explained. "I thought I could use it to write the report with my classmates."
In her hands was an old-looking but well-preserved book that sparked my interest.
"Not this nonsense again..." Leonard muttered, disgusted. "It's just trash someone threw away."
Faced with that negativity, Lilith once again shrugged timidly. Seeing her, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. So, I extended one of my hands, as a signal for her to give it to me to examine.
Lilith seemed to realize this and, without much hesitation, handed it to me.
With the book now in my hands, there was nothing left to do but open it to take a look at its contents. As I did, I was stunned.
In the middle of the first page, a photograph of four young students was visible, with one word written at the bottom: "Club 114."
Upon touching it, a torrent of memories immediately flooded my head: memories of an ephemeral youth that I thought I had forgotten.
Lilith watched me intently, with a look full of curiosity.
"Teacher, do you recognize the people in this photograph?" she asked.
"Yes... Of course, I do," I replied honestly. "One of them is me."
My answer immediately caught the attention of everyone present.
"What?!" Alexia exclaimed, surprised. "Are you serious?!"
The trio quickly surrounded the book in my hands, beginning to bombard me with questions: Who were the people in the photo? What does "Club 114" mean?
It was obvious they wanted answers.
"Calm down," I said, moving the book away from their sight. "There's no need for me to answer anything. Right now, I should..."
Before I could finish what I was saying, Lilith began to give me a pleading look.
"C-could you tell us more details, please?" she said, tilting her head slightly.
Seeing this, both Alexia and Leonard imitated her gesture. I now had three of my students in front of me trying to look pitiful.
Nosy kids, I thought.
"Alright, alright... I'll tell you everything," I conceded, slightly averting my gaze. "Just stop looking at me with those eyes, okay?"
Upon saying this, the expressions on their faces changed back to their usual ones.
"They sure know how to manipulate my kind side..." I sighed. "But well, I suppose it won't hurt to tell them a story from the past."
Their eyes shone with expectation, ready to hear what was coming next.
"I'll tell you all about this diary," I added, "the story of Club 114."