Chapter 10 - Smoke and Mirrors
Blake ran the moment Ben shouted his name.
Maya started after him, but Ben caught her arm.
"No. Get outside."
The sprinkler system kicked on with a violent burst. Water poured from the ceiling. Ethan covered his head as they pushed through the emergency exit into the courtyard.
Fire trucks arrived within minutes.
Principal Vale called it an electrical accident.
Ben called that a lie.
"The bin was moved under the panel," he told the fire marshal. "And I saw a student there."
Mr. Danner interrupted. "Mr. Grant is under considerable stress."
Ben turned on him. "Say that again."
The marshal raised a hand. "I'll speak to everyone separately."
Across the courtyard, Mason stood beside Blake.
Blake's blazer sleeve was wet and dark with soot.
Ethan pointed.
"There."
Laura Cole had arrived after Maya called her. She followed Ethan's finger.
"That boy?"
"He took the flash drive."
Laura stared at him. "Then we tell the police everything."
This time Ethan did not argue.
They gave statements until evening.
But when a local officer asked to review the hallway footage, Principal Vale said the school's lawyers needed to approve access because minors appeared on the recordings.
Laura's face went hard.
"Convenient."
Vale looked offended. "We are protecting student privacy."
"You didn't protect my son."
The next morning, every student received an email stating that an unnamed scholarship student was under investigation for "theft, harassment, and conduct contributing to a safety incident."
No name appeared.
It did not need to.
By first period, students were staring at Ethan.
By lunch, someone had taped a printed picture of a rat to his locker.
Ms. Ruiz ripped it down.
"Come with me," she said.
She took him to an empty classroom.
"They suspended Ben this morning."
"For what?"
"Unauthorized duplication of security footage."
Ethan clenched his fists.
"They punish everybody except Mason."
Ms. Ruiz handed him an envelope.
"Then we stop playing by their rules."
Inside was a copy of an incident report from six months earlier.
A student's name had been blacked out, but Mason's name remained.
ORIGINAL: MASON WHITMORE STRUCK STUDENT WITH CLOSED FIST.
REVISED: STUDENTS ENGAGED IN MUTUAL PHYSICAL CONTACT.
At the bottom was Principal Vale's signature.
"Where did you get this?" Ethan asked.
"My files."
"They'll fire you."
"Maybe."
Her voice shook, but she did not look away.
"There are eight more."
Ethan stared at her.
"Eight?"
She nodded.
"And one of those students left Westbridge after spending three days in the hospital."
Before Ethan could respond, the classroom intercom clicked on.
Principal Vale's voice filled the room.
"Ethan Cole, report to the main office immediately. Bring your school ID."
Ms. Ruiz went pale.
May you like
Ethan already knew what it meant.
They were going to suspend him.
