Nia was stunned, her expression mirrored by Iris. Having someone, especially Emery, step up and believe them was the last thing she’d expected. They’d barely exchanged anything beyond cold stares, and Nia still didn’t understand what had prompted his support now.
The thought gnawed at her. Could he genuinely be concerned, or did he have something up his sleeve? She wondered if she should accept his help or simply distance herself.
Just as she was about to say something, their teacher’s voice cut through the room, pulling all gazes toward the door.
“What’s going on here?” Mr. Banks asked, striding over to the board as the students scrambled to their seats.
“Nothing, Sir,” Emery replied, settling into his seat quickly. But the tense expressions around the room suggested otherwise. Mr. Banks scanned their faces, sensing there was more to this than what had been said.
“Are you sure it’s nothing?” he pressed, his gaze moving slowly from one student to the next.
“Well, it’s just...” Cassie started, ready to throw Nia under the bus. But as Emery cast a sharp, warning glance her way, Cassie bit her lip, swallowing whatever she’d intended to say. Her silence made it obvious that Emery had somehow gotten in her way, and the realization only fueled her irritation.
“Really, Sir. It’s nothing,” Emery replied, his tone final. Mr. Banks, though still skeptical, let it go after a few seconds, eyeing the students with a wary silence before turning back to the board.
The classroom fell into an uneasy quiet as the lesson resumed, though an undercurrent of tension lingered. Nia sat stiffly, her mind racing. She could almost feel her heart thumping against her chest, bracing herself for someone to expose her. Yet, much to her surprise, even Cassie remained silent. It was so unlike her, and it left Nia feeling strangely unsettled.
With a quick shake of his head, Mr. Banks started his lesson. But as he continued, Nia couldn’t resist glancing over at Emery, who appeared totally unaffected, taking notes as if nothing unusual had happened.
“What do you think he’s up to?” she whispered to Iris, stealing another look in his direction.
Iris shrugged, her confusion as palpable as Nia’s. “Honestly, I have no clue,” she murmured, attempting to refocus on the lesson, though her curiosity was clear. Nia, however, struggled to look away, unable to shake the feeling that Emery’s motives were anything but straightforward.
As she turned to share another thought with Iris, Nia’s gaze collided with Cassie’s across the room. Cassie smoothed her hair with a haughty flip, throwing Nia a sour look before shifting her attention back to her notes. The interaction made Nia scoff softly.
“Do you think they know something about all this?” she muttered to Iris, watching Cassie and her friends exchange low whispers and occasional giggles that only confirmed her suspicions.
Iris shot a quick glance at Cassie, then looked back to Nia. “Maybe. But now’s probably not the best time,” she whispered with a small, knowing grin, tilting her head slightly toward the front of the class.
Nia caught her hint, nodding. She returned her attention to the lesson, though her mind continued to drift. She scribbled half-hearted notes, her thoughts returning to the peculiar exchange with Emery and the prickling suspicion that there was more going on than she’d realized.
Absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice how long she’d been staring blankly at Iris until her friend gave her a concerned look.
“Hey.” Iris flicked her fingers in front of Nia’s face, snapping her back to reality. “You okay?”
Nia sighed. “I was just wondering how I’m supposed to prove my innocence. Any ideas?” Her voice was laced with frustration as she raised an eyebrow, completely at a loss.
At that moment, the bell rang through the halls, signaling the end of classes for the day. Mr. Banks quickly assigned homework, then gathered his materials and left. The classroom immediately filled with the noise of students chatting and packing up.
Nia was still talking with Iris as she shoved her notebook into her bag, but before she could fully gather her things, she felt a hand grip her elbow. She spun around, surprised, only to see Emery standing there. His expression was unreadable, but his grip was firm.
“You’re coming with me,” he said, tugging her gently but insistently toward the door before she could respond. She managed to snatch her bag with her free hand just as he led her out.
“Em—Emery!” Iris called, her voice laced with confusion and concern, but the two were already halfway down the hallway. She grumbled under her breath, swiftly slinging her bag over her shoulder and hurrying after them.
The rest of the class looked on with varying degrees of interest and surprise. “Since when did those two start hanging out?” Lily asked, but no one had an answer. Shrugging, she and her friend Erica left with a shared look of curiosity.
Cassie, on the other hand, looked furious. Her expression darkened as she watched Nia and Emery disappear down the hallway. “That little pest,” she muttered under her breath, glaring daggers at Nia. Just when she thought she’d managed to get Nia out of her way, here she was, drawing even more attention.
---
Iris moved quickly down the bustling hallway, her eyes scanning for any sign of Nia and Emery. The halls were filling up as students headed out for the day, making it hard to see which direction they’d taken. She could only guess they’d gone toward the parking lot, where a stream of students was already beginning to file out.
She couldn’t help feeling antsy. Emery and Nia had always clashed, and the idea of them being alone together was like mixing fire with gasoline. Whatever was going on, Iris could already sense that it was going to lead to some kind of explosion.