Chapter 5: The Student Who Vanished
The next morning, I found Jordan sitting alone behind the gym.
He looked different outside the classroom.
Usually, he was one of the loudest students in school.
The kind of person who made jokes during lunch and annoyed teachers by asking too many questions.
But now he looked scared.
I sat beside him.
“You said Mrs. Baxter destroyed Marcus Carter’s life.””
Jordan looked around before speaking.
“You need to understand something. Mrs. Baxter wasn’t always like this.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“She used to be strict. Mean sometimes. But not like yesterday.””
He picked up a small rock from the ground and turned it in his hand.
“Then something changed.””
“What?””
Jordan looked at me.
“Power.””
I waited.
“Marcus was fourteen when it happened. He was smart. Everyone liked him. Teachers loved him.””
“What happened?””
Jordan took a breath.
“He accused Mrs. Baxter of hitting him.””
My chest tightened.
“Just like Malik?””
Jordan nodded.
“But Marcus didn’t stay quiet.””
“What did he do?””
“He told his parents. He told the principal. He told the district.””
“And?””
Jordan laughed bitterly.
“And everyone said he was exaggerating.””
I looked down.
“That’s horrible.””
“It got worse.””
The way he said it made me nervous.
“What happened?””
“Mrs. Baxter started giving him impossible assignments. She marked his work wrong. She told other teachers he was a problem student.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It does when people believe the adult instead of the kid.””
The words stayed with me.
Because I knew exactly what that felt like.
Jordan continued.
“Within months, Marcus transferred schools.””
“Because of her?””
“Because he couldn’t take it anymore.””
I looked at him.
“What does Malik think happened?””
Jordan looked away.
“Malik thinks his brother just wanted a fresh start.””
A painful silence passed between us.
Then Jordan pulled out his phone.
“I have something.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What?””
He unlocked his phone.
A picture appeared.
It was old.
The quality was terrible.
But I could still see the faces.
Marcus.
Mrs. Baxter.
And another person.
Principal Harrison.
They were standing outside the school office.
“When was this taken?”” I asked.
“Three years ago.””
My heart raced.
“Why do you have this?””
“Because I was there.””
I looked at him.
“You took this?””
Jordan nodded.
“I thought something was wrong.””
He swiped to another picture.
Then another.
Emails.
Screenshots.
Documents.
I stared.
“Jordan…”
“I saved everything.””
“Why?””
His eyes became serious.
“Because I knew someday someone would need proof.””
I couldn’t believe it.
All this time, there had been evidence.
People just needed someone brave enough to keep it.
My phone suddenly rang.
Dr. Carter.
I answered immediately.
“Hello?””
“Olivia, where are you?””
“Behind the gym.””
Her voice became urgent.
“Leave that area.””
I stood up.
“Why?””
“Because Mrs. Baxter knows about Jordan.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She found out he contacted me.””
I looked at Jordan.
His face turned pale.
“How?””
Dr. Carter lowered her voice.
“Someone accessed the complaint records.””
My stomach dropped.
“Someone inside the school?””
“Yes.””
The wind suddenly felt colder.
“Who?””
There was a pause.
Then Dr. Carter said:
“I don’t know yet.””
A second later, another notification appeared on my phone.
A message.
No number.
No name.
Just one sentence.
*Stop digging, or the next file I open will be yours.*
I stared at the screen.
Jordan looked over my shoulder.
“What does it say?””
I couldn’t speak.
May you like
Because whoever sent that message knew exactly what we were doing.
And they knew where to find us.
