Chapter 64 — Quiet Corridors
Jayjay's POV
Three weeks.
That's how long it had been since the argument. Since voices were raised, sides were chosen, and something between us cracked
I barely went anywhere else. The cafeteria felt too loud, too full of eyes that knew things they shouldn't. I stopped lingering in hallways. Stopped laughing without checking who might be listening. Even my steps felt smaller, like I was trying not to take up space.
And Keifer…
I barely saw him.
Not properly. Just passing glances. A shadow at the end of a corridor. A voice somewhere behind me that I pretended not to hear.
Sometimes I wondered why I didn't defend myself when Sienna spoke. Why my mouth stayed closed even when my chest burned with things I wanted to say.
I didn't have an answer.
Maybe I was tired of explaining myself to people who had already decided.
I was pulled out of my thoughts when someone stopped in front of my desk.
Fred a mate from social studies class .
He held out a pen drive. "Jay, sir said you should take this to the IT teacher."
I frowned slightly. "Why can't you take it? You're already going that way."
He scratched the back of his neck. "He specifically said you."
That didn't sit right.
"Why?" I asked.
He shrugged. "No idea."
I stared at the pen drive for a second longer than necessary. Something about it felt pointless. But then again, I had nowhere else to be. No one waiting for me.
"Fine," I said quietly, standing up.
The walk to the IT lab was quiet, the kind of quiet that made your own thoughts echo. When I reached the door, I knocked once, then twice.
No answer.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The lab was empty. Rows of computers slept under thin layers of dust, screens dark, chairs tucked in unevenly. The air smelled faintly of metal and old cables.
"Hello?" I called.
No response.
I turned to leave.
"Jay?"
I froze, then turned.
Adrian stood near one of the desks, laptop bag slung over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"
"Social teacher sent me," I said, lifting the pen drive. "Where's the IT teacher?"
Adrian frowned. "Didn't you hear? He didn't come today. He's sick."
I let out a small breath. "Of course."
I turned back toward the door, already annoyed with myself for coming. I reached for the handle and pulled.
Nothing.
I tried again. Harder.
The door didn't move.
Adrian noticed immediately. "Stuck?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
He came over and tried too. Pulled. Pushed. Even kicked lightly near the bottom.
Still nothing.
"That's… not good," he muttered.
I reached for my pocket.
Empty.
My stomach sank. "I left my phone with Chantelle. She was playing a game on it."
Adrian sighed and pulled out his phone. He frowned at the screen. "No signal."
He opened his laptop quickly, fingers moving fast. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "Network's down."
Great.
I tried not to panic. Tried to think logically. "Okay. There has to be another exit."
We started checking around the room. The place was cluttered, wires running along the floor, boxes stacked against the walls, old equipment pushed into corners like forgotten memories.
I stepped backward to look at a shelf and my foot caught on a loose cable.
"Jay—"
I stumbled, arms flailing, heart jumping straight into my throat.
Adrian grabbed my arm just in time, steadying me before I could fall. "Careful."
"Sorry," I whispered, embarrassed, pulse racing.
We moved deeper into the room.
That's when it happened.
A tall shelf packed with files and folders shifted slightly. Just a sound at first. A soft scrape.
I looked up.
Too late.
Adrian moved faster than I could think. He stepped in front of me, turning his body, one arm coming up instinctively as the shelf tilted.
Files slid. Boxes fell.
He took the hit.
The shelf slammed against the wall instead of me, papers exploding across the floor like startled birds.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
"Adrian…" I breathed.
He looked down at himself, then back at me. "You okay?"
I nodded quickly.
"Are you?"
He shrugged, though his jaw was tight. "I'll live."
I stared at the mess around us, at the blocked door, at the cables and fallen files.
And for the first time in weeks, fear crept in quietly.
We weren't just stuck.
Something was wrong.
And I had a feeling this wasn't going to end quickly.