Yuri's POV
It had been a strange few weeks, full of tension and a noticeable distance between Jay and me.
Ever since Keifer sided with Sienna, I'd felt like there was a barrier growing between us. We rarely talked, and whenever I tried to approach her, it was like there was an invisible wall up. And what hurt the most was that Jay wasn't even defending herself when Sienna tried to make her look bad.
Something didn't sit right, and I was getting more frustrated by the day. I couldn't just let this slide. Not when I knew what Sienna was capable of.
I had just returned from the washroom, thinking about the argument I had with Keifer earlier, when I spotted her. Sienna. She was talking to someone I didn't recognize, standing by the corner near the stairwell.
I decided to hang back and see if I could overhear anything. I didn't trust her, and I knew she was up to something. The guy she was talking to looked familiar, though, and it only took me a second to realize—he was in Jay's social class.
I leaned against the wall, trying to make sure they didn't spot me. Sienna was speaking in a low voice, too quiet for me to catch most of what she said. I was just about to move closer when I caught the words that made my stomach drop.
"Give it to Jay," Sienna said, her voice soft but insistent. "She'll handle the rest."
I frowned, my curiosity piqued. What was going on? Why did she want Jay to handle something? I stayed still, watching as Sienna handed the guy something, and then, as if on cue, slipped some money into his hand. What was this about?
The guy nodded, slipping the pen drive into his pocket and walking off quickly. I didn't waste any time. I had to find Jay and figure out what was going on.
I hurried back to class, grabbing my phone. When I called Jay, it rang a few times but went straight to voicemail.
"Where is she?" I muttered to myself. Something wasn't right.
But the call didn't go through.
I frowned. It rang a few more times before it switched to voicemail. I tried again, still no answer. Then something caught my attention.
Chantelle.
She was sitting near the back of the class, twirling Jay's phone in her hands.
"Chantelle!" I called out, making my way toward her.
She looked up, her eyes wide. "Hey, Yuri. What's up?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Why do you have Jay's phone? Where is she?"
Chantelle looked at the phone for a moment, like she hadn't realized she was holding it. "Oh, she left it with me. She had to go to the IT teacher."
"Which IT teacher?" I asked, already feeling my frustration building.
She shrugged. "I don't know. The one she said to go to."
I frowned, annoyed but trying to keep my cool. "I need you to meet me at the stairs. Right now."
Chantelle nodded, looking confused but obedient. "Okay, okay. I'll be there."
I tried calling Adrian, but his phone went straight to voicemail.
"Damn it," I muttered, already feeling more anxious. The only thing that kept me grounded was the fact that I wasn't alone in this. We'd find her. We always did.
I hung up the phone and quickly dialed the others—Ci-N, Calix, and David. I needed backup.
I met the others at the stairs, and we quickly put a plan together. "Jay's probably at the IT lab for the regular students," I said. "We need to check there."
We rushed down the hallway, making our way to the IT department. But when we reached the door to the IT lab for normal students, it was locked.
I knocked first, but there was no answer. Ci-N tried the handle, and it didn't budge.
"She's probably in there, right?" I said, turning to the group. "She's not in the other IT lab, so it has to be this one."
But the door didn't open, and we were about to give up when we heard voices from inside.
"Wait," I whispered. "Someone's in there."
I moved toward the door again, pushing it gently. It creaked open.
What I saw made me freeze.
Jay was sitting on one of the desks, looking perfectly fine except for the small cut on her forehead, but Adrian was sitting beside her, his expression serious.
"Yuri…" Jay said, her eyes wide when she saw me.
I couldn't hide the relief in my voice. "Jay! What the hell happened?"
Adrian looked at me, then back at Jay, before standing up. "She's fine. We're just talking."
I didn't buy it. I stepped closer to Jay, my eyes scanning her face for any signs of distress. "What happened?"
Jay sighed, looking a bit embarrassed. "I got stuck in here. The door wouldn't open, and we couldn't get out."
I blinked. "Wait, the door was stuck? How?"
"I'm not sure," Jay said, her voice soft. "We tried everything, but it just wouldn't budge."
I glanced over at Adrian, who had been helping her out. He looked fine with everything, his calm demeanor as always, but something didn't sit right with me.
I turned back to Jay. "What were you doing in here?"
Jay hesitated before answering. "A classmate asked me to bring this pen drive to the IT teacher, but when I got here, I found out the teacher wasn't in today. I was just about to leave when the door got stuck."
I felt the pit in my stomach deepen. "This pen drive… is this the same one Sienna handed to the guy earlier?"
Jay nodded, looking confused. "What does this have to do with Sienna?"
I glanced around, ensuring no one else was listening. "Sienna gave the pen drive to someone else. She told him to give it to you."
Her face paled slightly. "Sienna? Why would she do that?"
"I don't know," I admitted, "but I'm getting the feeling something bigger is going on here. We need to talk about this after school."