Chapter 3: The Pact

The moment she spoke, all eyes snapped to Derek. Even the bartender, wiping down the counter, paused to look over.

Derek flushed beet-red, caught mid-breath. He froze, words stuck in his throat. Finally, he rasped out:

"I was scared. That person had something on me. If I went to the cops, I’d be ruined."

Cold realization trickled down my spine. I glanced at Jason, who looked as tense as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.

No wonder he’d sworn to me years ago that Rachel’s case would always be a suicide. There was more to this than I ever knew.

The case was closed as a suicide because of Derek’s testimony—the golden boy everyone trusted. Ironic.

We never meant to kill Rachel. She just… couldn’t stop meddling, always out to fix the world.

It was the day before finals. The whole school was wired, everyone on edge. A battered trophy case glinted in the corner, next to a faded banner that read, "Go, Bulldogs!"

After our homeroom teacher’s endless pep talk, we were ordered to pack up and prep the exam rooms.

Exams meant something different to everyone: For straight-A kids like Rachel and Derek, it was another gold star. For the slackers, just another nap. For me and Jason—stuck in the middle, fighting for a future that slipped away like soap—it was anxiety incarnate.

Jason’s family had money, but his dad kept him on a short leash. If Jason flunked, he’d lose his allowance, his PlayStation, his bowling nights. So before every exam, he’d bribe classmates—twenty bucks here, a gift card there—for answers.

Last time, he’d bombed anyway. This time, the kids in his room were even worse, so he started plotting.

He pulled me into the stairwell by the gym, away from nosy teachers. The hallway smelled of floor wax and old gym socks, the kind of scent that stuck to your clothes for days.

"What are you gonna do about this exam?" he hissed, fidgeting with his shoelace.

I shrugged. "Same as always—copy off whoever I can. Guess I’ll just have to use these eagle eyes of mine."

"Man, the people in my room are even dumber than me."

Then his eyes lit up, like he’d stumbled onto the world’s worst idea.

"Caleb, what if we steal the exam questions?"