School Changes

The helicopter lighting caught Alex frozen in place, his finger still on the phone. But nothing happened.

"What the—" Alex stared at the screen in confusion.

Derek stepped forward, a small smile on his face. "Looking for this?" He held up a small black device. "It's called a signal jammer. Nothing gets in or out."

Alex lunged at Derek, but the police officers grabbed him. The helicopter landed on the far side of the roof, its wind pulling everyone's hair.

"No!" Alex screamed as they handcuffed him. "My dad is coming! He'll finish this!"

But when the roof door opened again, it wasn't Coach Wilson. It was more police officers, leading a handcuffed man in an orange jumpsuit.

"Is that—" Elliot started.

"Coach Wilson," Jamie confirmed. "They caught him."

As they were taken away, Coach Wilson looked back at Jamie and Elliot with cold eyes. "This isn't over," he said, but his words were lost in the helicopter's roar.

A week later, Elliot stood in front of Highland High School, heart racing. It was their first day back since the dance. Since the hospital. Since the sky.

"You ready?" Jamie asked, taking their hand.

Elliot took a deep breath. "No. But let's do it anyway."

They walked through the doors together. Elliot expected whispers and stares. What they didn't expect was praise.

Students lined the hallway, cheering as Elliot and Jamie walked in. Some held signs that said "Welcome Back" and "Heroes."

"What's happening?" Elliot whispered.

Megan appeared, grinning. "Didn't you see the news? You two are famous! 'Brave students stand up to corrupt coach and his son.' You're heroes!"

"But the texts..." Jamie started.

"Nobody cares about those," Megan said. "After what happened on the roof, the police found evidence that Coach Wilson was selling drugs to students. Ryan was helping him. That's why they wanted to hurt you – because you were going to expose them."

A girl Elliot barely knew approached them. "Hi, Elliot! I saved you a seat in English."

As they walked to class, more people welcomed them. Football players who had never even looked at Elliot before now nodded properly.

"This is weird," Elliot whispered to Jamie.

"Super weird," Jamie agreed.

In homeroom, Principal Garcia made a statement.

"As you all know, Ryan Thompson has been suspended pending the investigation. Coach Wilson and his son Alex are in custody. I want to thank those who showed incredible bravery during this difficult time."

Everyone turned to look at Jamie and Elliot.

After class, Jamie's friends surrounded him in the hallway.

"We're sorry," said the team captain who replaced Jamie. "We should have stood up to Ryan sooner. We knew something was wrong."

"It's okay," Jamie said, though Elliot could tell by his tight smile that it wasn't totally okay.

At lunch, they couldn't find an empty table. Everyone wanted them to sit with them.

"Come on," Megan said, pulling them outside. "Let's eat in our spot."

Their spot was under an old oak tree behind the school, where they had often hidden from Ryan and his friends. Now it felt like the only normal place left.

"So Derek was helping us all along?" Elliot asked, still trying to understand everything that had happened.

"Kind of," Jamie explained. "He was afraid of Alex, so he played along with some of their plans. But he was secretly warning us when he could."

"And the signal jammer?"

"He stole it from the science lab. He knew Alex would try something like this."

Elliot took a bite of their sandwich. "What about the stuff Alex sent to everyone? The journal page and our texts?"

Jamie looked down. "Most people deleted them without reading. At least, that's what they're saying now."

"And the ones who did read them?"

"They don't matter," Megan said strongly.

After lunch, Elliot had art class. The teacher asked them to stay after the bell.

"I wanted to show you something," she said, taking Elliot to a display case in the hall. Inside was Elliot's picture – the one of a starry field that had started everything between them and Jamie.

"The school board wants to make it the cover of next year's yearbook," the teacher stated. "They're calling it 'Resilience.'"

Tears filled Elliot's eyes. It was the same name they and Jamie had given it.

After school, Elliot waited for Jamie by his locker. A group of younger students passed by, whispering happily when they saw Elliot.

"This is so strange," Elliot thought. "A month ago, no one knew my name."

Jamie appeared, looking worried.

"What's wrong?" Elliot asked.

"I just got called to the counselor's office," he said. "College scouts are coming next week. They want to see me play."

"But you quit the team."

"That's just it," Jamie said. "The new coach wants me back. He says with my story, colleges will be fighting over me. Full scholarships."

Elliot felt a cold fear in their stomach. "Is that what you want?"

Before Jamie could answer, Derek approached them. He looked nervous.

"Hey," he said awkwardly. "Can we talk?"

They found an empty classroom. Derek closed the door behind them.

"I found something in Ryan's locker," he said, pulling out a phone. "It's not his regular phone. I think it's what he used to contact Alex when he was in juvie."

"Why are you showing us this?" Jamie asked.

"Because there are messages on it. Plans. Things they were going to do to you. And..." he paused, "there's something else. Something about Coach Wilson having friends in the police department."

"We should take this to Principal Garcia," Elliot said.

Derek shook his head. "I already tried. He said without proof that the phone is Ryan's, it's just rumors."

"So what do we do?" Jamie asked.

"I don't know," Derek revealed. "But I'm scared. Ryan gets back from suspension tomorrow, and—"

The classroom door opened. Ryan stood there, his face hard with anger.

"Give me my phone," he said coldly.

Derek stepped back. "How did you—"

"You think suspension means I don't have friends watching?" Ryan stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. "I know what you did, Derek. Helping them. Betraying me."

"Ryan, it's over," Jamie said. "Your dad and Alex are going to jail. Just let it go."

Ryan laughed, but there was no fun in it. "You think my dad doesn't have plans? You think Alex doesn't have more pictures, more texts ready to send? This isn't over until we say it's over."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something that made Elliot's blood freeze.

A gun.

"Now," Ryan said, his voice terrifyingly calm, "we're going to walk out of this school together. Nobody will think anything of it. And then we're going to have a little talk about how this all ends."

The school bell rang, marking the end of the day. Outside the classroom, students laughed and shouted as they headed for buses and cars.

But inside, time seemed to stop as Ryan pointed the gun at each of them in turn.

"What's it going to be?" he asked, his finger on the trigger. "Are you coming with me? Or does this end right here, right now?"