Chapter 72: The Hidden Drive

Aveline’s pov

My small flashlight hit the centre shelf of Asher Carter's old locker. My eyes widened, and my heart stopped for a second. There was no laptop inside. Instead, sitting right in the middle of the dust, was a very small object.

I reached my hand inside the wire cage and picked it up. It was a hidden USB flash drive.

"What is this?" I whispered to myself, my voice sounding like a ghost in the locker room.

I stared at the drive. It did not look like much, but I knew it was the missing piece. I believed this small drive would lead me to something important, at the very least.

Before I could slip the flash drive safely into my jacket pocket, a loud sound cut through

The doors at the front of the locker room opened. The sudden noise made me jump. Instantly, heavy footsteps began to echo. Someone was walking into the room, and they were moving fast.

I quickly stuffed the flash drive into my jeans pocket. I moved to the back of the room slipping quietly behind the nearest row of tall lockers.

A second later, someone in the room lit on, I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment,

I held my breath, listening to the footsteps get closer. The person walked toward the centre of the room and then stopped.

I peered carefully through the narrow gap between two lockers to see who it was. To my absolute surprise, it was Kieran.

He looked completely exhausted. His hair was messy from the wind outside, It seemed like he had just come inside to escape the loud, chaotic bonfire party on the field. He did not look around the room at all. He walked over to a bench in the centre of the floor and sat down. He put his two hands to his face, a deep, painful sigh.

He sat there in total silence, completely unaware that I was standing just a few feet away from him in the shadows.

I stood frozen in my hiding spot. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was afraid he would hear it. I needed him to leave. If he stayed here too long, the bonfire night would end, and I would miss my chance to escape without being seen.

I tried to keep my body perfectly still. But then, a sudden vibration shook my thigh.

Bzzzzz.

My mobile phone vibrated loudly inside my pocket. It was a text message from my mother. In the dead silence of the empty locker room.

Kieran’s head snapped up instantly. He turned to see where the noise was coming from, his eyes locking directly onto my hiding spot. He recognised my shape immediately.

“Aveline?” Kieran called out, his voice a mix of shock and confusion.

There was no point in hiding anymore. I had been caught. I took a deep breath, stepped out, and looked at him like he was an enemy.

Kieran stood completely still, His gaze dropped down, looking past my shoulder to the open storage cage behind me. He saw the broken padlock lying on the floor. He immediately understood exactly what I was doing.

“What are you doing here, Aveline?” Kieran asked. His voice sounded raw, and tired. He looked at me with a pained expression in his eyes.

I did not answer him. I just stared back at him with cold anger.

Kieran took a step closer, shaking his head desperately. “You need to stop this,” he said, his voice rising a little bit. “Silas and Barrett are pressuring you over something that does not even exist, and you know that, Aveline! There is no secret app password. There is nothing hidden here. So is that the fucking reason you still trust their asses? Why are you listening to them instead of me?

I let out a harsh, loud scoff. I completely disbelieved every single word coming out of his mouth.

“You expect me to believe you are a saviour, Kieran?” I asked, my voice with pure disgust. I stepped closer to him, my anger flaring up. “There is absolutely no difference between you and them. You are all the same. You made Asher a target in this school. You started the fire, and Silas and Barrett just used the opportunity to burn him down. You are just as guilty as they are.”

Kieran looked like I had punched him right in the face. He took a desperate, fast step forward. Before I could move back, his hands reached out and grabbed my shoulders. He did not do it out of anger or malice. His grip was tight, but it was out of absolute panic for my safety. He was shaking.

“I didn't cut his funds, Aveline!” Kieran yelled desperately, his face coming close to mine. “I swear to you, I did not do it! It was my father's funding. My father sponsors the hockey team. Obviously, my father was being a prick, as always. He decided by himself to stop sponsoring the team's mascot as well to save money. I had nothing to do with that choice!”

I tried to pull away, but he held onto my shoulders, begging me to listen to him.

“Yeah, I fucked up!” Kieran choked out, tears almost shining in his eyes. “I know I fucked up, Aveline. I could have protected him better. Asher was a part of this hockey team, and it was my job as captain to keep him safe. But everyone in this school just assumed I did it. They assumed I cut the money because it was my father’s, and I just let them believe it. I was too proud to argue. But I never wanted to hurt him!”

For a single, split second, the hard face mask I was wearing completely cracked.

The emotional pain I had been hiding inside my chest rushed to the surface. The pain of dating him during that beautiful summer, the pain of truly loving him, and the terrible, crushing pain of losing my brother hit my heart all at the exact same time. It was too much to bear.

Kieran noticed the change in me instantly. His hands grew softer on my shoulders. His eyes dropped down, looking directly at my lips. The sweet, warm memory of our summer together completely overwhelmed his mind. He looked at me like he wanted to lean down and kiss away all the pain, to go back to the way things used to be before the lies started.

But the softness lasted for only a second. The reality of my situation snapped back. My brother was gone, and the boy holding me was a part of the reason why.

Pure, hot anger flashed back into my eyes. I raised both of my hands, placing my palms against his chest, and shoved him back with all the power in my body.

"Get away from me!" I shouted, my voice echoing loudly as I pushed him far away from me.