Chapter 36 Interrogation

Chapter 36 Interrogation
Warren and Julie walked out of the classroom, one behind the other.
He had absolutely no idea where she was taking him. He opened his mouth a few times to ask, but swallowed the words every time, silently following her lead. What did she need? Was it something they couldn't just talk about in the classroom?
As they walked past Class 3 and Class 4, Julie slowed down. She turned her head and was startled by the incredibly heavy, serious expression on Warren's face. What's wrong with him?
"Warren, do you actually have something you need to do?" she asked tentatively. "If you don't have time..."
"I'm fine." Warren looked at her. "I don't have anything to do. I have time."
"Really?" Seeing him nod firmly, she led him to the stairwell. There were barely any students around, so she felt safe explaining her master plan. "Honestly, this could be a small issue or a massive one. But to me, it's a massive issue. I absolutely have to get to the bottom of it. I found out who the guy is. He's a junior in Class 11. I am so pissed."
Don't give her that 'the innocent have nothing to hide' garbage. Knowing someone was actively spreading vicious rumors behind her back, if she just smiled and pretended it didn't bother her, she wouldn't be human!
This was her twenty-seven-year-old self showing restraint. If she still possessed her actual seventeen-year-old temper, she would have stormed into the broadcasting room, hijacked the microphone, and publicly interrogated this Bob Daly guy over the school intercom: Who are you?! Do we know each other?! Where do you live?!
Warren froze, completely thrown off by her explanation. "Class 11?"
"Yeah!" Julie smiled fiercely. "He's the guy who ran his mouth to Ryan Acker. I finally caught him."
"..."
Warren went completely silent.
But thinking back to what she had just said, he paused and asked, "Who did you ask?"
"Dion Faust," Julie answered without skipping a beat.
She quickly realized, "Oh, you probably don't know him."
Warren wanted to say that he did know him—the short guy. But he didn't explain. He just gave a light, relaxed, "Mm."
"So, you brought me out here to go find him?" he asked.
Julie thought he was judging her methods. She knew most people would think she was making a mountain out of a molehill, or that dragging Warren into it was unnecessary. But this involved both of them. And more importantly, this was senior year!
If they didn't crush this rumor at the source, it would either be forgotten, or it would mutate and completely ruin their lives.
And knowing high schoolers, it was definitely going to be the latter.
She wasn't dead. And Miss Bell certainly wasn't dead. If the homeroom teacher caught wind of this, it would be a disaster.
"Exactly," she said. She figured Warren didn't want to actually engage with this kind of idiotic drama. "But don't worry, Warren. You don't have to say a single word. I'll do all the talking. I just need you there."
Since Warren had already followed her out here, he wasn't going to object now. He nodded. "Alright."
Class 11 was also a STEM class, located one floor beneath Class 3. A girl with short hair was standing outside the classroom, eagerly looking down the hall. When she saw Julie, her eyes lit up and she rushed over. "Julie! I've been waiting forever!"
"I'm here!" Julie discreetly peeked around the corner. "Is Bob Daly in there?"
"He's in there." The short-haired girl had no idea what was actually going on, but the sheer secrecy of the operation was thrilling. "I haven't taken my eyes off him!"
"Thanks," Julie rummaged in her pocket, pulled out a pack of gummy bears, and shoved them into the girl's hands. "Can I ask you for one more favor? Can you call him out here for me?~"
"No problem!"
Just as the girl stepped into the classroom, Julie suddenly spun around, nearly colliding with Warren who was standing right behind her. They were incredibly close. She gave him his orders. "Warren, go block the front door. I'm worried that when he sees me, he's going to try to run."
Spreading rumors is fun until you kick a steel plate. There was no way she was letting him escape.
Warren looked completely bewildered.
She brought me here... to be her bouncer?
He was already starting to regret agreeing to come down here. He looked helpless, but he still nodded. "...Fine."
He genuinely suspected the only reason she had dragged him along was so he could physically block the exit.
But he still walked over and posted up at the front door of Class 11. Julie hid near the back door. Looking at Warren's broad, tall frame standing guard, she suddenly felt an immense wave of security. If she had come down here alone to confront a guy, she wouldn't have physically lost a fight on a school campus, but gaining the psychological upper hand would have been tough. Bringing the future billionaire boss to act as her muscle wasn't asking too much, right?
"Bob Daly! Someone's looking for you!" the short-haired girl yelled.
Julie watched from the shadows.
An incredibly average-looking guy walked out the back door. The second he made eye contact with Julie, his survival instincts kicked in and he immediately tried to turn around and run back inside. But how could he possibly outmaneuver a fully prepared Julie Carven? She shot her hand out, grabbed his arm, and yanked him into the hallway.
And he definitely couldn't outmaneuver Warren Gale, who was currently guarding the front door but entirely focused on the back door.
Warren didn't even realize that his own heart rate had spiked. "Catching the culprit" like this was undeniably thrilling for a high schooler.
Moving with startling speed, Warren closed the distance. Without saying a single word, he and Julie grabbed Bob by the arms and practically marched him to the deserted stairwell.
Bob was absolutely terrified. He wanted to scream, but no sound came out. What are this couple trying to do to me?!
Julie didn't give him a single second to breathe. She launched her interrogation immediately. "You're Bob Daly, right? Yeah, you are. Are you the one who told Ryan Acker all that garbage? That's hilarious, considering do I even know you?!" She pointed aggressively at Warren. "Does he know you?! We don't even know who you are! Tell me right now, exactly which one of your eyes saw me and him doing anything?!"
The rapid-fire verbal assault left Bob completely dizzy.
Even Warren was a little stunned. He had never seen this side of her before.
"I..." Bob stammered, his eyes wide with panic. He never expected this kind of blowback. "I didn't say that..."
"You didn't say it to Ryan Acker?!" Julie's face darkened. She absolutely despised people who just ran their mouths for fun. They desperately needed to be taught a lesson. If they had so much free time, they should be memorizing vocabulary words, not spreading rumors.
Bob felt like he was being framed for murder!
He panicked. "I did say it to him! But I didn't come up with it!"
"Then who did?" Julie glared at him. "Don't stammer! Spit it out!"
Warren was actually startled by how loud she was. He instinctively looked at her. She was definitely angry, her brows pulled tight in frustration, but her eyes were incredibly bright, burning with an intense, vibrant energy. She looked incredibly alive.
The ambush was so sudden and overwhelming that Bob's brain short-circuited. Under the intense pressure, he instantly folded and sold out his source. "It was Mads Dancy! Mads told me that you and Warren from your class... you know... were..."
I am so innocent! Bob screamed internally.
He hadn't even seen anything! He had literally just mentioned it in passing to Ryan Acker while asking if Ryan could get them a discount at the karaoke bar!
How was he supposed to know it would turn into this massive disaster?! Why hasn't it snowed in June to prove my innocence?!
"Who the hell is Mads Dancy?!" Julie demanded. "Go get him right now. If he doesn't come back with you, you're dead meat. You understand?"
She didn't need to spell it out.
Intimidating teenage boys was incredibly easy.
Bob: "...Understood."
Who had he offended in his past life?! Everyone said Julie Carven was sweet and gentle! Why was she so terrifying?! Did he dare return without Mads? Absolutely not. He wanted nothing more than to pass the buck. He was innocent!
Julie was satisfied with his sudden cooperation.
Bob hung his head and started trudging back toward the classroom.
Julie suddenly remembered something and yelled after him. "You bring him out here together! If either of you tries to run, I'm walking right into your classroom and dragging you both out by the ear!"
Warren subtly turned his head to the side, desperately trying to hide the smile breaking across his face.
It was so strange. He found Julie Carven absolutely fascinating.
He didn't know how other people would handle a situation like this, but if it were him, he would have just ignored it entirely. Yet she had the energy, and the sheer audacity, to track them down and trap them at their own classroom door.
"Warren, what are you laughing at?"
Julie, whose eyes had been locked onto Class 11 like a hawk, noticed Warren wasn't saying anything. She looked over and saw his shoulders shaking slightly. He was laughing.
Caught in the act, Warren didn't even try to hide it. He told the absolute truth. "I was just wondering who has worse luck right now."
Julie instantly understood what he meant. Her anger at Bob Daly evaporated, and she burst out laughing.
The two of them stood in the dim stairwell, looking at each other, laughing openly.
She answered his question. "Obviously me! My luck is the worst!"
Who wouldn't feel bad for her?
Some idiot ran his mouth, another idiot acted impulsively, and she was the one who had to deal with the fallout.
Okay, the boss has terrible luck too. But mine is definitely worse.
Bob Daly used a fake excuse to lure Mads Dancy out into the hallway. Mads was completely confused. When he walked over to the stairwell and saw Julie Carven and Warren Gale laughing and chatting together, he froze. Wow, they are really bold, he thought, feeling a bitter sting of jealousy. They're really just openly dating in the middle of the school.
He was just about to squeeze past them and go down the stairs when Bob whispered to Julie, "I brought him. Can I go now?"
He looked weak, pitiful, and helpless. Like Julie Carven was a mafia boss and Warren Gale was her lethal enforcer.
Mads was stunned. He realized Bob was talking to Julie. His brain completely blue-screened.
Wait. What is happening?
"Who said you could leave?" Julie's face changed in a millisecond. The soft, laughing girl who was just talking to Warren vanished entirely. "So you're Mads Dancy? Bob here just confessed. He said you told him. You know exactly what kind of garbage you were spreading. Do I need to repeat it?"
Mads stared at Bob in pure, unadulterated betrayal.
Bob glared right back. "You were the one who told me! Right after we got back from the Fall Break!"
Mads was completely lost. He was inherently a coward. Just a simple glare from Julie back in sophomore year had made him avoid her for a month. "...I..."
"Don't stammer!" Julie snapped, absolutely despising guys who acted like this. "Did you hear it from someone else? Don't worry, I have all the time in the world today. Tell me exactly who you heard it from, and take me to them right now!"