Chapter 31: Passcode

The next day, I went to school with my heart in my bag. My whole morning was peaceful as if it was aware of the trouble that would befall in my afternoon.

Heart pumped up and guts churning, the four of us met before going separate ways.

"Don't forget about your tasks," Nick reminded me.

He looked a bit troubled. I must say, a little nervous too.

"Nick and I will prepare the recorder and the quarters," Simon said.

"I will stay outside the quarters and shoo away any intruder, no matter who it is," Rox recited her assignment.

We recounted our tasks as if we were having a final line rehearsal for a play.

"And you?" Nick asked me.

"I must bring Sir Aresso inside the quarters."

"Ready?" Simon asked.

Were we?

Ready or not, we had to move. We placed our hands together in our center as a team.

We chanted altogether. "Ready!"

I was told he was in the library, so I headed there. On the way, I passed by the staff's comfort room.

My feet stopped when I heard the door slam. I walked back to see who violently slammed the door.

And there it was again. The sound of teeth grinding. It was faint, but I heard it from inside.

I slowly approached the door. Before I could reach it, it opened, and I almost fell to the floor when I came face to face with Sir Aresso.

"Miss Donito, what are you doing here? This toilet is for teachers, not to mention for men."

I swallowed hard and breathed in deeply. My hands were shaking.

"I was actually looking for you, Sir."

"For me?"

"We have a problem."

His forehead crumpled.

"You need to see the quarters. The members are fighting, and it's a mess."

His eyes circled. "Who?"

We came up with the most convincing answer if this question ever popped from Sir Aresso's mouth.

"Jovan and Froilan," I answered.

"Not again!" he exclaimed in frustration.

I had to jog to catch up with Sir Aresso's quick paces.

There was one problem, though. How could we make him stay in the quarters once he learned I lied?

When we arrived outside of the quarters, Rox was there, casually squatting on the hallway floor. She was pretending to read. We only shared a look, and I saw her give a thumb up secretly.

The club moderator got inside in a hurry. He stood clueless and dumbfounded when he found a peaceful room. No Jovan and Froilan. No mess.

Just two smart-looking guys waiting.

Without saying anything, Simon led the moderator in front and made him sit down. Nick, on the other hand, went to the door and locked it.

Hearing the click, Sir Aresso got even more confused.

"What is happening? What are you doing?" He looked at me. "You said Jovan and Froilan are fighting! What is this about?"

"Sir, there is something we would like to know from you." Nick began.

He looked so lost and confused. He stared at me with huge eyes painted with disbelief. "You lied to me?"

I couldn't measure how much disappointment was coating his heavy tone. But he certainly was disappointed.

"Where were you on October 3? Why didn't you show up in school?"

Horror painted his face. "How did you--" He paused to swallow. "Am I not allowed to take a leave?"

It was intriguing how fast he remembered that day. He didn't have to think about it.

"Without notice?" Nick added. "That was exam day. You were the type of teacher who likes to conduct his tests personally."

"Why do you care about my activities that day?" the teacher asked, still not getting what was happening.

"You were close to Angel, right?"

"What does Angel have to do with this? What are you doing to a teacher?"

"How did you get your hands on this?" Nick showed the fake diary to him.

"I don't know! Is this about that diary?"

Nick immediately called him out for his lies. "You're lying, Sir."

I could feel Sir Aresso's frustration grow every second.

"When I came to the office, it was already on my desk. I knew Jasmine owned it that's why I gave it back. Now, what's the problem? I returned it, didn't I?"

"Are you S.T.?" Nick asked directly.

"S.T.? What is that? What does that mean?"

I got chills at how authentic his reactions looked. He mastered the art of pretense.

"S.T. killed Angel," Nick said. "And you are S.T. Science Teacher. Which means, you are a killer."

The teacher's face instantly became void of emotion and life. The hair at the back of my neck spiked when he loudly cackled. He looked around.

"Is there a prank camera somewhere?" he asked, breathless from laughing. "CAUSE THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

I stepped back when his yell boomed all over the room.

"Did the rumors get to your head? She committed suicide."

At that moment, I wavered. And I thought Sir Aresso's reactions looked genuine because he might have been telling the truth this whole time.

Was I wrong this entire time? He was not S.T.?

"Then where were you that day? If you weren't with Angel, where were you?" Nick continued his interrogation.

Sir Aresso fell silent. He closed his eyes tightly.

"I had to be there for my late wife."

And that one sentence shattered me.

"It was her birthday, and I just had to be there."

The longing and pain in his voice almost brought tears to my eyes. I knew how much it hurt to miss someone who left the world before us.

"Angel wasn't your girlfriend?" Nick asked in shock.

"What on earth are you talking about? Girlfriend? How could I-- she's my freaking student!"

My head spiraled. It was dizzying.

Did we chase the wrong person?

I pulled out my case notes and browsed every page. Until I came to the very first page.

"Sir Aresso, when is your birthday?" I asked him urgently.

I needed to confirm something.

"Why would you suddenly ask that?" He replied, but answered the question anyway. "January 18."

With dread consuming me, I looked at Nick and Simon.

"We missed something. We overlooked this detail. Do you remember?"

"What did we miss?" Simon went near me and took my notes.

"Angel's passcode." I panned my sight to Nick. "It’s your birthday, Nick."

I felt like a hammer hit my head. The words came out of my mouth without control.

"Are you S.T.?"

Was I investigating with S.T. this whole time?