Graduation

Noho ran out of the alleyway and onto the busy sidewalk of New York. She knew the way back to school from here, so she didn't need GPS. It was about a 15-minute journey if she ran the whole way, but with stops and breaks, it would probably take closer to 20. By the time she got back to school, it would be around 10:43, leaving her with about 32 minutes before graduation.

So what am I even gonna do while I'm waiting for the ceremony to start? she thought while running. I guess I could sleep, since Ezra will probably be too busy to talk to me.

After 20 minutes of running and stopping for breaks, she finally arrived at her school. She walked up the entrance steps and pushed open the door, stepping into the school's lobby. Students stood in clusters, still signing yearbooks and chatting amongst themselves. Ezra was nowhere to be seen—probably lost in the sea of his fangirls.

Seriously? I've been gone for an hour, and they're still signing yearbooks? she thought, slightly annoyed.

She walked past the crowded lobby toward the quieter area near the bathrooms, seeking refuge from the noise and over-energetic people. Just as she was about to reach her destination, a voice called from behind her.

"Noho? Where have you been all this time?"

She tensed immediately at the familiar voice. Principal Deccans. Her hands twitched slightly at her sides.

He noticed I was gone? I thought I was careful when I left.

Turning around, she forced herself to stay calm. "I was at 6th Avenue Alleyway. I was curious about the murder," she said.

Telling him about the alleyway wasn't a big deal. It was the truth—partially. She just couldn't mention she had been inside Mr. Fake Homeless' house.

Deccans frowned. "You were at the alleyway? The one where the murder happened? A young graduate like you has no business being in a place like that."

"Yeah, well, I just wanted to investigate who the victim was since they never released the name," she said, her tone defensive.

"The victim's identity is none of your concern. You shouldn't worry about things like that, especially on your graduation day."

"I know that. I was just curious and wanted to see the crime scene," Noho replied, folding her arms.

Deccans studied her for a moment. "Did you find anything?"

"Unfortunately, no. I didn't have enough time. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow to do some more investigating."

Something in Deccans' expression shifted at that. His posture stiffened slightly before he leaned forward. "It's not a good idea to go back. New York alleyways are dangerous, you know. And what if you run into a Cloaked Man?"

Noho shrugged. "I'll be fine. I just want to take a few samples and analyze them myself. It's not like I'm trying to solve the murder—I just like doing stuff like this in my free time."

"That's an interesting hobby." He nodded slightly. "I'm glad you like exploring and experimenting with new things. Learning shouldn't only take place in school."

"Mhm." She mumbled, turning away from him and heading toward the bathroom.

But before she could get too far, Deccans spoke again.

"You didn't go anywhere else, right?"

Noho suddenly froze. Her eyes shifted to the side, but she kept facing forward.

Huh?

"Is the alleyway the only place you went?" he pressed. "Observing a crime scene for an hour seems excessive, especially since you only wanted to take samples."

Thinking quickly, she replied, "I met a lady there who was also investigating the crime scene—she was a detective, so we talked for a while."

"I see." He nodded slowly. Then, in a more serious tone, he said, "Just make sure you don't go exploring places you're not supposed to, okay? And be careful when investigating. You might find things you don't want to see."

Noho stiffened. Something about the way he said that made her uneasy.

"…Yeah, sure thing," she muttered, eager to escape.

She turned and walked quickly toward the bathroom, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Dropping her backpack to the floor, she leaned against the wall, exhaling sharply.

What the heck? Does he know? That I went to Mr. Fake Homeless' house?

No. That wasn't possible. He couldn't know.

Drowning in her thoughts, she didn't immediately notice the group of girls already inside the bathroom—until she felt their eyes on her.

Jayla and her friends stood in front of the mirrors, staring directly at her.

Noho leaned against the cold bathroom wall, staring at Jayla and her friends. Ignoring them, she quickly made her way into one of the stalls and leaned against the door.

Not even the bathroom is a safe place for me, she thought, still slightly dazed.

From inside the stall, she could hear the whispers and laughter of the girls, though she couldn't make out what they were saying.

Are they talking about me? She pressed her ear against the stall door, trying to hear better.

A few seconds later, she sighed and pulled away. Even if they are, it doesn't matter. I just need to focus on the fact that if Mr. Deccans actually knows where I really went, I'll be disrespecting Mr. Fake Homeless' wish! Her expression twisted with worry.

She slid down to sit on the floor, only then realizing she had left her backpack by the bathroom door.

Oh great. Now I gotta wait until they leave before I can get my backpack.

Her plan was to stay in the bathroom until the graduation ceremony started. Outside, she could already hear parents arriving, which meant the students had likely been moved to the gymnasium to continue signing yearbooks.

Maybe I should just go to the gym and talk with Ezra for the remainder of the time… she thought. But then again, I don't wanna go up to him if he's surrounded by a bunch of his friends.

The distant chatter of parents filled the hallways as they made their way into the auditorium. Noho imagined stepping out of the bathroom into a lobby full of adults, feeling out of place and embarrassed.

On second thought, maybe I'll just stay here until the lobby clears out. I don't wanna walk out while there's still people there.

Minutes passed. The noise faded. Jayla and her friends had already left for the gym, so in Noho's mind, it was finally safe.

She stood up, stepped out of the stall, and grabbed her backpack before heading toward the door.

As she stepped into the school lobby, she noticed a few parents lingering, looking around as if searching for someone. She scanned the crowd for her mother but didn't see her, hoping she had already gone into the auditorium.

They're probably waiting for their kids, she thought. Maybe they don't know they're supposed to wait inside the auditorium.

For a brief moment, she considered going up to them to explain. But then she hesitated.

What if they think I'm bossy? Or weird?

Shaking the thought away, she continued walking toward the hallway that led to the gym.

Just as she was about to enter, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Excuse me, young lady, I'm looking for my daughter. Do you know where she might be?"

She turned to see a concerned father standing behind her. He was wearing a suit—similar to the one Ezra was wearing—and held a small gift bag in his hand.

"All the kids are in the gym right now," Noho answered, pointing toward the entrance. "And the parents are supposed to wait in the auditorium."

"Oh! The parents were supposed to wait in the auditorium? I must've missed that in the email. Thank you!" he said gratefully before walking off.

Noho watched him go, a small feeling of satisfaction settling in her chest. She was glad she could help. Seeing how relieved he was to know his daughter was safe made her wonder—what would it be like to have a dad who cared like that?

She quickly shook off the thought and continued walking to the gym.

Stopping just outside the gym doors, she peeked through the small window. The students were already crowded into groups, laughing and talking.

Before stepping in, she tried to spot Ezra. She didn't want to walk in blindly and look stupid wandering around searching for him. But after scanning the room for a while, she still couldn't see him. He was hidden somewhere in the crowd.

If I walk in now, long after everyone else, I'll draw attention to myself, she thought, feeling her hands tremble slightly.

But then she took a deep breath.

It's okay. I'm never gonna see these people again after today anyway.

Summoning her courage, she pushed open the gym doors and stepped inside.

She walked through the crowd, scanning faces, searching for Ezra. As she weaved through the students, she thought about what she would say if he asked where she had been.

She obviously couldn't tell him about her secret meeting with Mr. Fake Homeless, and she wasn't sure how he'd react if she told him about her little adventure down 6th Avenue.

She was still deep in thought when a voice suddenly called out—

"Hey, Noho! How was your expedition?"

She jumped, startled, and spun around.

Ezra stood right behind her, grinning.

"You scared me!" she exclaimed.

"Whoops! Sorry." He giggled. "So, where did you run off to?"

Noho leaned in close and whispered, "I went to investigate the murder on 6th Avenue."

Ezra's eyes widened. "What? Why? I thought that area was restricted."

"Well, when the only thing 'restricting' access is police tape, it's pretty easy to bypass it!" Noho giggled.

"Did you find anything? What was there?"

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening, Noho grabbed Ezra's arm and pulled him into a quieter corner of the gym.

"The body was missing, but all the blood and the chalk outline were still there."

Ezra blinked. "They didn't clean the blood? They just left everything?"

"Mhm!" Noho nodded. Then, after a pause, she asked, "Do you wanna come with me after school to investigate more?"

Ezra hesitated. "Investigate? I don't think we should do that."

"It's important. I need to gather more vital information."

Ezra gave her a skeptical look. "What vital information from a crime scene could you possibly need? What if we get caught?"

"Then we run, of course!"

"But what if we run and still get caught? Then we'll be in even more trouble."

"Then we just gotta run fast enough that they won't catch us!" Noho said with a smirk.

Ezra sighed, shaking his head. He knew better than anyone that once Noho set her mind on something, there was no talking her out of it.

Still, a question lingered in his mind. Why is she so determined to collect samples from the crime scene? Is she seriously trying to solve it herself?

After a moment of silence, he finally gave in.

"…Okay, we can go," he said, smiling slightly. "But let's not stay too long. We still have plans after graduation, remember?"

Noho grinned. "Mhm."

Just then, the school's PA system crackled to life.

The hum of voices in the gym immediately died down.

Everyone knew what time it was.

It was time to graduate.