Sabotage

CHAPTER 16

The week started off like any other, but by Wednesday, Riley knew something wasn't right.

He'd been watching. Small things caught his attention — conversations that stopped when he got close, papers that went missing, the odd way Megan's friends seemed to hover by the teachers' lounge, slipping in and out when no one was looking.

At first, he thought he was imagining it. But too many little pieces weren't adding up.

Riley kept a notebook hidden at the bottom of his backpack, jotting observations between classes. He couldn't prove anything yet — but he was sure of one thing: Megan wasn't done with Emma.

The Project Disaster

Emma felt good about the history project. She and Lucas had spent hours on it — colorful diagrams, a neat timeline, carefully written paragraphs.

The night before it was due, they met at the library to add the final touches.

"We're actually ahead of schedule for once," Lucas said, grinning as he packed up.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Emma agreed, zipping her bag.

They walked out together, laughing about how the moon landing presentation might even impress Mrs. Allen.

But the next morning brought disaster.

Emma opened her bag to find their project — ruined.

Pages were torn, diagrams crumpled, ink smeared as if water had been poured over everything.

Her heart sank.

Lucas saw the mess and swore under his breath. "What the heck? Did this happen at the library?"

"I don't know. I packed it so carefully…" Emma's voice trembled. "Someone went through my stuff."

Lucas's eyes hardened. "Megan."

Emma nodded, numb.

Picking Up the Pieces

They stood in the hallway, students rushing past them, oblivious.

"Okay," Lucas said, pulling her gently aside. "We can fix this."

Emma blinked. "How? It's due in, like, an hour."

Lucas's mind was already racing. "We simplify. Focus on one part of the project. The moon landing's too big anyway. What about the Apollo 11 astronauts? A character study."

Emma hesitated. "You really think we can pull that off?"

Lucas gave her a lopsided grin. "With you? Yeah."

They raced to the library, grabbing books, scribbling notes.

When the bell rang for class, they handed Mrs. Allen a slim but polished report.

She raised an eyebrow, impressed despite herself. "A focused study of the astronauts? I like it. Well done."

Emma and Lucas exchanged a look — exhausted, but triumphant.

Megan's Plot

Watching from across the room, Megan seethed.

How do they keep bouncing back?

That afternoon, she cornered one of her friends, whispering furiously.

"I want to teach Emma a lesson. Something small. Just enough to shake her up."

Her friend hesitated. "What do you mean?"

Megan smirked. "Leave it to me."

The Accident

It started with a simple plan: loosen the screws on Emma's locker shelf so it would collapse when she opened it.

Nothing too serious — just a scare.

But Megan's bitterness had blinded her to how dangerous even a small act of sabotage could be.

After school, Emma went to her locker as usual, humming softly to herself, still riding the relief of saving the project.

She pulled the door open — and the metal shelf inside gave way.

Books, a heavy thermos, and a metal pencil case tumbled out, faster than she could react.

The thermos struck her shoulder, the corner of the pencil case glanced off her temple.

The world spun. Emma stumbled back, dazed, as pain blossomed in her head.

She sank to the floor, the hallway blurring as voices rose around her.

The Aftermath

Lucas was there in seconds.

"Emma!"

He knelt beside her, heart pounding.

"I'm okay," she whispered, though she wasn't sure she was.

Blood trickled down from a small cut above her eyebrow.

Lucas grabbed tissues from his bag, pressing them gently to her head.

"Stay still. I'm getting help."

Riley pushed through the growing crowd. His sharp eyes took in the broken shelf, the scattered contents, the look on Megan's face — pale and guilty at the edge of the group.

Riley's gut told him everything.

At the Nurse's Office

Emma sat on the exam table, an ice pack pressed to her temple.

Lucas hovered nearby, refusing to leave.

"You're lucky it wasn't worse," the nurse said gently, applying a butterfly bandage. "That could've been bad."

Emma managed a weak smile. "I guess I have a hard head."

Lucas snorted. "Don't joke about it."

When the nurse stepped out to file a report, Lucas turned serious.

"Emma… that wasn't an accident. Was it?"

Emma swallowed hard. "I don't think so."

Lucas clenched his fists.

Riley's Resolve

Meanwhile, Riley stood outside the nurse's office, thinking fast.

Megan was behind this — he was sure of it now. And if she'd go this far, who knew what might come next?

He pulled out his notebook, scribbling details.

Locker sabotage. Witnesses: Lucas, several students. Megan at the scene. Emma injured.

It wasn't enough for proof — not yet. But Riley would get it.

He had to.

Later That Night

Emma lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the events of the day replaying in her mind.

Her phone buzzed.

Lucas: You okay?

Emma: Sore. But I'll live.

Lucas: I hate that this happened to you.

Emma: Me too.

Lucas: I'm here. Whatever you need.

Emma felt tears prick her eyes.

Emma: Thanks.

----

After the locker incident, something shifted at Westwood High.

The usual hum of chatter in the corridors was laced with curiosity, speculation — and caution. Eyes lingered on Emma a little longer. Conversations quieted when she passed. She'd always been quiet, the kind of girl who preferred a good book to drama. But now, she was the center of it.

And strangely, Megan had gone silent.

No whispered insults. No pointed looks. No stifled giggles as she walked by.

It should have felt like peace.

But instead, Emma felt like she was standing in the eye of a storm.

Riley's quiet watch

Riley had known Emma before she moved to this town — back in Pinewood City, where life was bigger, faster, messier.

Seeing her caught in this web of unspoken threats and half-hidden schemes made something protective stir in him.

Every day after classes, he stayed a little longer at school, pretending to go over notes or help in the library. But really, he was watching.

Watching Megan. Watching her friends. Watching anyone who looked twice at Emma.

And slowly, small things began to bother him.

Like the time he overheard two of Megan's so-called friends arguing outside the science lab.

"If they find out, we're done," one hissed.

"We just have to be careful. Megan says—"

Then they'd spotted Riley, and the rest of the sentence died on their lips.

Who was they? Megan couldn't be working alone… could she?

He began jotting things down in a battered notebook — who Megan talked to, when she left class, strange looks exchanged across the cafeteria.

If there was more to this than Megan's bitterness, Riley meant to uncover it.

Teachers begin to stir

The locker sabotage hadn't been forgotten.

The next morning, Mrs. Allen, the strict but fair history teacher, kept Emma back after class.

"Emma, can we talk for a moment?"

Emma, clutching her books to her chest, nodded, heart pounding.

Mrs. Allen closed the classroom door gently. "Look, I know something happened. And I don't believe it was an accident. If you know anything — or if you're scared to say — please trust that we're here to help."

Emma hesitated, torn between relief at Mrs. Allen's kindness and fear of making things worse.

"I really don't know who did it," she said softly. "But thank you."

Mrs. Allen gave her a searching look, then sighed. "Well. If anything comes to you, let me know. And… be careful, Emma."

Megan's false calm

Megan watched from across the hall, lips pressed in a tight smile as Emma left the classroom.

Good. Let them think she was innocent now.

Her last plan had been too rushed, too reckless. She wouldn't make the same mistake again.

This time, she'd wait. She'd plan something that would really humiliate Emma — something that no one could trace back to her.

Megan kept her voice sweet, her behavior perfect in class. But inside, she simmered.

They'll all see. When I'm done, she won't even want to show her face here.

The project disaster

In the middle of all this, the science fair project Emma and Lucas had worked on — a solar-powered irrigation model — went missing.

One day, it was there in the storage room. The next, gone.

Panic flooded through Emma when she realized.

"I don't get it," she whispered, pacing outside the lab. "It was right here. We checked it after school yesterday."

Lucas frowned, glancing around. "You don't think—"

"I don't know what to think anymore," Emma said, voice tight.

They spent an hour searching. Nothing.

But instead of falling apart, they regrouped.

Lucas sketched out an idea on scrap paper. "What about modifying that water filtration prototype we tried last semester? We can build it in time if we work fast."

Emma's eyes lit up, determination returning. "Yes. Let's do it."

Together, they stayed late in the lab, rebuilding from scratch.

The small test

Amid the project stress, Mr. Bennett announced a "small but significant" test — a practice round for the upcoming exams.

"Nothing fancy," he said, handing out papers. "Just a chance to see how you're all doing."

Emma stared at the test paper, nerves buzzing.

Questions covered logic puzzles, short essays, and tricky math problems designed to test reasoning rather than memory.

Emma took a deep breath, steadying her hand. She mapped out her time, tackled the sections she felt strongest in first.

Riley, at the desk beside her, worked methodically, pausing now and then to glance at the clock.

Lucas chewed his pencil, then scribbled rapidly.

Across the room, Megan seemed calm — but there was a tightness to her jaw.

The test stretched on, the room filled only with the sound of scratching pens and ticking clocks.

When time was called, Emma felt drained but hopeful.

The results

Two days later, Mr. Bennett posted the results outside the classroom.

Emma hadn't been looking forward to it — until Sophie dragged her over.

And there it was, in bold black ink:

1st — Emma Carter

2nd — Lucas Grant

3rd — Riley Hart

4th — Megan Evans

For a long moment, Emma just stared.

"I… I didn't think…" she murmured.

Lucas appeared at her side, grinning. "You crushed it."

Megan, passing by, froze when she saw the list. Her face darkened. She shot Emma a look that promised trouble, then stalked off.

A new rival emerges

As Emma stepped back, still processing the surprise, a voice spoke beside her.

"Impressive. I didn't expect that."

Emma turned to see a tall boy with glasses and a stack of books in his arms.

Ryan Blake. The quiet bookworm from Class B — always top in his year until now.

Emma offered a small smile. "Thanks… I guess."

Ryan's eyes glittered with curiosity. "You'll have to tell me your study tricks sometime."

There was something challenging in his tone — not unkind, but competitive.

Emma felt the weight of it, a new tension threading through the air.

Megan's next move

Later that day, hidden behind the gym, Megan clenched her fists.

Fourth place.

It wasn't just embarrassing — it was fuel on the fire of her resentment.

Let Emma enjoy this little victory. Megan was done with petty jabs and half-baked plans.

Her next move would be bigger.

Smarter.

And it would leave Emma with nothing.

Riley digs deeper

That night, Riley pored over his notebook in his room, frowning at the patterns forming.

Megan's anger was real, but some of what was happening didn't add up. The missing project, the locker sabotage — maybe Megan wasn't the only one playing this game.

He made a list of other names. Other suspects.

If there was someone else in the shadows, Riley would find them.

Absolutely! Let's enrich that ending with more tension, more hints of what's to come, and a touch more emotional depth to really round off this chapter. Here's the expanded ending:

Find proof. Before it's too late.

Megan's secret meeting

Elsewhere that same night, beneath the bleachers of the school's empty field, Megan met with someone in the shadows.

Only the moonlight caught the gleam of her cold smile.

"We do this right," she whispered. "She won't see it coming. And no one will know we had anything to do with it."

The figure beside her nodded, face hidden in the dark.

They spoke in hushed tones, plotting, planning — setting the pieces in motion for what would come next.

Emma's quiet resolve

Meanwhile, Emma lay awake, staring at the ceiling, heart still thudding from the strange day — the stolen project, the test results, the odd encounter with Ryan.

So much had changed so fast.

But one thing she knew for sure: she wouldn't let fear control her.

She'd worked hard for everything she'd earned — and she wouldn't back down now.

Whatever Megan was planning, whatever anyone else might try — I'll face it.

Her phone buzzed softly on her nightstand.

Lucas: Proud of you. You were amazing today.

Emma smiled, a small spark of comfort in the storm.

Emma: Thanks. Couldn't have done it without you.

As the night deepened around her, Emma felt the weight of what lay ahead — but also the strength building inside her.

Whatever came next, she wouldn't face it alone.