DETACHED

Chapter 6: Exposed

The next morning, an unusual silence filled the classroom. Normally, students would be laughing and chatting before the first lesson, but today, the atmosphere was tense. Everyone knew about Esther's missing money.

Esther sat quietly at her desk, her eyes fixed on her locker. She hadn't slept well. Every now and then, she glanced inside it, hoping she had somehow overlooked her purse.

She hadn't.

It was still gone.

Xavier couldn't bring himself to look in her direction. His stomach twisted into knot The banana milk was gone The money was gone. Only the guilt remained.

Just then, Miss Martha walked into the classroom with her lesson notes tucked under one arm. She paused the moment she noticed the unusual silence.

"Good morning, class." She said as she calmly placed her note book on the her desk.

"Good morning, Ma," the students replied.

Miss Martha raided her head looking at Esther.

"Esther, has your money been found?" Esther slowly shook her head.

"No, Ma."

Miss Martha sighed.

"I was hoping whoever took it would do the right thing." She turned to face the class.

"I'll ask only once." Miss Martha said as she walked down the teacher's podium to the front of the students.

"If anyone borrowed Esther's money or took it by mistake, this is your opportunity to return it." The classroom remained silent. Not a single student moved.

Miss Martha nodded slowly.

"I see." She folded her arms.

"Then we'll do this another way." Her sharp eyes swept across the room.

"Did anyone see someone near Esther's locker yesterday before sports period?" Students exchanged nervous glances.

Some shook their heads. Others simply stared at their desks.

Miss Martha began calling names one by one.

"Grace?"

"No, Ma."

"Daniel?"

"No, Ma."

"Tiffany?"

"I didn't see anything." Tiffany replied

"Derrick?"

"No, Ma."

Finally...

"Amara."

The classroom became so quiet that even the ticking wall clock seemed loud.

Amara slowly lifted her head.

"Did you notice anything?"

For the briefest moment, Xavier's heart stopped. His fingers tightened around the edge of his desk. He couldn't breathe.

Amara looked calmly at Miss Martha.

"No, Ma."

Miss Martha held her gaze for a second before nodding.

"Very well." She faced the class once again.

" Everyone go and stand outside" Miss Martha commanded in fury. She was known as a model teacher and she has never for once in her eight years of teaching being insulted by students because they choose to lie.

Miss Martha moved meticulously between desks and chair not leaving out any bad, purse or locker. Two hours had passed, there was till no sign of the money.

She turned to class outside, she looked at everyone one of them with disappointment in her eyes before she said,

"I'll give whoever took the money until the end of today."

"If it isn't returned by tomorrow morning, everyone of you will have to face mass punishment" she said and stomped out of the class in anger

A wave of whispers spread through the room. Esther lowered her head. Xavier's chest tightened.

Tomorrow.

That was all the time he had left.

The first lesson began, but Xavier heard almost nothing the teacher said.

Every few minutes, his eyes drifted toward Amara.

She sat quietly with her notebook open, completely focused on the lesson, as though none of this concerned her. He couldn't understand her. She had every opportunity to expose him.

Yet she hadn't. Why?

The final bell rang, bringing the school day to an end. Students streamed out of their classrooms, their voices filling the corridors.

"Who do you think stole Esther's money?"

"Miss Martha is definitely punish us tomorrow maybe worst our parents will be call"

"I wouldn't want to be punished for what I didn't do ohh" a student said

Xavier remained seated until the classroom was almost empty.

His hands trembled as he slowly packed his books into his schoolbag.

The guilt was becoming unbearable. He hadn't stolen the money because he wanted it.

He had stolen it because he was afraid.bAfraid of Victor.

Afraid of another beating.

But none of that changed the truth.

He had stolen from Esther.

Taking a deep breath, he slung his bag over his shoulder and hurried out of the classroom.

Just ahead of him, Amara walked alone toward the school gate.

"Amara!"

She didn't turn around.

He jogged to catch up with her.

"Please... wait."

She kept walking.

Finally, he stepped in front of her.

Amara lifted her eyes slowly.

"What?"

Her voice was calm but distant.

"I wanted to thank you." She looked at him without expression.

"You saw me yesterday."

Silence.

"You saw me take Esther's money." Still, she said nothing.

"You could have told Miss Martha."

"You could have exposed me." Xavier said

Amara tried to walk past him. Xavier moved in front of her again.

"Please."

"I just want to know why."

For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. Xavier was taught by his father never to receive free gesture or gift, they alway come with a price.

Seeing that boy didn't want to leave he front, Amara sighed softly.

"People have their reasons." Amara said hating the fact that she had to talk.

Xavier frowned.

"What does that mean?" Xavier asked

She looked at him and quietly walked around him and continued toward the school gate.

Xavier stood there not understanding what she said.

Without noticimg a small smile spread across his face. He misunderstood her silence completely. He believed she had protected him.

He didn't know that Amara simply didn't have the strength to involve herself in another person's troubles when she was drowning in her own.

Not far away, Tiffany had watched everything. She stood quietly behind one of the corridor pillars. She couldn't hear their conversation. But she had seen Xavier run after Amara.

And that alone was enough.

Her eyes followed Amara until she disappeared beyond the school gate.

Then she looked back at Xavier.

He was still standing there. Still watching Amara leave. Tiffany's chest tightened.

"What does she have that I don't?" She looked down at herself.

Her uniform was perfectly pressed, her shoes were spotless, her hair was neatly braided.

She came from a wealthy family, teachers adored her. Students wanted to be her friend.

She had always believed she was the prettiest girl in school, the kind of girl boys noticed first.

That belief had become part of who she was.

Yet today...

Victor had watched Amara during sports. Now Xavier had chased after her.

Neither of them had spared Tiffany a second glance.

For the first time in her life...She felt ordinary.

The feeling terrified her.

"No..."

She shook her head.

"There has to be something they're seeing that I'm not."

Her fingers slowly curled into fists.

"I won't lose to a girl like her."bShe looked once more toward the empty school gate.

"I'll prove she's nothing special."

With those words, Tiffany turned and walked away.

She didn't realize it yet...

But the greatest battle she was about to fight wasn't against Amara.

It was against the insecurity growing inside her own heart.