Chasing Riley Cooper

‎The clock in the classroom did not tick; it just moved quietly. It was like it was mocking Riley Cooper, counting down the sixty seconds of her AP Calculus test. ‎ ‎Riley Cooper tapped her pencil on the desk. She did it once, twice, then three times. This was a habit she had been trying to stop since her year in high school. It was hard to stop when her whole future depended on one sheet of paper. ‎ ‎Mr. Harrison stood at the front of the room. He was holding a stack of graded midterms. Riley could not tell what she was thinking because of his glasses. "The class did okay ", he said. His voice was boring. It sounded like the air conditioner in the room. "Okay, it's not good enough. I want to see you all do better on the test." ‎ ‎Riley stopped tapping her pencil. She sat up straight. Smoothed out her plaid skirt. She did not want to be just okay. Okay, it was not what she was aiming for. She wanted to be the best to get into college and make her parents happy. ‎ ‎Mr. Harrison walked over to her desk. Put her test face down. Riley did not flip it away. She took a breath and let it out slowly. The girl sitting next to her, Ella Morgan, was staring at her. Ella was a competitor, and she always tried to be the best. ‎ ‎"Come on, Riley, let's see it ", Ella said with a smile. Riley could tell she was not being nice. ‎ ‎Riley flipped over the test. Saw that she got 99%. She felt a sigh of relief. This was good; it meant she was still at the top of her class. ‎ ‎Ella looked at her test, and her face fell. She got 96%. "You got lucky ", Ella said. "You forgot to carry the negative on one of the questions." ‎ ‎Riley stayed calm. "I did not forget ", she said. "The negative was not needed because of the value brackets." ‎ ‎Ella did not look happy. "You are lucky now, but it will not last ", she said. ‎ ‎Then the bell. The classroom became noisy. Everyone was packing up their things. Talking. Riley put her test in her binder. Closed it. She had a lot of work to do. She needed to stay focused. ‎ ‎As she was walking out of the classroom, her friend Mia came up to her. "You really know how to make Ella angry ", Mia said with a laugh. ‎ ‎Riley shook her head. "I was just correcting her math ", she said. "There is a difference." ‎ ‎Mia smiled. "Ella does not see a difference ", she said. "If looks could kill, you would be dead." ‎ ‎Riley just shrugged. "I do not care ", she said. "I just need to make it to June. Then I am done with high school." ‎ ‎Mia looked at her with a face. "You need to have some fun, Riley ", she said. "High school is not about studying and getting good grades. It is about enjoying your life." ‎ ‎Riley sighed. "I do not have time for fun ", she said. "I have much work to do." ‎ ‎Mia rolled her eyes. "You are always working ", she said. "You need to take a break and do something you enjoy. There is a party on Friday. Everyone is going. You should come." ‎ ‎Riley shook her head. "I have a meeting, and then I have to study ", she said. "I do not have time for parties." ‎ ‎Mia looked disappointed. "Okay, but you are missing out ", she said. "It will be fun, I promise." ‎ ‎Riley's phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out. Saw that it was a text from her mom. Her mom was reminding her to study for her SAT and to make sure she got a score. Riley felt a knot in her stomach. She always felt pressure from her parents to be perfect. ‎ ‎"Hey, is everything?" Mia asked. She saw the look on Riley's face. Knew something was wrong. ‎ ‎Riley. Put her phone away. "Yes, everything is fine ", she said. "My mom was just reminding me about the SAT." ‎ ‎Mia did not look like she believed her. "Okay, if you say so ", she said. "If you want to talk about it, I am here for you." ‎ ‎Riley and Mia went to the cafeteria. Sat down at their usual table. Riley tried to focus on the conversation. Her mind kept wandering. She was thinking about all the things she had to do. How she was going to get them all done. ‎ ‎After lunch, Riley went to the auditorium to set up for the day's pep rally. She was the Student Council President. It was her job to make sure everything was perfect. She worked alone, hanging banners and testing the microphone. She liked it when the school was quiet and empty. It was easier for her to focus. ‎ ‎As she was working, Riley felt a sense of wash over her. She was in control. Everything was going according to plan. She hung the banner. Tested the microphone and then she stepped back to admire her work. It was perfect. ‎ ‎She smiled to herself, feeling proud of what she had accomplished. For a moment, she forgot about all the pressure and stress in her life. She was Riley, doing her job and doing it well. ‎ ‎Riley was standing at the podium in the auditorium when a loud crash echoed from the hallway outside. She stopped talking. Looked around. The microphone made a noise. She stepped back. Called out "Hello?" There was no answer. ‎ ‎The school was supposed to be empty. The cleaning staff did not usually come to this part of the school until later. All the sports teams were outside practicing. Riley told herself it was a locker slamming shut or the building settling. Then she heard another noise. It sounded like glass breaking. This time it came from the direction of the principal's office. ‎ ‎Riley's instincts told her to leave it alone and go home. She was the Student Council President at Oakridge High. If someone were vandalizing the school, she had to report it. So she grabbed her phone. Went to check it out. ‎ ‎As she walked down the hallway, she saw that the door to the principal's office was open. She noticed a shadow moving inside. Riley. Held her breath. Someone was definitely there. She got ready to call campus security. The person ran out of the office before she could. ‎ ‎The person was wearing a hoodie and had a backpack on. They ran down the hallway and out the fire exit doors. Riley stood there for a moment, trying to calm down. Then she slowly walked into the principal's office. What she saw made her gasp. ‎ ‎The office was a mess. Papers were on the floor. The principal's desk was turned over. The computer was broken. There was neon green paint everywhere. This was the color of the paint used by their rival school, Brentley Prep. Riley thought to herself Who would do this? This was not a prank. This was damage. ‎ ‎Riley saw a can of spray paint on the floor. She bent down to look at it. Then she heard a voice behind her. "Don't move." It was Principal Evans. He was standing in the doorway with the head custodian. Principal Evans looked really upset. ‎ ‎Riley stood up. Tried to explain what happened. Principal Evans did not seem to believe her. He found her student ID card on the floor. Asked her if it was hers. Riley said it was. She did not know how it got there. She thought maybe someone took it or it fell off earlier. ‎ ‎Principal Evans did not believe her. He said the damage was very expensive and that she could get expelled and even have to go to court. Riley was really scared. She had always tried to be perfect and get good grades. She wanted to go to college and make her parents happy. Now everything seemed to be falling apart. ‎ ‎Riley begged Principal Evans to believe her. She told him that someone else was in the office and that they had run away. He did not listen. He told her to go to his office and that he would call her parents and the police. Riley felt trapped. Did not know what to do. She was being. She had no way to prove her innocence. ‎