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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Mystery
- Subject: Mystery
- Published: 09/27/2020
The Game Of BlackJack
Born 2005, M, from Muscat, Oman.jpeg)
1. Prologue.
10th Grade... An excellent time for students. The time of pranks, enduring memories, and love. The students of Belleville High School had a glorious time. Students lived in hostels. Teachers suspected nothing. Everything was fabulous. Until the message came.
2. The Text Message.
Paul and Maya, the celebrity couple of Belleville, preferred to spend their time at the coffee shop and drink one strawberry milkshake using two straws, Just like any other college couple would do. Just as they finished, Maya received a text. Assuming they were the notes her hostel roommate, Anne, promised to send her, she opened it. For a minute, after she had opened the text, she started sweating. Not because of the faulty air conditioner, but because of fear. A sudden chill crawled up her spine. Paul asked her what was amiss, but she didn’t respond. She got up, took her bag, and headed straight for the hostel, forgetting that Paul was with her. She entered her room and just sat there staring at the phone in dismay. Just then, Anne entered. She started speaking about school gossip, but Maya paid no mind. She continued to stare at the phone. Anne, vexed by this yanks the phone from her. She didn’t note the expression on Maya’s face till now.
“What is this Maya?” asked a confused Anne.
“I don’t k-know. It’s a threat, for all I-I know,” she replied.
“WHAT? That’s absurd. Who would want to blackmail you? That too with this. What good is this? Are you scared because of this?” she justified.
“Read the entire text, Anne.”
Anne read the text. She was getting alarmed. The whole text contained pictures of Paul and Maya kissing and spending time together by bunking school hours. Followed by that were the words:- “These photos can reach your parents and teacher with a tap of my finger. If you don’t want to do it, well these pics are not mine or yours anymore. Do you understand? Stop dating Paul now.????”
“I’m sure it's a prank, Maya. Cheer up,” said Anne.
“Must be. Huh?” asked Maya.
Next Day, Maya and Anne entered the class. Something was wrong. The unending buzzing of the classroom and the unlimited amount of energy the students contained was absent, which would be an unusual sight if the class was under their teacher’s surveillance. Maya got a terrible feeling about this. Anne enquired what happened and turns out the entire class got the same message. Every one of them became prey to this message. This message even trapped the “Singles Forever” people. Even Antony and Sandra were also sufferers of this message. But what’s surprising was that they were the “Brother-Sister relationship” people. Paul was waiting for her. He walked up to her and asked what had happened. But she didn’t reply. She left off without saying a word. Moments later, Anne received a notification. Her hands started shaking. She was sweating as though. The vibrations of the phone crawled up her spine. She looked terrified. During the break, the class went to Dan, the class prefect. He was one of the few people to not receive any message like that. Dan agreed to help them in finding who it was but received a message after making that statement. It was the same scenario. Pictures, Threat… Dan paid no heed to it as he considered it to be a prank. It also contained the message:- “Hello Dan. Heard you will save your class. Don’t even try to. Otherwise, you know what will happen.” To which Dan replied:- “Guess what, I am single.” Dan helped them. The next day, however, The Headmaster sent for Dan and suspended him for a week. When asked why the principal showed him some photos of him and his ex-girlfriend Cara outside during school hours. “We do not accept this kind of insolent behavior at Belleville, Dan. Do you come here for studying or romance?” said the principal. He dialed “121” on his telephone and said:- “Miss. Knight, send Tara Rodgers to my office”.
3. Adam.
1 week later…
Dan and Tara returned. The existing friendship they had vanished. Inside the class, Tara would always yell at Dan for “embarrassing her”.
“I have better things to deal with,” Dan would say and leave.
When Dan left “The Helpless”, they went to others. But they were all exposed. Except for San Zarah. She was the only one who made progress but was very slow. So the students decided that they seek the help of Adam.
“I wish Adam was by my side. Then we could have solved this case within days,” said San in a sad tone.
“No need for Adam, San. You can do it,” said Daya.
“Why?” asked Antony.
“Do I have to tell you?” said Daya.
“Hmm. You got a point there.” Said Antony. Adam was a rude boy. He had anger issues and did not get along with others. He used to sit in the corner, observing the class go about their daily business. But they had no choice. When Paul had also suggested that Adam should help, they agreed. The group decided that either San or Paul should speak to him as they were the only ones who knew Adam like no one else. Adam was reading a book when Paul approached him. He had noticed Paul close in on him but pretended to not acknowledge his approach.
“Adam,” called Paul. But he ignored him.
“Adam,” called Paul again. But he didn’t pay heed to it.
“ADAM,” roared Paul, regretting that he shouldn’t have done that.
Adam slammed the book on the table and asked in a stern and fierce voice while staring at him with tremendous rage:-
“WHAT PAUL WHAT?” Shouted Adam. Paul shuddered, taking one step back in fear.
“We need your help, Adam,” said Paul after recovering himself from his dread. Paul explained everything to Adam. Adam didn’t show interest in the beginning, but on seeing the worry on Paul’s face, he couldn’t restrain. The entire group was against Adam helping them. Adam was met with the faces of many of his haters. Although, he didn’t care. He first asked about the victims of this blackmailing and who all were helping. San Zarah stepped forward.
“Hi, Adam. Remember me?” asked San in an angry voice.
“I don’t have for your shit now San. Just tell me what you found,” asked Adam.
“The blackmailer is someone who knows every relationship of this class. His motive is still unclear. But one thing’s for sure. He wants others to break up.” explained San.
“I feel like this complete thing is just stupid. But I guess I will help you. Dan, Since you are the class prefect, I need your help.” said Adam.
Dan whispered that he asked him to help because Adam was just a show-off and he takes the credit of others. Adam heard him. He called Dan and took him by surprise by grabbing his collars and pushing him towards the wall, holding his lower elbow hard on Dan’s chest and warned him:-
“You don’t know me and I don’t know you. And you shouldn’t know me.” The bell rang. Adam left him and went back to his place.
During Maths class, Paul told Dan never to cross Adam’s path. On hearing this, Daya and Sandra asked him what had happened with Adam. Paul narrated:-
“Adam is not who you think he is. He is not rude or arrogant, and never even had anger issues. He was the opposite of who he is now. He was joyful, sensitive, and kiddish. It was always me, Adam and San Zarah. We were the best of friends. Adam was forgiving, kind, and helpful. He even had a girlfriend. Her name was Daisy. She was serious and mature. They both loved each other. But one day, she left him, and that was an enormous blow for Adam. He blamed San for it. They had a big fight and ever since then, he never kept in touch with any of us. There was an occasional hi from him, but that’s it.”
“What was the reason?” asked Austin.
“I don’t know. I asked Adam and San but they both never revealed,” said Paul in a sad voice. Val, Natasha, and Maya went to San Zarah to hear her part of the story.
“Whatever Paul told about Adam was true. Adam was a bright fellow. He was intelligent and could solve any mystery. I and Adam were like Sherlock and Watson. This happened last year. One day, Daisy, I’m sure Paul told you guys about it, came to me and asked about Adam. She asked about his likes, hobbies, and qualities. It didn’t take long for me to understand her heart. I asked her one question:-
“Do you love Adam?” to which she replied:-
“What? I mean W-What? No!! What makes you think I like him?”
“Well, you’re blushing when I asked that question and you’re playing with your hair which is a sign and you just asked me about his hobbies and likes.” I justified.
“Fine. I like him. I mean, look at him. His gorgeous eyes and his wavy hair. His face is well---”
“Okay. I get your point.” I stopped.
“Please don’t tell him. I’m trusting you.”
“Okay. I won’t.” But I couldn’t resist. I told Adam. At first, he was like “I’m single”, “I hate relationships”, “I value friendship over relationships”, etc. But when I told him about the common traits between them. He gave her a chance. So the next day, Adam met Daisy at the cafeteria:-
“Hi! Adam,”
“Hey, Daisy,”
“What brings you here?” asked Daisy
“Nothing. Just thought of talking with you,”
“San told you right?” she asked.
“What? N-No,” Adam said.
“Oh, come on, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Ok fine. I’ll tell you,” revealed Adam. He told her how he wasn’t interested in having a relationship and how he was giving her a chance, on the condition that they kept it a secret. So they both started dating. At first, it was jolly good. But later, I sensed a ‘fault’. Daisy got toxic for Adam. He was “Obeying” her. He was also happy with it. But I knew him. He was ready to sacrifice himself for others’ happiness if needed. I couldn’t bear to watch my best friend be a dog under some girl he was dating. So I ended their relationship. I had some pictures of Adam hanging out with me and made Val forward them to Daisy to form a suspicion that Adam was dating because of that; she broke up with him. Adam figured out I was behind it and fought with me. He blamed me for taking his “life” away from him. That was the first time I saw a part of Adam I never knew and it deeply hurt me. Adam never spoke to me ever since.”
“Did you try to tell him what happened?” asked Daya pitifully.
“I tried. But the more he sees me, the more he gets angrier.” San responded. They then returned to go on with the investigation.
Adam and San worked parallel, never even looking at each other.
4. The Revelation.
One day, San was eating in the cafeteria. Suddenly, a senior came and asked San to move. At first, San refused, justifying that she came here first. But the senior didn’t care. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her down from her place. Paul, who was hogging down others’ food, saw this and went to intervene. But the senior jabbed him right in his face. Paul fell. San started to cry.
“Stop crying little girl and get outta here.” said the bully.
Suddenly, like a flash, Adam rushed in and pinned the senior to the ground.
“Don’t mess with my friends bitch,” said Adam. He took a look at Paul who was covering his face with pain and jabbed the senior in the nose.
“Now, if I see you here again, let’s just say that the nose isn’t going to be the only thing broken.” The senior got up and walked away in shame. Adam went over to San and helped her get up.
“It’s fine. I don’t need your help,” said San furiously.
“Oh come on. Please forgive me. Paul and the others told me everything. I realize my folly. I was on my way to tell sorry and that’s when this happened.” said Adam calmly.
“No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have separated you guys. I just didn’t like the way Daisy was commanding you. So friends again?”
“You bet,”
“Where’s Paul?” asked Adam.
“I’m here. One sec” answered Paul.
“What happened? You broke your tooth?”
“Nah. That @#$!%@$^&$ broke my nose,”
“Come on now. We have a case to solve,” said Adam and they got back together. They first started by listing their findings. Adam’s findings were a breakthrough. According to him, the person is someone who broke up. It hurts him to see others in a relationship when he isn't. So San collected the names of all those who broke up recently. But everyone was a couple. Except for Nathan, who is just like Adam in relationships.
“How did you figure this out?” asked an astonished San.
“I read his texts,” replied Adam.
San was particularly interested in the photos. They look like they were taken by someone who was experienced. So she gathered the names of all the photographers in the class. There were 10 of them. But all of them were at the Hall when the message was sent. The trail went cold. That night, San received a message from an unknown number, It contained a series of numbers and an encrypted message. San immediately sent the photos to Adam. Adam deciphered the numbers which revealed: BlackJack. The encrypted message was an abstract picture. It was confusing to make anything out of it. But for Adam, it was a piece of cake. When he decoded the message, it read-
“Hello, San. Heard you and Adam were trying to find me. Well, this ought to be fun. But beware. Cause you don’t know what I’ll do next. Keep an eye out for my messages.” Moments after reading the message, Adam received a message. I said- “Hello, Adam. Heard you and San were trying to find me. Well, this ought to be fun. You know what, let me make it interesting. You got one week to find me. Otherwise, what I have will reach the school management. And you know what’s gonna happen after that. Tick Tock. Your time starts now.”
5. Tick Tock.
Next Morning, Adam informed San about the message. They both were terrified. And over the next 3 days, the trail went cold. Adam asked Evan, Daya’s boyfriend for help. Evan is a tech junkie. Evan could do wonders with a computer. Adam gave him the anonymous number to track it. But it was of no use because he was using a VPN which scrambled his location. They hit a dead end again. Adam lost hope. The entire love life of his class was in his hands. That’s when he got a text. It showed a location, which led to the class. He sent San to the class while he asked Evan for a favor. San reached the class, but nothing. Apart from the gossipers, there was no one else. Even Nathan was missing, which was unusual. San checked the tables for any clue. She came across Nathan’s desk and that’s where she stopped her search. Now it all made sense. It was Nathan!!
6. The End.
It was Nathan. He used to go to Mr. Terry’s Photography classes. His desk had a piece of paper containing the list of all the victims. She informed Adam. Adam was already on his way to the basement. There met him, Nathan anxiously waiting for the arrival of Adam. Nathan was sitting with a phone in his hand, keeping his hand ready. He welcomed Adam.
"Welcome Adam Alexander. We meet at last,"
“Why are you doing this Nathan? What do you want? I saw good in you,” asked Adam questioningly.
“I’ll tell you what I want. I want revenge. Relief. Happiness. All I see is love and couples. Why should I suffer alone? I too was in a relationship. You know her. It’s your best friend Paul’s lady, Maya! But she left me when she met Paul because I wasn’t too“smart“ or “good-looking”. So I took my revenge. My first victim was Paul and Maya. I took photos of them, and that’s when I realized something. When I used to spy on them, I would bump into other couples. So I took their photos too. I planned this only for Paul and Maya. But it became fun. So I blackmailed others, too. I was planning to quit when I heard of the “Dynamic Duo”. So I thought to give you guys a challenge. At first, I thought of blackmailing you too. But you were tricky. You had no one. Did you ever wonder why I gave away my location? I gave you a week, but I got bored. So I preponed it. So if you expose me now, it will all go in a press of a button,”
“Nathan. You are a fool to fall into the trap of relationships. Friendships last longer and are much better. Do you think by exposing your ex’s photos, you’ll feel happy? Sure, it might bring you joy, but only for a slight amount of time. After that, you’ll be back to being sad and angry. Please. You don’t have to do this. Find yourself some excellent friends. They will always have your back,” said Adam, reaching his hand into his back pocket.
“Fine. But what if those friends stab me in the back for a girl?” said Nathan and pressed the button. Adam smiled. When Nathan pressed the button on his phone again, his smile became a laughter.
“Why are you laughing?” asked Nathan frustratedly.
“Do you think I came unprepared? We could not track your location because of the VPN you were using, but the number you used was the same. So we tracked the SIM signal which led to the basement. We even found the computer system that you use frequently. So I asked Evan to plant a fail-safe hyperlinked to that button. So when you pressed that button, you let a virus into your phone. You have exactly 1 minute to send a message to the class saying that you are responsible for everything. After that, give me your phone. You do it. We kill the virus. We all know you value the phone over your life. Tick Tock. Oh. And a minor piece of advice. Remember to log out of anything so that others may not use it,”
“Fine. I’ll do it,” said Nathan, accepting his defeat. He sent the message to the class and gave his phone to Adam. Adam and Nathan entered the classroom. Rage and anger filled the air. The angry mob approached Nathan. He had Adam’s protection.
“BACK OFF EVERYONE,” shouted Adam. “All of you remain calm. Give him a chance. He’s broken. If you please let him, you’ll understand why he did all this,” Said Adam
“Stop supporting that asshole, Adam,” said Dan.
Adam, already annoyed with Dan says:- “Dan, keep your filthy mouth shut. If I hear a word from you unless you’re needed to, you won’t know what will happen next.”
Adam explained everything to the class, Most of them felt guilty. The one who started it all, Maya was so guilty, that tears rolled down her cheeks. She apologized to Nathan for what she had done and asked him to be his friend. Nathan forgot all about his revenge and accepted her. But there were still some who were not convinced. The whole class cheered and praised Adam. San was among the crowd, cheering. Adam called her up to be with him. San hesitated at first but then accepted.
“Why should I deserve all the cheering? It was your idea to trap him by infecting his phone. It was you who found out that Nathan was the culprit. You decided to play the Game of BlackJack and defeat him. All I did was find him and stop him.”
“I’m glad you’re back. It’s good to see you happy and joyful again. Ph and by the way, there’s this cute girl who asked me about you yesterday. Should I set you up?”
“Hmmm. I think I’ll pass. I just want to be with you guys.” said Adam.
And so, Paul, Adam, and San Zarah regained their lost friendship with the inclusion of a new friend, Nathan.
The End
The Game Of BlackJack(Alwin Baiju)
1. Prologue.
10th Grade... An excellent time for students. The time of pranks, enduring memories, and love. The students of Belleville High School had a glorious time. Students lived in hostels. Teachers suspected nothing. Everything was fabulous. Until the message came.
2. The Text Message.
Paul and Maya, the celebrity couple of Belleville, preferred to spend their time at the coffee shop and drink one strawberry milkshake using two straws, Just like any other college couple would do. Just as they finished, Maya received a text. Assuming they were the notes her hostel roommate, Anne, promised to send her, she opened it. For a minute, after she had opened the text, she started sweating. Not because of the faulty air conditioner, but because of fear. A sudden chill crawled up her spine. Paul asked her what was amiss, but she didn’t respond. She got up, took her bag, and headed straight for the hostel, forgetting that Paul was with her. She entered her room and just sat there staring at the phone in dismay. Just then, Anne entered. She started speaking about school gossip, but Maya paid no mind. She continued to stare at the phone. Anne, vexed by this yanks the phone from her. She didn’t note the expression on Maya’s face till now.
“What is this Maya?” asked a confused Anne.
“I don’t k-know. It’s a threat, for all I-I know,” she replied.
“WHAT? That’s absurd. Who would want to blackmail you? That too with this. What good is this? Are you scared because of this?” she justified.
“Read the entire text, Anne.”
Anne read the text. She was getting alarmed. The whole text contained pictures of Paul and Maya kissing and spending time together by bunking school hours. Followed by that were the words:- “These photos can reach your parents and teacher with a tap of my finger. If you don’t want to do it, well these pics are not mine or yours anymore. Do you understand? Stop dating Paul now.????”
“I’m sure it's a prank, Maya. Cheer up,” said Anne.
“Must be. Huh?” asked Maya.
Next Day, Maya and Anne entered the class. Something was wrong. The unending buzzing of the classroom and the unlimited amount of energy the students contained was absent, which would be an unusual sight if the class was under their teacher’s surveillance. Maya got a terrible feeling about this. Anne enquired what happened and turns out the entire class got the same message. Every one of them became prey to this message. This message even trapped the “Singles Forever” people. Even Antony and Sandra were also sufferers of this message. But what’s surprising was that they were the “Brother-Sister relationship” people. Paul was waiting for her. He walked up to her and asked what had happened. But she didn’t reply. She left off without saying a word. Moments later, Anne received a notification. Her hands started shaking. She was sweating as though. The vibrations of the phone crawled up her spine. She looked terrified. During the break, the class went to Dan, the class prefect. He was one of the few people to not receive any message like that. Dan agreed to help them in finding who it was but received a message after making that statement. It was the same scenario. Pictures, Threat… Dan paid no heed to it as he considered it to be a prank. It also contained the message:- “Hello Dan. Heard you will save your class. Don’t even try to. Otherwise, you know what will happen.” To which Dan replied:- “Guess what, I am single.” Dan helped them. The next day, however, The Headmaster sent for Dan and suspended him for a week. When asked why the principal showed him some photos of him and his ex-girlfriend Cara outside during school hours. “We do not accept this kind of insolent behavior at Belleville, Dan. Do you come here for studying or romance?” said the principal. He dialed “121” on his telephone and said:- “Miss. Knight, send Tara Rodgers to my office”.
3. Adam.
1 week later…
Dan and Tara returned. The existing friendship they had vanished. Inside the class, Tara would always yell at Dan for “embarrassing her”.
“I have better things to deal with,” Dan would say and leave.
When Dan left “The Helpless”, they went to others. But they were all exposed. Except for San Zarah. She was the only one who made progress but was very slow. So the students decided that they seek the help of Adam.
“I wish Adam was by my side. Then we could have solved this case within days,” said San in a sad tone.
“No need for Adam, San. You can do it,” said Daya.
“Why?” asked Antony.
“Do I have to tell you?” said Daya.
“Hmm. You got a point there.” Said Antony. Adam was a rude boy. He had anger issues and did not get along with others. He used to sit in the corner, observing the class go about their daily business. But they had no choice. When Paul had also suggested that Adam should help, they agreed. The group decided that either San or Paul should speak to him as they were the only ones who knew Adam like no one else. Adam was reading a book when Paul approached him. He had noticed Paul close in on him but pretended to not acknowledge his approach.
“Adam,” called Paul. But he ignored him.
“Adam,” called Paul again. But he didn’t pay heed to it.
“ADAM,” roared Paul, regretting that he shouldn’t have done that.
Adam slammed the book on the table and asked in a stern and fierce voice while staring at him with tremendous rage:-
“WHAT PAUL WHAT?” Shouted Adam. Paul shuddered, taking one step back in fear.
“We need your help, Adam,” said Paul after recovering himself from his dread. Paul explained everything to Adam. Adam didn’t show interest in the beginning, but on seeing the worry on Paul’s face, he couldn’t restrain. The entire group was against Adam helping them. Adam was met with the faces of many of his haters. Although, he didn’t care. He first asked about the victims of this blackmailing and who all were helping. San Zarah stepped forward.
“Hi, Adam. Remember me?” asked San in an angry voice.
“I don’t have for your shit now San. Just tell me what you found,” asked Adam.
“The blackmailer is someone who knows every relationship of this class. His motive is still unclear. But one thing’s for sure. He wants others to break up.” explained San.
“I feel like this complete thing is just stupid. But I guess I will help you. Dan, Since you are the class prefect, I need your help.” said Adam.
Dan whispered that he asked him to help because Adam was just a show-off and he takes the credit of others. Adam heard him. He called Dan and took him by surprise by grabbing his collars and pushing him towards the wall, holding his lower elbow hard on Dan’s chest and warned him:-
“You don’t know me and I don’t know you. And you shouldn’t know me.” The bell rang. Adam left him and went back to his place.
During Maths class, Paul told Dan never to cross Adam’s path. On hearing this, Daya and Sandra asked him what had happened with Adam. Paul narrated:-
“Adam is not who you think he is. He is not rude or arrogant, and never even had anger issues. He was the opposite of who he is now. He was joyful, sensitive, and kiddish. It was always me, Adam and San Zarah. We were the best of friends. Adam was forgiving, kind, and helpful. He even had a girlfriend. Her name was Daisy. She was serious and mature. They both loved each other. But one day, she left him, and that was an enormous blow for Adam. He blamed San for it. They had a big fight and ever since then, he never kept in touch with any of us. There was an occasional hi from him, but that’s it.”
“What was the reason?” asked Austin.
“I don’t know. I asked Adam and San but they both never revealed,” said Paul in a sad voice. Val, Natasha, and Maya went to San Zarah to hear her part of the story.
“Whatever Paul told about Adam was true. Adam was a bright fellow. He was intelligent and could solve any mystery. I and Adam were like Sherlock and Watson. This happened last year. One day, Daisy, I’m sure Paul told you guys about it, came to me and asked about Adam. She asked about his likes, hobbies, and qualities. It didn’t take long for me to understand her heart. I asked her one question:-
“Do you love Adam?” to which she replied:-
“What? I mean W-What? No!! What makes you think I like him?”
“Well, you’re blushing when I asked that question and you’re playing with your hair which is a sign and you just asked me about his hobbies and likes.” I justified.
“Fine. I like him. I mean, look at him. His gorgeous eyes and his wavy hair. His face is well---”
“Okay. I get your point.” I stopped.
“Please don’t tell him. I’m trusting you.”
“Okay. I won’t.” But I couldn’t resist. I told Adam. At first, he was like “I’m single”, “I hate relationships”, “I value friendship over relationships”, etc. But when I told him about the common traits between them. He gave her a chance. So the next day, Adam met Daisy at the cafeteria:-
“Hi! Adam,”
“Hey, Daisy,”
“What brings you here?” asked Daisy
“Nothing. Just thought of talking with you,”
“San told you right?” she asked.
“What? N-No,” Adam said.
“Oh, come on, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
“Ok fine. I’ll tell you,” revealed Adam. He told her how he wasn’t interested in having a relationship and how he was giving her a chance, on the condition that they kept it a secret. So they both started dating. At first, it was jolly good. But later, I sensed a ‘fault’. Daisy got toxic for Adam. He was “Obeying” her. He was also happy with it. But I knew him. He was ready to sacrifice himself for others’ happiness if needed. I couldn’t bear to watch my best friend be a dog under some girl he was dating. So I ended their relationship. I had some pictures of Adam hanging out with me and made Val forward them to Daisy to form a suspicion that Adam was dating because of that; she broke up with him. Adam figured out I was behind it and fought with me. He blamed me for taking his “life” away from him. That was the first time I saw a part of Adam I never knew and it deeply hurt me. Adam never spoke to me ever since.”
“Did you try to tell him what happened?” asked Daya pitifully.
“I tried. But the more he sees me, the more he gets angrier.” San responded. They then returned to go on with the investigation.
Adam and San worked parallel, never even looking at each other.
4. The Revelation.
One day, San was eating in the cafeteria. Suddenly, a senior came and asked San to move. At first, San refused, justifying that she came here first. But the senior didn’t care. He grabbed her by the arm and threw her down from her place. Paul, who was hogging down others’ food, saw this and went to intervene. But the senior jabbed him right in his face. Paul fell. San started to cry.
“Stop crying little girl and get outta here.” said the bully.
Suddenly, like a flash, Adam rushed in and pinned the senior to the ground.
“Don’t mess with my friends bitch,” said Adam. He took a look at Paul who was covering his face with pain and jabbed the senior in the nose.
“Now, if I see you here again, let’s just say that the nose isn’t going to be the only thing broken.” The senior got up and walked away in shame. Adam went over to San and helped her get up.
“It’s fine. I don’t need your help,” said San furiously.
“Oh come on. Please forgive me. Paul and the others told me everything. I realize my folly. I was on my way to tell sorry and that’s when this happened.” said Adam calmly.
“No. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have separated you guys. I just didn’t like the way Daisy was commanding you. So friends again?”
“You bet,”
“Where’s Paul?” asked Adam.
“I’m here. One sec” answered Paul.
“What happened? You broke your tooth?”
“Nah. That @#$!%@$^&$ broke my nose,”
“Come on now. We have a case to solve,” said Adam and they got back together. They first started by listing their findings. Adam’s findings were a breakthrough. According to him, the person is someone who broke up. It hurts him to see others in a relationship when he isn't. So San collected the names of all those who broke up recently. But everyone was a couple. Except for Nathan, who is just like Adam in relationships.
“How did you figure this out?” asked an astonished San.
“I read his texts,” replied Adam.
San was particularly interested in the photos. They look like they were taken by someone who was experienced. So she gathered the names of all the photographers in the class. There were 10 of them. But all of them were at the Hall when the message was sent. The trail went cold. That night, San received a message from an unknown number, It contained a series of numbers and an encrypted message. San immediately sent the photos to Adam. Adam deciphered the numbers which revealed: BlackJack. The encrypted message was an abstract picture. It was confusing to make anything out of it. But for Adam, it was a piece of cake. When he decoded the message, it read-
“Hello, San. Heard you and Adam were trying to find me. Well, this ought to be fun. But beware. Cause you don’t know what I’ll do next. Keep an eye out for my messages.” Moments after reading the message, Adam received a message. I said- “Hello, Adam. Heard you and San were trying to find me. Well, this ought to be fun. You know what, let me make it interesting. You got one week to find me. Otherwise, what I have will reach the school management. And you know what’s gonna happen after that. Tick Tock. Your time starts now.”
5. Tick Tock.
Next Morning, Adam informed San about the message. They both were terrified. And over the next 3 days, the trail went cold. Adam asked Evan, Daya’s boyfriend for help. Evan is a tech junkie. Evan could do wonders with a computer. Adam gave him the anonymous number to track it. But it was of no use because he was using a VPN which scrambled his location. They hit a dead end again. Adam lost hope. The entire love life of his class was in his hands. That’s when he got a text. It showed a location, which led to the class. He sent San to the class while he asked Evan for a favor. San reached the class, but nothing. Apart from the gossipers, there was no one else. Even Nathan was missing, which was unusual. San checked the tables for any clue. She came across Nathan’s desk and that’s where she stopped her search. Now it all made sense. It was Nathan!!
6. The End.
It was Nathan. He used to go to Mr. Terry’s Photography classes. His desk had a piece of paper containing the list of all the victims. She informed Adam. Adam was already on his way to the basement. There met him, Nathan anxiously waiting for the arrival of Adam. Nathan was sitting with a phone in his hand, keeping his hand ready. He welcomed Adam.
"Welcome Adam Alexander. We meet at last,"
“Why are you doing this Nathan? What do you want? I saw good in you,” asked Adam questioningly.
“I’ll tell you what I want. I want revenge. Relief. Happiness. All I see is love and couples. Why should I suffer alone? I too was in a relationship. You know her. It’s your best friend Paul’s lady, Maya! But she left me when she met Paul because I wasn’t too“smart“ or “good-looking”. So I took my revenge. My first victim was Paul and Maya. I took photos of them, and that’s when I realized something. When I used to spy on them, I would bump into other couples. So I took their photos too. I planned this only for Paul and Maya. But it became fun. So I blackmailed others, too. I was planning to quit when I heard of the “Dynamic Duo”. So I thought to give you guys a challenge. At first, I thought of blackmailing you too. But you were tricky. You had no one. Did you ever wonder why I gave away my location? I gave you a week, but I got bored. So I preponed it. So if you expose me now, it will all go in a press of a button,”
“Nathan. You are a fool to fall into the trap of relationships. Friendships last longer and are much better. Do you think by exposing your ex’s photos, you’ll feel happy? Sure, it might bring you joy, but only for a slight amount of time. After that, you’ll be back to being sad and angry. Please. You don’t have to do this. Find yourself some excellent friends. They will always have your back,” said Adam, reaching his hand into his back pocket.
“Fine. But what if those friends stab me in the back for a girl?” said Nathan and pressed the button. Adam smiled. When Nathan pressed the button on his phone again, his smile became a laughter.
“Why are you laughing?” asked Nathan frustratedly.
“Do you think I came unprepared? We could not track your location because of the VPN you were using, but the number you used was the same. So we tracked the SIM signal which led to the basement. We even found the computer system that you use frequently. So I asked Evan to plant a fail-safe hyperlinked to that button. So when you pressed that button, you let a virus into your phone. You have exactly 1 minute to send a message to the class saying that you are responsible for everything. After that, give me your phone. You do it. We kill the virus. We all know you value the phone over your life. Tick Tock. Oh. And a minor piece of advice. Remember to log out of anything so that others may not use it,”
“Fine. I’ll do it,” said Nathan, accepting his defeat. He sent the message to the class and gave his phone to Adam. Adam and Nathan entered the classroom. Rage and anger filled the air. The angry mob approached Nathan. He had Adam’s protection.
“BACK OFF EVERYONE,” shouted Adam. “All of you remain calm. Give him a chance. He’s broken. If you please let him, you’ll understand why he did all this,” Said Adam
“Stop supporting that asshole, Adam,” said Dan.
Adam, already annoyed with Dan says:- “Dan, keep your filthy mouth shut. If I hear a word from you unless you’re needed to, you won’t know what will happen next.”
Adam explained everything to the class, Most of them felt guilty. The one who started it all, Maya was so guilty, that tears rolled down her cheeks. She apologized to Nathan for what she had done and asked him to be his friend. Nathan forgot all about his revenge and accepted her. But there were still some who were not convinced. The whole class cheered and praised Adam. San was among the crowd, cheering. Adam called her up to be with him. San hesitated at first but then accepted.
“Why should I deserve all the cheering? It was your idea to trap him by infecting his phone. It was you who found out that Nathan was the culprit. You decided to play the Game of BlackJack and defeat him. All I did was find him and stop him.”
“I’m glad you’re back. It’s good to see you happy and joyful again. Ph and by the way, there’s this cute girl who asked me about you yesterday. Should I set you up?”
“Hmmm. I think I’ll pass. I just want to be with you guys.” said Adam.
And so, Paul, Adam, and San Zarah regained their lost friendship with the inclusion of a new friend, Nathan.
The End
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