Chapter 1 - HIT RECORD
The wooden ruler came down so hard it split Dylan’s pencil in half.
CRACK.
Every kid in Room 214 froze.
Mr. Harlan leaned over Dylan’s desk, one hand gripping the ruler, the other resting beside Dylan’s unfinished chemistry exam.
“You’ve got until Friday,” he said.
Dylan stared at the broken pencil.
“For what?”
Mr. Harlan smiled.
Not a friendly smile.
The kind that made Jake Turner, sitting two rows back, quietly slide his phone out of his backpack.
“Don’t play stupid with me, Dylan.”
Jake lowered the phone beside his thigh and tapped RECORD.
His heart started pounding.
Mr. Harlan dropped his voice.
“Three hundred dollars.”
Dylan looked up.
“I told you. My dad doesn’t have that kind of money.”
“That sounds like a family problem.”
“You said the tutoring fee was fifty.”
“That was before you failed the midterm.”
“I didn’t fail.”
Mr. Harlan’s smile disappeared.
“You want to argue about your grade?”
Dylan glanced around the classroom.
Nobody looked back.
They were all pretending not to hear.
Mr. Harlan tapped the ruler against Dylan’s desk.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Three hundred dollars,” he repeated. “Cash. Friday morning.”
Dylan’s face turned red.
“And if I don’t?”
Mr. Harlan bent closer.
“Then you’re going to find out how easy it is for a teacher to ruin a final grade.”
Jake’s stomach tightened.
He angled the phone higher.
The camera caught everything.
The ruler.
Mr. Harlan’s face.
Dylan’s hands shaking beneath the desk.
Then Mr. Harlan said something that made Jake’s blood run cold.
“Your scholarship depends on this class, doesn’t it?”
Dylan said nothing.
“I thought so.”
Mr. Harlan straightened.
“Be smart.”
The bell rang.
Nobody moved.
“Class dismissed.”
Chairs scraped across the floor.
Students rushed toward the door.
Jake stopped recording and shoved the phone into his pocket.
He had barely taken two steps when Mr. Harlan called out.
“Jake.”
Jake froze.
Dylan looked back from the doorway.
Mr. Harlan was staring directly at him.
“Come here.”
Jake forced himself to breathe.
“What’s up?”
Mr. Harlan’s eyes dropped toward Jake’s pocket.
For one terrible second, Jake thought he knew.
Then Mr. Harlan smiled.
“You looked pretty interested in my conversation.”
Jake shrugged.
“Not really.”
“No?”
“No, sir.”
Mr. Harlan stepped closer.
He still had the ruler in his hand.
“Good.”
Jake nodded.
“Okay.”
He turned toward the door.
“Jake?”
He stopped again.
Mr. Harlan spoke softly.
“Phones aren’t allowed during exams.”
Jake felt the phone burning inside his pocket.
“I know.”
“Then I’m sure I won’t ever see yours out in my classroom.”
Jake forced a weak grin.
“You won’t.”
He left.
The second he reached the hallway, Dylan grabbed his arm.
“What happened?”
“Keep walking.”
“What?”
“Just walk.”
They didn’t speak again until they reached the stairwell.
Jake checked behind them.
Empty.
Then he pulled out the phone.
Dylan stared at the screen.
“What did you do?”
Jake pressed PLAY.
Mr. Harlan’s voice came through the speaker.
“Three hundred dollars. Cash. Friday morning.”
Dylan went pale.
“You recorded him?”
“All of it.”
“Jake, are you insane?”
“He’s blackmailing you.”
“You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?”
Dylan grabbed the phone.
“You need to delete this.”
Jake laughed.
“You’re kidding.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
“Jake.”
“What?”
Dylan looked toward the stairwell door.
Fear replaced anger.
“This isn’t the first time he’s done it.”
Jake stopped smiling.
“What?”
Dylan lowered his voice.
“And he’s not the only teacher doing it.”
May you like
Before Jake could answer, the stairwell door slowly opened behind them.
Someone had been listening.
