Chapter 2 - THE CHAIN REACTIONThe click of the handcuffs echoing down the hallway sounded louder than the crack of the guitar.
Daniel looked frantically around the crowd, searching for a single sympathetic face. He found none. The very kids he had intimidated for years were now holding their phones high, live-streaming his downfall to thousands of local viewers. Within ten minutes, the hashtag #DanielSterling was already trending across regional social media feeds.
"Get your hands off me!" Daniel shouted, squirming as the officers marched him toward the main doors. "My father pays for the school’s athletic center! My father will have all of your badges!"
Assistant Principal Vance didn't interject. He stood motionless, gazing at Emma, who was still on her hands and knees, quietly gathering the splintered rosewood into her lap. Tears were still tracing lines through the dust on her cheeks, but she wasn't crying out of sadness anymore. Her eyes were fixed on Daniel with a chilling, absolute stillness.
When the heavy glass doors hissed shut behind the officers and Daniel, the bell rang for third period. Nobody moved.
"Everyone to class. Now," Ms. Parker announced, though her command lacked its usual conviction.
As the hallway finally began to thin out, Emma stood up slowly. Her hands were bleeding where sharp wood splinters had pierced her skin, but she didn't seem to notice. Vance stepped forward, extending an arm toward her.
"Emma... I'm so sorry," Vance whispered, his voice trembling. "I didn't know he would go this far. If I had known—"
"You knew," Emma said, her voice flat, devoid of any anger, which made it ten times scarier. "You saw the bruises on my wrist last month. You saw him dump my backpack in the trash. You didn't care because his father funds your school board campaign."
Vance went dead silent.
"The guitar wasn't insured, Uncle Richard," Emma added softly, leaning in so only he could hear. "Ms. Parker made that up to give the police grounds to arrest him immediately."
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Vance’s eyes widened in horror. "What?"
"It’s not worth eighty thousand dollars," Emma whispered, a dark, unfamiliar smile playing at the edge of her lips. "It’s worth much more than that. And what’s inside the hollow body of that broken wood is going to destroy your entire life by midnight."
