"Wait a second, I just realized something else—why didn't you say your last name when you introduced yourself? Is there a reason for that?" asked Dep.
"*Cough* Uhm *burp*, sorry guys, I have to go to the... I’m going to have to leave right now. Let’s talk some other time. Also, Veer, please finish the remaining food; it’s all untouched." Abhi didn’t answer Dep’s question and instead packed his things and jogged toward the school building.
...
As Abhi jogged away, Dep, Veer, and Kevin exchanged glances, silence hanging in the air. Once Abhi was out of sight, the three locked eyes again and simultaneously exclaimed, "HE IS SO SUS!"
"Did he really just run away after we asked about his last name?" Dep said, disbelief evident in her expression.
"He didn’t even finish half of his food. He just got up and left. Well… I'm not complaining about more food, but that’s still pretty sus," Veer commented, helping himself to the plate Abhi had left behind.
"Shut up, goofy glutton! How are you so slim after eating like an entire family of twelve in a single sitting?" Dep grimaced at Veer.
"Boohoo, like you aren’t the same, Dep," Veer shot back, mouth full of rice.
"Stop! On a serious note, was he trying to avoid the topic of Incident 99?" Kevin asked.
"Probably, he was very vague when describing the time he left Rakvill," Dep replied.
"Yeah, we tried to keep the conversation casual. You even stopped me from digging deeper into when he left Rakvill, and he still wasn’t giving any info," Veer noted as he continued eating.
"I still don’t understand one thing, though. Why would he hide his last name? The school definitely has it on record, so we’ll find out sooner or later. What’s the point in hiding it?" Dep pondered.
"Exactly! He was okay with revealing he’s from Rakvill, but won’t share something as basic as his last name?" Veer agreed.
"That is weird. What do you guys think could be the reason for someone to hide their last name?" Dep asked.
"Maybe he’s related to one of the teachers and doesn’t want to reveal that," Veer suggested.
"Or maybe he has an embarrassing last name like Gaylord or Padukone! Haha," said Dep, who also went by Deepika.
"Hehe, that would be funny." Veer chuckled.
"Whatever the reason might be, we need to get to the bottom of this. Dep, you said his last name has to be written somewhere in the school documents, right?" Kevin asked.
"Yeah, what about it?" Dep replied.
"What if we request our teachers to show us some relevant documents and unravel the mystery behind Abhi’s last name?" Kevin proposed.
"I mean… yeah, that could work, but eventually, Abhi will definitely find out," Dep said.
"That should be fine, though, right?" Kevin replied.
"Honestly, I feel like we’re forcing this. Sure, he might be a clue to solving the mystery of the incident, but he’s a person first. We should respect his wishes and his right to remain silent. If he finds out we’ve been stalking him, he might start to distrust us," Veer concluded.
Kevin and Dep stared at Veer in disbelief, as if they had just seen a ghost.
Veer breaks the eerie silence: "So, let's check the teacher's register for his name without letting him or anyone else know."
"LET'S GO!" said Dep.
"That's more like you. I almost thought you got a brain transplant or something," Kevin laughed.
"Haha, so true," replied Dep.
"Anyways, the register is locked inside the cabinet beneath our teacher's desk," said Veer.
"Damn, how will we get the keys to unlock the cabinet?" asked Kevin.
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"Don't worry about it," replied Veer.
*Sigh.* "Every time you say that, my anxiety shoots up to the heavens," Dep said, facepalming and looking tense.
"Okay, so there are about 20 minutes left until the 6th period starts, so let's get going. Eat up quick," Kevin urged.
The trio—Dep, Veer, and Kevin—finished their food and packed up. Just as they were about to leave, Dep stalled them and said,
"Hold up, let's do something."
"Now what?" Kevin replied, frustration creeping in.
"Let's do one thing before we leave. Come here and stand in a triangle pattern."
"Let's just go, Kevin. Dep is the Professional Down Timer," Veer added.
"Yup," Kevin agreed, starting to walk away toward the school building.
"Aww, screw you guys. Why are both of you always the biggest bore?" Dep jogged to catch up with them.
"Sorry, Dep. Let's do your triangle thing some other day. We don't have a lot of time right now," Veer said.
"Whatever. I was going to do our cool group tradition we've had since we were kids," Dep replied, looking disappointed.
"Haha, we can just say the tagline if you want," Veer said, reminiscing about their childhood.
"Acceptable. Also, I still have our spy goggles. We're wearing them—no debate," Dep declared.
"Woo, no way you still have them! After most of our research was indoors, I thought we'd never get to wear these again. So glad we can go back to the good old days," Veer replied.
"Hell no, I ain't doing that," Kevin interrupted.
As he finished speaking, Veer shot him a 'side-eye.' Kevin turned back to find Dep staring at him… menacingly!
"Okay! Alright, let's do it," Kevin relented, going along with it. All three of them put on the black shades they called "spy goggles."
Whether it was peer pressure, nostalgia, or excitement, the three of them said in unison:
"Agents of Hypotenuse declare the Mission Information Abduction begins!"
The trio quickly walked back to class before the school bell rang and all the students gathered inside.
"All right, let's go into the classroom and open the door slowly and quietly," said Dep.
"We already wasted a lot of time getting to the classroom; we can't do this slowly," Kevin argued, fiddling with the door's latch.
"Okay, then make as much noise as possible," Dep replied sarcastically.
"Bet."
"Wait, wait! I wasn't talking to you—" Dep said in a tone of desperation.
BAM!
Veer kicked the door open, creating a loud bang and screech…
"Agent Veer strikes again," he said, making a finger pistol and waving it around.
"Keep yourself safe," Dep said as Kevin couldn’t help but laugh.
"Well, I guess no one heard that, and on the bright side, the door is open. The classroom looks empty as well," Kevin noted.
"All right, whatever. Veer and I will look for the register. Check the little cabinet on the rug under the teacher's desk; that's our target, soldiers. And Kevin, keep watch for anyone coming," Dep instructed in a grumpy voice.
"Aye aye, sir… I mean ma'am," Kevin replied, following along with the bit.
As the trio entered the classroom, it was mostly dark since the lights were off and the windows were closed. The only light came from the main door they had just opened.
"Okay, let me see… Crap, I forgot this cabinet had a lock. How will we get the register now?" Dep said, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I think it's time for the second coming of Agent Veer!" Veer exclaimed, laughing maniacally.
"Veer Singh Noubiches, I swear to God, it's not the time or place; we have like two minutes—" Dep was interrupted.
"Agent Veer's detective skills tell me: If the keys are what you seek, under the rug you shall peek!" Veer chimed in.
"No one will keep keys in such an obvious place. Wait… What? Why… How the heck is this actually working? No way these are the real keys," Dep said in disbelief as her hand touched a small metal object under the rug.
She then took it out and glanced at it in both shock and joy. After that, she inserted the newly found key and twisted it in the lock while constantly ‘side-eyeing’ Veer.
Click! The lock fell open…
"Agent Veer always comes through," Kevin began to rhyme.
"Agent Veer takes the win for the crew," Dep continued.
"Hehehahaw!" Veer's laugh echoed.
"We can finally see what is the mystery of Abhi's last name," Dep exclaimed with excitement.
"Will this mission lead us to some well-earned fame?" Veer asked joyfully.
"Time to reveal the secret of this game!" Kevin shouted with swagger.
"What in the world are the three of you doing?"
"Kevin, did you say that?" Dep asked in a shaky tone.
"Not me! Maybe it was Veer—" Kevin retorted with a shaky voice.
"Nuh-uh, it definitely wasn't me," Veer replied as shivers went down his spine.
The three of them slowly turned back to carefully observe the class.
"Then who the hell said that?" Dep asked, facing the darkness of the room. "Come out, or we might have to pull you out of there," said Kevin. Immediately, the trio took on a formation they called the "Attack Arrow," with Kevin standing at the front facing the 'enemy,' while the other two positioned themselves behind Kevin, taking a boxing stance and observing from the sides.
Suddenly, a silhouette emerged from the shadows and said, "What! The! Hell! Are you doing?"
...….