"Wait, what?" Before I could even move, cold, metallic handcuffs were rudely clasped against wrists. "N-no, this has got to be some sort of misunderstanding?"
"You have the right to remain silent," Detective Frimpong continued without a hint of hesitation. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just stated?"
"No! Cuz I didn't do anything!" I yelled, heart racing in my chest. "I didn't kill Akunna!"
"Then how do you explain this." The detective pulled out a plastic bag, filled with several packets of whitish powder. "My men found these packets of cocaine stashed away in a secret compartment in your locker. Now we have reason to suspect you of spiking Akunna's drink with these, because a number of your fellow teammates labelled you as an avid drug user."
"What?" My stomach tightened in fear. "That's a lie! I've never used drugs in my life!"
"Right. You can give us more details at the station." The detective motioned at the officer behind me and he gave me a shove.
"No, no, no, wait." I shuffled away, but not before a second officer grabbed my forearm, yanking me towards the corridors. "No, wait. Please, you have to listen to me! I didn't drug Akunna! This is obviously a set-up!"
There was a lot going on around me. A buzz of chatter echoed in the air, with all eyes trained on the deck. Coach Sarah's mouth had dropped open as she stood with a number of the competition officials, who were trying to make heads or tails about the sudden development. My teammates, along with the ones I'd just beaten, were watching in surprise and shock. Others stared as if they didn't know me.
My thoughts were spiraling, descending into a void of trepidation, doubt and nothingness. Anger soon joined the mix when my eyes found that small smirk dancing on Ethan's lips. He stood behind everyone else, arms folded, watching the very ploy he had orchestrated play out before him.
In those few moments, I wanted nothing else but to reach out and crush his neck with all the might I had to offer. The fact that I had seen and appreciated my friendship with this cunning, devious and selfish being made my entire body ache with gut wrenching pain. All I harbored now for him was pure malice and rage, rage that made me push forward, despite being handcuffed, because I would do anything to scratch that demon in the face.
More men grabbed me with brutality, forcing me backwards against my will, and it would've gotten worse if a high-pitched "stop" hadn't brought everyone to a halt.
"No, wait! Stop!" She pushed past the armed men and my eyes widened at the sight of her.
"Princess?"
Nana Kwame rushed forward, looking quite desperate to get rid of her. "Hey! Are you out of your mind!" He sniped, and without warning, latched onto Princess' forearm.
She, on the other hand, was quick enough to shirk his vice grip off her flesh. "Let go, you moron!"
"Princess." Ethan drew closer, eyebrows descending low. "What are you doing here?"
"Yes, what are you doing here? You told me you needed to go home to take care of your mental health." Coach Sarah joined Ethan, anger brewing in her tone. "Don't tell me you lied to me."
Her wobbling lips made the answer stall, but Princess soon gathered enough courage to say, "Look, we'll... I'll address that later, but right now, you can't arrest Akwasi."
Her legs moved in my direction until Detective Frimpong made her stop. "And why is that?"
"Be-because... he didn't kill Akunna," she swallowed, refusing to look the detective the eye. "We did."
A shower of gasps filled the air. Ethan's face looked as pale as dry wood, and for a minute I thought he was going to lay a hand on Princess, until Nana Kwame bolted like a man being chased by a wild animal.
"Get him!" Detective Frimpong ordered and a couple of his men dashed after him, yelling out some instructions to their fellow officers through a walkie talkie.
Everyone's vision flew back to Princess and though she was trembling like a leaf, she still opened her mouth say more. But Ethan deliberately cut her off.
"Don't listen to her!" He roared. "She's sick, this girl is sick! She's deranged. She's had severe mental health issues ever since she came to Penfield! Nothing she says is true!"
"Shut your pie hole, Ethan!" Coach Sarah snapped.
At this point, the incessant babble of discourse and commotion had intensified, creating a strained atmosphere. The crowd still occupied the bleachers, watching us with bated breath.
"Come on." The detective placed an arm on Princess' shoulder. "Let's continue this somewhere more private."
In the next thirty minutes, I was in a conference room with Princess, Coach Sarah, Detective Frimpong, Mr. Dery, the university authorities, some competition officials and several other policemen.
Like me Ethan, had also been handcuffed, and was seated outside the conference with two policemen flanking him on both sides. Through the glass door, I could see the vivid scowl etched onto his forehead and the restless twitch of his hands. He was on the verge of losing it because Princess' sudden appearance had ruined his plans.
My eyes flickered over to her. Princess sat at the head of the wide oval shaped conference table with her head low. Now that she was seated few feet away from me, I could see the sagging bags underneath her eyes and the slight shade of red in the white layers surrounding her pupil. She looked like a walking zombie, and though it evoked a sense of pity inside me, I ordered myself not to sympathise. I still hadn't forgiven her for ghosting on me.
Once the door clicked shut, Detective Frimpong cleared his throat and placed a bottle of water in front of Princess. "Now, like everyone else here, I'm eager to hear your side of the story. But before that, you have to answer this question."
"And answer with the truth this time!" Coach Sarah cut in.
"Why did you make up that lie to leave campus?" The detective crossed his arms.
The room fell eerily quiet, leaving just the humming from the AC.
Princess set her arms on the table, preparing her answer. "Because Ethan forced me to. He gave me money for a bus ticket and everything."
The detective frowned. "Why?"
"Because he knew I wanted to talk," she paused. "From the very moment the whole plan went downhill, I wanted to talk. I wanted to tell the truth, but Ethan wouldn't let me. He even threatened to kill me if I said anything. He tried strangling me once... Akwasi was the one who stopped him."
All eyes turned to me.
"Is this true?" Detective Frimpong quizzed, and I slowly nodded.
"Akwasi is the reason why I came back." Princess toyed with her fingers. "I couldn't let him take the fall for this when... he'd been nothing but nice to me ever since I met him... I don't even know why all this had to happen, I just..." Tears found their way into her eyes. "It was just a harmless prank, a harmless prank... it wasn't our intention to kill anyone."
The tears now poured out in wavelets, and despite her frantic attempts to brush them away, Princess couldn't stop them from wetting her face.
Detective Frimpong hurriedly placed a box of tissues in front of her, before shooting out his next question. "What exactly happened that night, Princess? Tell us everything."
She plucked out a tissue to blow her nose. Tense silence reigned for a brief moment until Princess broke it with her narration.
"It all started after day two's events and the fallout Ethan had with Akwasi in the locker rooms," she sniffed. "Ethan didn't like the idea of Akwasi taking the title from him, so he hatched up a plan to have Akwasi drugged. That way he wouldn't pass the finals drug test, and he'll automatically be disqualified from the competition."
My skin prickled with goosebumps, heart thudding in my chest.
"I... I only joined in because I wanted to get back at Akwasi for calling me a gold digger earlier that day." She crushed the tissue in her hand. "We threw a party. It was Nana Kwame's idea so Akwasi wouldn't suspect a thing. Ethan was the one who brought the coke and I..." Hesitation touched her voice and her shoulders drooped. "I was the one who slipped it into his drink. But when Akunna showed up out of nowhere and drank it..."
Ignoring the handcuffs on my face, I covered my face, trying to hold back the tears, but they refused to stay behind.
"I... I panicked," Princess rumbled on. "I swear, I wanted to say something, even at the vigil... but I couldn't. I regret everything." She swallowed. "Knowing that someone innocent die because I wanted to get some stupid revenge on a person who has always been so honest with me... it's heart-wrenching. I can't live with this guilt."
I pulled my hands down, meeting the harsh burn of guilt and remorse, mixing with the tears in her eyes.
"I am so sorry, Akwasi." Her chair screeched as she dropped onto her knees. "I'm so sorry that I caused you so much pain and anguish these past days. You don't deserve it. You don't deserve any of it. Your friend didn't deserve to die either. I let my selfish desires get the best of me, and I didn't just ruin my life, I ended up ruining yours... and Akunna's. Please... please, please forgive me.
Because I couldn't take it anymore, because everything was hurting a thousand times more than it should, I stood up from my seat, padding slowly towards the door. My hands were still cuffed, but I didn't let it stop me from shoving past the door.
Ethan glowered at me from his seat. "Get lost, moron."
It was at thing point that I saw who Ethan Osei-Boateng really was. He didn't give a hoot about the emotional trauma he'd just put me through. All he cared about was his title. He didn't care about friends or the fact that we'd known each since we were kids. What mattered to him was the title and the reputation he'd spent the past three years building in Penfield.
That was the difference between the two of us. What I valued, didn't mean anything to him.
I thought I wanted this win. I thought I wanted this win for my friends, and most importantly, for Akunna. But now I realise that I don't. I don't need the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer for anything. Because I already have something greater, something I will never have to fight anyone for, and that's Akunna's friendship.
"Akwasi." Coach Sarah, along with the competition officials and Detective Frimpong stepped out. The detective took a step forward to unlock the cuffs on my wrist. "You're free to go, son."
"Thank you. But before I go... there's something I want to say." I turned to face them, focusing particularly on the officials. "I know I won the events and everything, but umm... I'm renouncing the title of Penfield's Greatest Swimmer. You can give the medals and everything to Ethan. I don't want it anymore."
With that, I walked out of the corridor, leaving everyone else to their thoughts.