It started with a whisper. One small, seemingly innocuous whisper in the hallway of Everwood High. Emily Thompson was walking to her locker when she overheard two freshmen whispering about something fishy going on at school. She paused, pretending to adjust her backpack, and listened closer.

"Did you hear about Mr. Evans?" one of them said, eyes wide with conspiracy.

The other nodded vigorously. "Yeah, and what about the weird noises in the science lab at night? Totally creepy."

Emily’s curiosity was piqued. Everwood High was a typical school with its share of rumors, but this felt different. She hurried to find her friends, clutching her books a little tighter.

In the cafeteria, she found them at their usual table. Jake Sullivan was doodling in his notebook, while Mia Martinez and Alex Carter were deep in discussion over the latest mystery novel they had read.

"Guys," Emily said, dropping her tray on the table with a thud. "Something weird is going on."

Jake looked up from his doodle, raising an eyebrow. "Define weird."

Emily quickly recounted what she had heard. By the time she finished, all three were leaning in, captivated.

"So, you’re saying there’s something fishy happening, and it involves Mr. Evans and the science lab?" Mia summarized, her eyes glinting with excitement.

"Exactly," Emily confirmed. "I think we should investigate."

Alex, always the practical one, leaned back and crossed his arms. "We’ll need more than just rumors to go on. We need a plan."

Jake’s face lit up with a mischievous grin. "How about we form our own detective agency? We can call ourselves the Everwood Detectives."

The idea was met with unanimous enthusiasm. The four friends quickly decided to meet after school to discuss their first case. Little did they know, this would be the start of an adventure that would test their wits and friendship.