I am writing a YA manuscript where a classmate of the mc has passed away due to suicide. My question is, if the MC inquired at the guidance office what happened to the student, would they tell her? Would the guidance counselor even know the answer? What if the parents of the student did not disclose how their daughter passed? Obituaries don't always put the cause of death. Would asking the guidance counselor be the only way to find out? The thing is, I don't think it'd be announced at the school. The student in question is not popular (and therefore, most people do not notice her absence) and she does not have the kind of friends who would openly talk about it / help spread information or rumors. The mc was not friends with the classmate, but merely acquaintances. I know when I was in school a couple of decades ago, the only time the death of a student was brought to light was a student who passed away in a car accident and a page in the year book was dedicated to her. I have no idea if other students had passed away and were not spoken about, or if the car accident student just happened to be the only student who passed away my entire high school career.