The Boy I Was Warned About

rcer broke my heart, h

der, rain dripping from his dark hair onto my mother's clean floor,

next eight weeks of my life, smiled and said, "

gu

Mer

spended for breaking Caleb Brooks's nose last spring. The boy whose name appeared in whispered

described as a walking red flag

nding three feet f

red a

ared

d to the pink fuzzy

uth tw

hoes, B

oor to open up

s across my chest. "Nice

's smile

rpe

'm welco

ed like he was trying not to enjoy himself. "Do

apologetic smile she reserved for difficult customers and people she be

ed farth

pped

e I was af

asonable distance from boys who

at was what

u take his bag up

o quickly I nearl

use

uest room is at the end o

ide

Where else wo

ve. A friend. An abandoned warehouse, perhaps. Anything that didn't involve my mother m

merely

use, you

as calm, al

m a little

to stop at the pharmacy before it closes. Harper, please s

re le

't be

um

rehead before I

ki

he was

door cli

tled over t

ooked

ked a

e, thunder rumbl

cing towards the stai

not stay

s funny. Your mother seemed

talk t

re

ean

do

towards the staircase as though

that he wasn't even pret

e into someone's ho

, your mothe

t warni

sent you a cale

halfway up

rned

own hair fell messily over his forehead, and his hazel eyes carried an expression of perman

ly how much trouble he could cause and enjoye

intention of becomin

w what my mother promised your mother, b

anged in his

, perhaps, or something heavier that d

e said quietly. "I'm not

second, I almo

walked

g to his footsteps move down th

t we

morning, though she had conveniently forgotten to

sharing a roof

plaining his pres

o murder him before my scho

sed m

was

portfolio that needed polishing, and a scholarship application t

d pl

y organi

was not in

established three

took his c

r making perfectly ordinar

decided his comfort was mo

passing him a bowl of roasted potatoes. "And Harper, yo

red my

o use a washing

preciate your confidence

re we

ce, I usually wash my clothes

"Both of y

trated o

iminal everyone had warned me about. He was irritating, certainly,

thanked Mu

eply inco

a normal human being, I would have t

ly good reputation

rning to him, "how

fork

's o

he treatment w

ea

miss you

at his plate. "

hat evening, nobody

nced

food around his plate rather than eating it. T

nobody at school seemed to know much beyond that

f any of the

caught m

ha

thi

stop s

he was

led m

I want you to feel comfortable here. You

s. Bennett. I

will help yo

choked on

e keep volunteeri

're helpful,

ike disappointing pe

ned t

sion was u

d you know

oug

what exactly

for a moment bef

uld rather swallow broken glass than a

th fel

ked bet

the kind of person who think

eady learning a

urvive eight weeks without sp

n excell

roximately tw

reviewing the scholarship requirements

r ope

tst

e sound of someone e

ked th

43

lled on my cardigan, and

chen counter, drinkin

up when

't s

k you the s

d. But then we'd both be asking

ored

s have to be

hen I'm

igerator and took ou

, neither o

stove. Rain tapped against the windows, and the c

rs and students, Liam seemed differe

thought about when

membered

y was da

t involved a boy

ing?" I said before I

st the counter.

u really ge

ession h

ely regret

e Caleb Brooks's nose b

says a lot

d y

oked

k his

es

es

lin

e wasn't d

hy

se I h

ot an exp

one I've g

y grip on the

answer a ques

mind your o

have wa

elf say, "People thi

ickered acro

yo

sita

he wrong

rom the way hi

know you,

act

glass and moved t

, I felt compel

like you don't care

pau

I thought he w

ned his hea

doesn't always c

d more heavily

pond, he disappear

itchen, listening to h

he rain gr

, I wondered whether the stories about Li

w what that

re I wanted

when my phone vibrated

gram not

ano

ore in quick

uth and picked

ssa waited at the

your mother did not ac

d at th

ho to

ame almost

about Liam Mercer. Someone saw him gett

rse th

e, deleted it, th

emporary.

indicator

ppea

red a

ed to be care

row

that approximatel

You don't know wha

at the

r do you.

reply too

I know

t that meant, another

m an account I d

file p

pos

ollo

ontained a si

he did to his sister before yo

ach tig

d it

ond messag

ou do, Harper, don't le

ing crept u

way came the faint sound of

rds the bathr

ck at m

message

t contained

pped

y stood outside Riverdale High School, his dark hair fall

i

h long brown hair, her face

Mer

ially hidden by the boy's legs, was

hool

n o

red across t

vibrate

n't get suspend

otsteps ap

began t

came from the othe

rpe

ldn't

ndle t

open th

raph, my fingers tremb

in the picture

thin silver bracelet

that brac

at s

a pho

e me for years, smiling as though

m handle ra

voice suddenly sharper. "

d at th

message on

ined Ruby's life is clos

wondering whether Lia

else in my life ha