The Boy I Was Warned About

being a good person meant

eep your promises. Don't hurt

ist, and for most of my

ything that might jeopardise the future I had planned for myself. My mother liked to

er students came to me when they needed notes b

being th

people

o did the r

hing Liam Mercer walk away from me, I began to wond

seen that post

nonymous account had sen

comments beneath it. I remembered feeling sick when I realised how m

ed the post

repeated to myself whene

report

ioned was what ha

and Tessa told me the whole thing had been exaggerated. She said Ruby had been chasing a boy who never l

ted to be

mitting that my best

tayed

rrying the consequences of s

rpe

oked

entrance. He was staring at me w

coming

t the phone

you were an

a

of his answer

are you

terested in getting another lecture from the school ove

open the l

nged your mind abo

wed him

ether to be reli

ably

int cinnamon scent of the coffee shop next door. Sunlight

ght for the local

trying to ignore the fact that we had

g with enough historical material for a proper feature, b

the jour

ists for the purpos

are you

red a

om the shelf and gl

I'm th

oing it without

at me over

tion without sounding like y

uth c

k to the shelf and

examined old photographs and local newspaper clippings. Despite his attitude, he was surprisingly

of Maplewood's old industrial district, he l

ld work,"

to him, s

gree w

ke it a b

was

you wanted to fra

ut I felt the corne

nce yesterday that I had

mo

phone

ge from

you? We ne

ped

did you mean by tha

ame almost

com

d at th

a screenshot o

seconds, not

typing indica

s two years ago

he messa

Tessa had been fifteen. Ruby h

all bee

s had been the su

knew she was

didn't know it wo

allo

making fu

g those things. I

he words unti

nary. If everyone did it, nobody was responsible. If something happened a long time ago, nobody ha

se explanations because I wante

d been loyal or simply afraid

d n

ulled me out o

my phone

N

the phone, t

unded co

se focus on

for a moment bef

ur

n't as

on, that made

n a box of archived

thout work. Local residents had organised a community campaign to save the town's public sp

Industrial Road, although

campaign," I said, making notes. "Find out what ha

ded photograph of

about it because they n

a good

hrug

obvi

can still be wor

oked

he didn't

ees. We would need to visit the town archives, speak to someone

ld be thoughtful and well researched, the kind of featu

hat might help me

arship more than I

about proving that all the hours I had spent studying, editing articles,

, but I knew what things cost. I knew how carefully she planned our expenses, how often

e her a reason

od for college knowing I

come a journalist

ship, the more I realised how much I had

knew me as a responsible student. My application include

eing bullied and stayed silent, would they stil

ross the ta

t the youth centre, one finger res

treating his family as

of person who stood up f

chance to do exactly that, I

down at

I was trying to protect my future or prote

ibrary shortl

eld the list of possible interviewees. The air had turne

we reached the corner whe

an apolog

sto

r w

ing you about

e me an apolo

ed you were guilty of everyt

away towar

ssume I wa

sita

l the answe

ig

trying to

be h

, but something in it

to me. Don't say you believe me because you want me to l

o be suspended without anyone

not what

my grip on

leb. I know you hit him, and I know there has

hy

se of

d at the mentio

re guarded, as though I had reached for a do

ou know ab

have t

, that I had reported it privately, and that I

ng between us, wait

n. My mother's pride. The possibility that Li

Tessa, even after every

said n

a humour

what I t

d me the

at home

re I could find the

t, watching him disapp

nd that I wasn't like the pe

en him another rea

preparing dinner when I

our projec

in

d over her

t fi

re going to write abou

unds int

d back to

called this

mach d

hy

and Liam online. The vice principal wanted to

my eyes

cou

been no

urs affecting your schoolwork. Y

now,

ned to

p, and I believe we should be there for people when they need us. But that d

red a

oblem isn't ent

ther

oes tha

g that maybe people don'

with it. You have your o

, but I heard the

ut of

hat you'v

e this yo

ining that it had already become my probl

I sat at my desk a

Inside were my grades, recommendation letters, personal statemen

the persona

at journalism mattered because people dese

it thre

osed the

bear to l

ibrated on

nown n

han Tessa because you rep

up str

message

ruth when Ruby needed someone. Y

ers wen

, Who i

ly came

remembers

een, my heartbeat p

al message

orgive you, stop pret

he phone on

creaked in

oom door just as Liam's

nd, I wondered whether

face when I had failed to answer

ous account to tell me I

enough reason

ok from my freshman year. I kept it because I used

ges until I found the da

written in the

Mer

own handwriting,

. Don't let

t reminder to mys

en under

ad done nothin

it against my chest, unable t

have to work beside him, speak to him, and pretend I c

no longer staying

new what

nted me to

I was going to lose the one thing I ha

nteg