The Boy I Swore To Hate

didn'

ide her house. She remembered the photograph of herself standing

t part wasn'

ien's fina

our m

o the same code connect

eceived a threat

d begged her to s

e wanted to believe that her mother was frightened because she

lieve something d

a slipped Daniel's letter into the inside

itchen, dressed for work. A cup

early," her

are

iefly before her

ulled ou

e need

elia. I'm al

that when I as

and stopped ab

n't start

ll me th

t tr

cess to the code use

s so complete Amelia could h

lowly lowere

old yo

it m

matters v

wer the q

hardened, but Amelia not

se I volunteered with the school's parent comm

niel was investi

er said

om

es

k Amelia harder

u k

omething dishonest wa

never t

my secret

stared

your

trying to p

n immediately covered her mouth

ia s

him fro

ked toward the

lain everyth

t or

ot

omething insi

him stop talking about his future. I watched him pretend he was fine whenever Dad asked about u

ed in her mo

re things you do

lp me un

reached f

stepp

estigating until you give

up her ba

-

iting near th

ce, his hands buried in the pockets of his dark

terrible

rning to

t. Did yo

d y

N

re both t

at morning, the corne

ared when he noti

happ

ew Daniel was investigatin

s face

ctly did

ct him. When I asked her from

ward the sch

find the ori

oned an original. Mayb

ence against someone powerful, it could expl

studi

py of the email used agains

orks with the schoo

ho

t tell

lded h

st you while you ke

nt you to question everythin

er surpr

t exactly

elia. I'm trying to keep you from m

est ti

mist

looke

answer, the sc

y meeting," he said. "Le

-

lace in the deputy

e deputy principal, and Mr. Bennett, the teacher supe

the anonymous po

s adjusted

empted to purchase confidential examination mater

send tha

the account shown

student account, but I d

glanced at t

to have been sent

cessed it withou

ve evidenc

t y

ns folded

participation in the scholarship comp

stomach

suspen

llegations are substantiate

leaned

you examined the ori

nnett

pla

o sent the message. The school should check the server logs, au

regarded hi

you're also a sch

lieve the process shoul

elia forgot to b

is own position

t closed t

il then, Amelia, you're expected to co

wil

fere with school records or atte

tand," Dam

ring Amelia's name, but at lea

ffice, she tu

't have t

wh

end

g you. I was defen

rowed h

believably

ve bee

rself, Ame

pected, and gone a

her as if that tiny s

the hallway

mbered who he wa

en

is changes anyt

n't drea

oo

elle

r word, although Amelia couldn't stop t

-

a found Amelia alon

ng to reach you

osed her

plain why you hung

sat bes

s sca

wh

ething I could

tience was

ed. Ethan is scared. My mother is scared. You'r

und to make sure n

ip examination materials before the examination date. He believed t

ho

n't k

re ly

m n

s voice

owere

t of people who had accessed certain files. He said he needed another witness

cond wi

na n

t wa

stared

the second

tatement, someone sent me photographs of my younger brother leaving scho

anger f

't you te

ho was behind it. A few days later, he was accused of stealing

actually h

in the way p

heartbeat

do you

her palms aga

them. They planned to give the evidence to the scholarship committee. But someone disco

s blamed for s

es

eporte

shook h

er fou

of the letter h

rayed me is someon

aniel ever men

face went str

ld you a

had access

uptly that her bag

careful about what you

ccused her o

eep it t

icked up

ven't told me

u more than I

ren

pped, but didn

to frame me," Amelia said. "If you know a

shoulders

sh I

e walke

ch, watching her friend di

no longer a

son she trusted seemed to be

-

took Amelia to the scho

for, the school's IT technician, who

w," he said. "But Damien explained that your scholars

lanced a

know

etwork last term," Damien replie

or opene

n't give you unrestricted access to the school's systems, but I

hnical information a

stood very l

er it came from my

your account. However, the authentication record asso

ne impers

We need a full review bef

nted to a

about

adjusted

estamp is

Ameli

hed to the anonymous post was taken. If these records are accurate,

a fel

rumor that go

d quietly. "Some

ary of the irregularities

committee. They'll need to r

you," s

laboratory, Ameli

were

ut w

estroy me before the sc

nod

s case to make sure nobody

n at the paper

yone go to so

gives the winner access to opportunities, influentia

this must want the

ake sure someone e

stopped

person framing m

assuming the person re

answer, Damien'

d the

r drained fr

it?" Amel

the screen

ame from an u

N WARNED,

photograph of a

ed the handwrit

iel

eral account numbers. Most of the text was

the original evidence is wi

m of the pag

A WHI

a loo

l trust Serena w

s jaw t

n't k

k she's been

find her before whoe

phone v

from Seren

TBALL STAND AFTER SCHOOL. COME ALONE.

read it

her messa

AMIEN. HE KNOWS WHY YOUR

gers we

raised her e

watch

she say?

nation. She wanted to believe that the boy who had defended her that

warned her not to trust

age had just open

ied, slipping her p

tudied h

eli

hould

dn't

ou need to hear my side b

t began

id Daniel confe

hey had met again, Damien

ned hi

close

Amelia needed to know that h