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Gunner ss?"

"No"

Gunner laughed in response "I’ll be Instagraiving us reading instructions Thank God, I’d get a nap in this class

"My irl saw her daddy kill hertowardabout?

"Huh?" I asked as I turned back to him

"Brady’s cousin She don’t talk because she watched her daddy shoot herMy mom said she’s mental now"

My stomach turned and twisted up in knots I didn’t want to believe that Not for Maggie Hell, not for anyone, but especially not for Maggie She was kind She didn’t lash out or mistreat anyone Even me, who she should have slapped at least three tiaze Only a loneliness I wanted to ignore But what Gunner was sayingThat kind of horror would coossip and thought she knew everything in town I wanted this to be wrong But what if it was true? Hoas she living with that kind of night my texts What’s up with that?

It was the fifth text fro him, even if it was rude I was done with everyone connected to Brady and the all-important football team I had also seen West confront Nash in the hallway after ju all over me about the text I didn’t have time for this drama I wanted no part of it

I knew I should explain to Nash why I wasn’t going to be texting hi lunch Yesterday Brady had sat with me outside at the picnic tables, but it had been aard He obviously didn’t want to

I’d sent hi him he didn’t need to sit with ure this out on onna answer hilanced up to see hi straight ahead From the frown on his face I kneas unhappy with Nash textingNash to detach ive me the most peace at ho ht to tell me who I could and couldn’t talk to

I slipped nore him Save us all a helluva lot of trouble I’ll make him pay for this shit if he keeps it up," West warned without once looking atin ht to speak to norant

"Okay!" I snapped It took only a second for the realization to wash over ry, I just blurted it out My skin broke out into a cold sweat I would not lose it I was fine It was just one word

His eyes were on lanced up at hi desperately to run from this or somehow erase it The word had just burst free without difficulty or pain But my memoriesI didn’t want those to come out with the sound ofto decide whether he had really heard me speak I didn’t confir up at hiined it

He shook his head and then turned and stalked off down the hallway The crowd parted for him, too Just like it did for Brady I reached up and touched ertips What was it about West Ashby that made my mouth have ahi about it

When he turned the corner and was finally gone froht, I inhaled and droppedThat had been a piece of irl who didn’t take whatever anyone threw at her but who stood up for herself--and she’d broken free for a moment I hadn’t had that instinct, or any control over my voice, in two years And West, even if it was because he acted like a jerk, had ain All I could hope for was that West didn’t tell anyone what he’d heard I wasn’t ready to speak I didn’t think I’d ever be able to hear ain I wasn’t ready for any connection with people

I pulled my phone back out and sent a text to Nash: Please leave me alone I don’t want to be friends Think about how this would affect Brady Stop textingto me

I pressed send and went to find the library I would just start reading during lunchti myself as invisible as possible

The pep rally was after lunch on Friday Cheerleaders had spent the day in their unifor cheers in the hallways to drum up school spirit The football players’ lockers were easy to recognize, since they had been decorated with balloons, hearts, and posters

Today Brady walked through the halls as if he owned the place More so than he usually did His name was chanted often, and he beamed whenever a chant started up Between classes the cheerleaders even had the entire hallway doing cheers for hiine that after all this, we even needed a pep rally I’d been a cheerleader once, but I didn’t recall ever having this ame day Seemed like overkill