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when he saw me, like he was expecting me. It turns out he thought I was Sean’s ride. Apparently Sean was waiting for someone to pick him up. When I said I was looking for Sean, he told me where he was and asked me to remind him to lock up when he left. Then he went out to the parking lot. He must have sat there for a while, because his car was still there when I left.”
    â€œSo he saw you come out again?”
    â€œI guess,” Billy said.
    â€œYou guess? The cops didn’t say anything about it?”
    â€œNo. But if he was still there, he must have seen me. I remember wondering if he’d forgotten something. I wish he had. I wish he’d gone back inside after I left. Then he would have seen that Sean was still alive.”
    â€œWhat exactly happened when you went inside?”
    â€œSean saw me. He skated over to the boards and asked me what I was doing there.”
    â€œWhat did you tell him?”
    â€œThat I wanted Morgan back.”
    â€œBilly—”
    â€œI know,” he said. “You think I’m pathetic. Poor Billy—his girlfriend dumps him and he goes to the new guy and begs for her back. But it wasn’t like that, Robyn. She didn’t just dump me. He stole her. Sean stole Morgan from me.”
    â€œBilly, you can’t steal a person.”
    â€œYes you can.”
    What I meant was,
You can’t steal a person who doesn’t want to be stolen
, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.
    â€œI heard him, Robyn. I heard him say he was going to do it. And then he did it.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about, Billy?”
    â€œI was out near the bleachers one day at lunchtime, waiting for Morgan. Sean was talking to his brother. He said if he wanted to, he could get any girl he wanted. He said he’d already picked one out. He pointed to the door, Robyn. And do you know who was coming out of school right then?”
    â€œMorgan?”
    Billy nodded. “You know what Sean said? ‘Piece of cake.’ Those were his exact words. And you know what else, Robyn? He saw me. Sean saw me. He knew I was going out with her. And he knew I’d heard what he’d just said. He smiled at me, like he was daring me to do something about it.”
    â€œYou didn’t say that to the cops, did you, Billy?”
    He shook his head. “Your mother didn’t let me say very much.”
    â€œDid you tell her what you just told me?”
    He shook his head again. “We talked about some stuff. Mostly she asked me a bunch of questions. Do you think it’s important? Do you think I should tell her?”
    I didn’t know what to say. But I hoped that if Billy ended up on trial, I wouldn’t get called as a witness. I hoped no one would make me swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth—because then what would I do?
    â€œWhat happened next, Billy—at the arena, I mean?”
    â€œAfter I told Sean that I wanted Morgan back, he laughed at me. Even I could see that I wasn’t going to get anywhere. So I left.”
    â€œThat’s it? You just left?”
    He hung his head.
    â€œWell,” he said slowly, “I kind of shoved him first.”
    Terrific.
    â€œI was leaving, and he came off the ice and started hassling me. So I shoved him. And he shoved me back, a lot harder. I fell into a pile of scaffolding—you know, from that work they’re doing in there.”
    â€œDid you get into a fight with him after that, Billy?”
    â€œNo,” he said without a second’s hesitation. “I don’t like the guy, but I’m not crazy, Robyn. He was in his hockey gear. He was wearing pads and a helmet and he had a hockey stick. You think I’d have a chance against that?”
    It was the first sign of straight thinking I’d heard from Billy in a long time.
    â€œSo what did you do?”
    â€œI left. I went home. The next day I heard he was dead. Then