to try to throw the blame at someone else. Trent was messed up enough to kill someone. Why would anyone believe what he had to say about Ben’s involvement? There was no truth to it. If there was, Ben wouldn’t be here.” Right ? I wanted to believe my own words but there may have been a trace of doubt. I wanted to get to know Ben but the simple fact was that I didn’t know him. Not yet.
Olivia scoffed. “Uh-huh, because no one has ever gotten away with a crime? Come on Maya. Guilty people walk away all the time.”
I looked at her, unsure of what to say. I knew that what she said was true. But I wanted to believe Ben was innocent. He wasn’t the one that killed her. His brother admitted to that. I couldn’t believe that he had participated in any way. I wanted him to be completely innocent.
She must have sensed the hesitation on my face.
“Just be careful, okay?” she said softly. “At least you’re in a big class so it’s not like you’re ever alone with him.”
My eyes darted away.
“You’re not ever alone with him, are you?” she asked skeptically.
I shook my head. “No, of course not. When would I ever be alone with him?” It was true. The park was a very public place. I’d talked to him there but we’d never really been alone. Well, maybe that first day. Even then a car had driven by so technically speaking, I was telling the truth.
She blew out a sigh of relief. “Good. I was just concerned because that first day…the way you looked at him.”
I flinched in surprise. Of course I’d heard Hailey’s comment but I thought she was joking. “What do you mean? How did I look at him?”
She hesitated. Her eyes were scrutinizing. I knew she would be taking in my reaction. She would be dissecting it and coming up with her own interpretation of it.
“I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’m not sure how to describe it. You were looking at him and it was like you were drawn to him or something. I know you didn’t know who he was then. I thought once you did, you’d change your mind. But now it seems like—”
“Am I interrupting?” Henry asked as he hesitantly put an arm around Olivia.
Her eyes bounced from me to him. I turned away from them. I buried my face, and therefore my reaction, inside of my locker.
My instinct was to defend Ben because my heart ached for him after everything he’d gone through. But I didn’t know him well enough to know where to begin. Other than the obvious, that he’d been acquitted. However, Olivia was well aware of that, as was everyone here. The problem was that no one really seemed to care. He may have been cleared by the legal system but he was condemned at Beaumont High.
“Actually—,” I heard her say to Henry. Then I heard the familiar voices of Phoebe and Hailey as they joined us. I looked back at them and smiled. I was happy for Olivia to have a diversion from me.
“No, you aren’t interrupting anything,” she finally replied.
“Can I walk you to your locker?” he asked her.
She hesitated, looking at me as though she had more to say. But with the small crowd that had just formed, there wouldn’t have been privacy to say it anyway.
“Sure,” she said, giving him what looked like a forced smile. She said goodbye to us and they walked away.
They hadn’t gone more than a few feet before Henry slid his hand into her back pocket and leaned in close to say something only she could hear. She giggled in response and slid her arm around his waist.
“Aw, Livi and Henry. Who would’ve thought?” Hailey asked.
Chapter 6
By the end of the day I was determined to find out what I could about Alec and Ben. And hopefully, that would mean more about Ben’s real association with the murder. I’d been asking but no one was telling. I decided it was time to be more assertive. I thought maybe if we were somewhere more private, meaning anywhere other than the halls of Beaumont High, maybe I’d have better luck.
On the way out to
Olivia scoffed. “Uh-huh, because no one has ever gotten away with a crime? Come on Maya. Guilty people walk away all the time.”
I looked at her, unsure of what to say. I knew that what she said was true. But I wanted to believe Ben was innocent. He wasn’t the one that killed her. His brother admitted to that. I couldn’t believe that he had participated in any way. I wanted him to be completely innocent.
She must have sensed the hesitation on my face.
“Just be careful, okay?” she said softly. “At least you’re in a big class so it’s not like you’re ever alone with him.”
My eyes darted away.
“You’re not ever alone with him, are you?” she asked skeptically.
I shook my head. “No, of course not. When would I ever be alone with him?” It was true. The park was a very public place. I’d talked to him there but we’d never really been alone. Well, maybe that first day. Even then a car had driven by so technically speaking, I was telling the truth.
She blew out a sigh of relief. “Good. I was just concerned because that first day…the way you looked at him.”
I flinched in surprise. Of course I’d heard Hailey’s comment but I thought she was joking. “What do you mean? How did I look at him?”
She hesitated. Her eyes were scrutinizing. I knew she would be taking in my reaction. She would be dissecting it and coming up with her own interpretation of it.
“I don’t know,” she finally said. “I’m not sure how to describe it. You were looking at him and it was like you were drawn to him or something. I know you didn’t know who he was then. I thought once you did, you’d change your mind. But now it seems like—”
“Am I interrupting?” Henry asked as he hesitantly put an arm around Olivia.
Her eyes bounced from me to him. I turned away from them. I buried my face, and therefore my reaction, inside of my locker.
My instinct was to defend Ben because my heart ached for him after everything he’d gone through. But I didn’t know him well enough to know where to begin. Other than the obvious, that he’d been acquitted. However, Olivia was well aware of that, as was everyone here. The problem was that no one really seemed to care. He may have been cleared by the legal system but he was condemned at Beaumont High.
“Actually—,” I heard her say to Henry. Then I heard the familiar voices of Phoebe and Hailey as they joined us. I looked back at them and smiled. I was happy for Olivia to have a diversion from me.
“No, you aren’t interrupting anything,” she finally replied.
“Can I walk you to your locker?” he asked her.
She hesitated, looking at me as though she had more to say. But with the small crowd that had just formed, there wouldn’t have been privacy to say it anyway.
“Sure,” she said, giving him what looked like a forced smile. She said goodbye to us and they walked away.
They hadn’t gone more than a few feet before Henry slid his hand into her back pocket and leaned in close to say something only she could hear. She giggled in response and slid her arm around his waist.
“Aw, Livi and Henry. Who would’ve thought?” Hailey asked.
Chapter 6
By the end of the day I was determined to find out what I could about Alec and Ben. And hopefully, that would mean more about Ben’s real association with the murder. I’d been asking but no one was telling. I decided it was time to be more assertive. I thought maybe if we were somewhere more private, meaning anywhere other than the halls of Beaumont High, maybe I’d have better luck.
On the way out to
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