Chapter 6

Still in that first life, as Amy at St. Augustine's.

The online trolling had been vicious.

Some of Ethan's admirers, jealous of any girl who got even a moment of his attention – even if it was dismissive attention, which was all I ever got.

They'd created fake profiles, spread rumors.

I was sitting in the library, trying to study, tears blurring the words on the page.

Ethan walked by with his crew, didn't even look at me.

Then Liam appeared.

He'd stopped at my table.

"Hey," he said softly.

I'd looked up, surprised.

He'd seen the tears. His expression hardened.

"Who's doing this?" he asked.

I just shook my head, too ashamed to speak.

He'd pulled up a chair.

"The internet tough guys?" he guessed. "Let me handle it."

Before I could protest, he'd pulled out his own phone, typed furiously for a few minutes.

Then he'd stood up.

"Consider it handled, Amy," he said, with a confidence that was startling.

Later that day, the fake profiles vanished. The rumors stopped.

I never found out exactly what he did.

But the bullying stopped.

Another time, a party. One of those sprawling, out-of-control high school parties.

Some jocks, fueled by cheap beer, had started a fight.

It was near where I was standing, trying to be invisible.

Things escalated quickly. Shoving, then punches.

I was frozen, trapped against a wall as the chaos erupted.

Suddenly, an arm grabbed mine.

Liam.

"Come on!" he yelled over the noise.

He pulled me through the crowd, shielding me with his body.

We burst out the back door, into the cool night air, hearts pounding.

"You okay?" he asked, breathless.

I nodded, still shaken.

"Stay away from those idiots," he said, his eyes serious.

He'd walked me home that night, a comfortable silence between us.

An unexpected shared experience.

He hadn't tried anything. Just made sure I got back safe.

Then he disappeared back into Ethan's orbit.