Chapter 4

Liam' s transformation didn' t go unnoticed.

He carried himself differently. The new clothes I' d "found" for him (another "my brother' s cast-offs" story) fit him well.

A few girls in our year started giving him second glances.

Sarah Jenkins even tried to flirt with him in the library. Liam just looked confused.

I felt a strange twinge. It wasn' t jealousy. Was it?

Bryce, of course, noticed too. His sneers became more pointed.

"Look at O' Connell, playing dress-up. Still a charity case, Hailey?" he' d say, loud enough for Liam to hear.

Liam would just ignore him, but I saw his jaw tighten.

One afternoon, after a lacrosse game, I was waiting for Liam by the bleachers.

He was late.

I saw Bryce and two of his jock friends cornering Liam near the gym entrance.

Bryce shoved Liam hard against the brick wall. "Think you' re something special now, scholarship boy?"

Liam didn' t say anything, just stood there.

"Think Hailey actually likes you?" Bryce taunted, shoving him again. "She feels sorry for you. That' s all."

Liam' s fists were clenched, but he didn' t move.

I started running towards them, but one of Bryce' s friends, Mark, grabbed Liam' s backpack and threw it on the ground, scattering his books.

Liam finally reacted, trying to grab his bag. Bryce tripped him.

Liam went down, hitting his cheek on the pavement.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" I yelled, finally reaching them.

Bryce and his friends backed off, laughing. "Just having some fun, Hailey."

I knelt beside Liam. His cheek was scraped and already starting to bruise.

"Are you okay?"

He sat up slowly, wincing. "I' m fine."

"He' s a jerk, Liam."

Liam started gathering his scattered books, his movements stiff. "It doesn' t matter."

"Yes, it does!"

He looked at me then, his blue eyes dark with a pain that wasn' t just physical. "I can' t get into a fight, Hailey. One wrong move and my scholarship is gone. They' re just waiting for a reason."

My anger at Bryce turned into a deep ache for Liam.

I helped him collect his things, then took him to the school nurse. She cleaned the scrape.

Later, in my car, I gently dabbed antiseptic on his cheek.

He flinched but didn' t pull away.

"Thank you, Hailey," he said, his voice rough. "For... everything."

Tears welled in his eyes. He quickly blinked them away, but I saw them.

It was the first time I' d seen him cry.

The next day, I gave Bryce the coldest shoulder I could manage. I told everyone I knew what he' d done.

His popularity took a nosedive. He even tried to apologize to me, a mumbled, insincere effort. I ignored him.

Ms. Davison actually gave me an A on my final English paper. "Impressive, Hailey. Perhaps there' s hope for you yet."

Graduation loomed.

Liam was valedictorian. He' d gotten a full ride to MIT.

I was going to Boston State, a good school, but not MIT.

My dad had been quiet lately, stressed. Talk of "market downturns" and "investor confidence" filled our house. A knot of worry tightened in my stomach.

The night before graduation, at a party, I found Liam standing alone by the punch bowl.

"Hey," I said. "Big speech tomorrow."

He smiled, a genuine, relaxed smile. "Trying not to think about it."

"So, MIT," I said, trying to sound casual. "That' s... far."

"Yeah."

"Will we... you know... stay in touch?" I asked, my voice smaller than I intended. "Maybe visit each other?"

He looked at me, his expression serious. "We' ll both be busy. College is a lot of work. Especially where I' m going. I have to make this count, Hailey."

His focus was clear: his future, his escape from poverty.

And me? I wasn' t part of that equation, not in the way I suddenly, desperately, wanted to be.

"Right," I said, my heart sinking. "Of course. You' ll be amazing."

He didn' t see it. He didn' t see me. Not like that.

The music seemed too loud, the laughter too bright. I felt a familiar ache, the one that came with wanting something you couldn' t have.