The Boy I Was Warned About

was that they rarely st

e had found its way onto

ssages seemed to prefer giving me just enough informatio

ments for the upcoming football game. It showed the old

ircled her na

a second sheet of paper

BENNETT WHA

hat a student behind me

t," he m

ly hea

enshot. Others were taking pictures with their phones. A girl from my Engl

ct was to pull

nd was

d ne

thing I had spent two years trying not to thin

rpe

urn

few feet away,

asn't pretendin

he whispered.

ked a

tel

yes w

sing me of pu

ng what y

ld you, that w

one putting it on

hould

, attracting m

"Can we talk s

back at me. "Actually, no. I want to know why yo

girl who was being humi

it, you defended yourself inste

sing you that I let your vers

n't say a

e I had fo

d of what would happen if

at the noti

e leane

who is doing this,

know wh

e you acting

swer, a voice cam

she recognise

i

choolbag hanging from one shoulder. His eyes moved

me was impossible

was hiding

olded h

y aske

tion on a school noticeboard, and suddenly everyone w

rt with me

't drea

ang, and the crowd

omeone else could photograph it

ave

red a

ha

e it down, they'll say you'

ased my

I hated him fo

the crowd, and began asking questions. Student

pped away

class,"

wait for

tched h

looked

ch do y

allo

ut w

ession h

t do

doing a

people tell stories about my family. I know w

o tell him

e teacher, who was now removi

to get t

out a qui

urse y

lked

watched him leave because I hadn't be

ad turned the noticeboard

ts, and someone had posted a blurry photograph

te good girl has so

d to ask who

en mentioned i

ad been secretly involved in the original incident. A few defended me,

art made me

g a version of me

rying to eat a sandwich I couldn't taste

l me you've

is phone on

eady spreading b

," I

ow who's b

N

stud

ok like

own my

uddenly an expert

ing under control. Today, you look like you're

elf, I almo

mbered the

ink happened to

ression bec

I remember people talking ab

r see the or

nk so.

sita

ned fo

omething you need to

dows with two boys from his mechanics class. He wasn

ost to a teacher,

n wa

o anything when

narrowed

y n

use I had asked myself the

s sca

wh

n everyone talked about. Of people deciding I was

leaned

to risk for

kno

yo

se he wasn't being cruel

down at

ow what I k

uiet for

alist, you have to be able to look at so

now

n't the sam

at him

ed both

g this is only about Tessa or Liam. Whatever happened to

settled

t I had reported the post, that I hadn't writt

that wa

that I had chosen silence

speak to Li

n no

omeone else tells hi

in the corridor outside

e school counsellor. Their conve

gave me a

everything

need to spe

at me with

glanced

ment about the Caleb incident by tomorrow. The school can't rec

kno

tacting you about the

and Mr. Hayes

red a

ion is being

aren

n't you

hat made the questi

wou

no a

ied

t Ruby. I know Tessa

ce wen

nd

nk we need

ut w

group of students were passing, laughing l

t h

hook h

out my sister. You don't get to keep giving

to tell you

tell

ed my

e, but they felt to

had defended me when another girl accused me of cheating on a class assignment. I rememb

bered Ruby's

ered the

own handwriting

. Don't let

reported it privately. But when people kep

didn'

know that. I was scared, and I let that m

nged, but not in t

no relief

isappo

ow Tessa wa

saw her

n't what

oat ti

gs about Ruby. I didn't kno

defend my

ked a

N

something he had suspected

u for tel

s was worse

am.

ve to

n't undo it, but I w

the strap

now because people are as

s not

be n

d direct

what happened to Ruby. I don't know

ay before I

corridor, unabl

tood that telling the truth

the other person a cl

my mother was waiti

ffice sat beside her. She wore a navy

d, "this is Mrs. Collin

ach tig

ollins

per. Please

opposi

folded h

the online posts involving Liam, Ruby, and student

red a

plai

ained. "They want to know whether the school failed to addr

lt c

hat have to

ns opened

n one student. We understand you may have

ed at m

oked c

, is th

bring mys

es

r's face

ew abou

eacher abou

ver mention

n't th

top

gh. I had simply hoped th

ke before my mot

icipated in the bullying. However, we need to understand what s

et of paper on t

ovide a written statemen

orr

d at th

ould I i

eople involved, whether you witnessed further inci

felt to

ed up the pape

er scholarship appl

ollins

equirements of the scholarship programme. At this st

er turn

hat exactl

thing at once, but the wo

rted it. People kept making comm

er's fa

hy

e I was

ed of

e turning a

e had never considered that I

ays taught you to s

kno

hy didn

the paper

ys been easier than doing the right

without sounding a

ollins

it your statement by three tomorrow afternoon. If

mother remained sil

ed you to be honest

wil

ion, your future, your reputation... These things matter. But t

rs burning be

whether she was disappoint

aps

k document on my laptop and

porting it to a teacher. I wrote about Tessa's co

I sto

r part I hadn't

f my mind because it made m

the post, Tessa had asked me to

hadn't meant to hurt Ruby. She said if the school found out she

prom

because she was

ther I knew who had been sharing t

ad

bled as I typ

lved, but I chose n

he sente

aved the

ne vib

cation appeared

journalism schol

formation Required Reg

began t

ened

ngoing disciplinary review at Riverdale High School. Before proceeding with m

tion had b

in, hoping the words

did

rotect my future

ening the very future I h

tification

ge from

I posted anything. Please, Harper. M

d at th

ing whether I

ing what the s

ing me to p

ai

essage

ything, you're going

sed m

being a good friend meant standing

t protecting her from the consequences of h

e I made, someone w

ibrated a

ame from an an

the truth, or I'll send them the scr

d at th

my statement and scrolled to the par

ked at the end

n't know who

fingers on t

wasn't deciding whet

could survive the consequ