“You have to tell them everything.”
“They know.”
“No, they know pieces.”
Ava stared at the sink.
“If I tell them, it gets worse.”
“Why?”
Ava looked toward the door.
“Because Ryan says his dad knows my dad.”
Keira stopped.
“What?”
“He says he knows why my dad went away.”
Ava’s mother told her the case was complicated and not something children needed to worry about.
Ryan told a different story.
He said Ava’s father had “betrayed someone.”
She didn’t know what that meant.
After lunch, the principal called Ava into his office.
Ryan sat with his father.
Mr. Mercer wore an expensive suit and an annoyed expression.
The principal explained what happened.
Mr. Mercer sighed.
“Boys make stupid jokes.”
Ava’s mother had not arrived yet.
Ava sat alone on the opposite chair.
Ryan looked at her.
His expression was almost confident.
The principal asked, “Has anything else happened?”
Ava stared at her hands.
Ryan’s father answered.
“I’m sure if something serious happened, she would have reported it.”
Ava looked up.
