I sat back down. He held us an extra minute, then finally let us leave. I caught up to Brady at the door and followed him several steps out of it before I said, “Brady, hi. Um . . .”

He looked around, then right at me. “Hadley Moore. Are you talking to me?” If it weren’t for the smile on his face, I might’ve thought he was being rude.

Even with the smile, I hesitated. “Yes. Can I ask you a quick question?”

“If I can ask you one?”

“Okay.”

“Where is your music today?” He pointed to my ears that were free of the headphones I normally wore between classes.

I patted my pocket where they were stashed.

“I see. Okay, go ahead.”

I cleared my throat. “I noticed that you follow Heath Hall online.”

“Not the real one.”

Was everyone going to point that out? “I know. But I was wondering if you know who he really is. Like, who wears the mask? He goes to our school, right?”

He laughed at this like he thought I was making some inside joke with him.

I waited until he was done to say, “So you don’t know who he is?”

“If you don’t, I’m not going to be the one to tell you.”

I curled my lip. Was this some kind of pact? First Robert, now Brady.

“I knew it wouldn’t last long,” he said.

“What?” I gave him a sideways glance.

He pointed at my hand that was clutching an earbud and getting ready to put it in my ear. “I guess we’re done.”

“Oh. Right. Thanks.” I pushed Play with my opposite hand and let the music drown out my thoughts.

“Do people think I’m a jerk?” I asked Amelia when I joined her at our usual table in the middle of the outdoor courtyard for lunch.

“Someone called you a jerk? Who?” She put her hands on the metal table like she was ready to stand up and fight whomever I named.

“No. Nobody did. Just something Brady said today.”

“Brady Thompson? What did he say?” She moved her hands to under her chin, then let out a dreamy sigh. “And how did he say it?”

I smiled and opened my bag of carrot sticks. “He was surprised I was talking to him. Acted like I never had before.”

“Have you?”

“Well, not outside of class or anything . . . but that’s not the point. I don’t purposefully ignore him. I’m not rude or anything. Am I?”

“No . . . You just have your music on most of the time and walk down the hall like you know exactly where you’re going.”

“I do know exactly where I’m going. Doesn’t everybody?”

She pointed a potato chip at me. “But other people take their time getting there. You know, by talking to other students like they actually like them.”