Now he looks at her. “Get close to me?”

“If he wants to threaten you. To keep you quiet. Or hurt you.”

“What?”

“He’s a drug dealer and you broke a deal with him,” she says. “In the movies this is where you get your leg broken.”

“What movie? Plus, this is real life, and a Lakehaven kid getting roughed up would be bad for business.”

That’s true. He glances away from her.

“Why did you want me to drive you to a delivery?” she asks. Marland knows she did.

“I wasn’t just delivering. From one kid I got physics notes, too.”

“Ned.” The anger in her voice makes him turn toward her. “Was it so I’d like you more? Feel closer to you, like we were partners in crime?”

“I liked being with you. You liked the danger. Admit it.”

“You’ve made me an accomplice.”

“No, I haven’t. You’re fine. Act like you know nothing. And Marland will just have to run it with someone else.”

His denial is complete. It’s like a door has closed.

But she has to stay close to him. So she changes the subject.

“Ned. You need to prepare yourself for the stares, the questions, the hugs of support from people who don’t even know you…”

“I know.” He’s a little short with her. But if she tells him that Marland is blackmailing her, she’ll have to say it’s because of a video with his murdered mother and her father walking off in the darkness together. And she’s afraid Ned will lose it. Either go after her father or go straight to the police.

And she’s afraid of what the video means. She keeps shoving that awfulness back in the corner of her mind, where it paces and dances and won’t stay still. Get the video, keep her and Ned out of trouble, because if one of them talks they both go down, save Dad. She can do all that. She’s her mother’s daughter.

Ned and Julia have first period together, Euro history, and the door is decorated with pictures of his mom at school events: supporting Ned in freshman basketball (the one year he played, before he hurt his knee and gave it up), standing with a large group of other moms at a Lakehaven football game, volunteering at a booth at the language festival (Ned was in Spanish club), pictures of her and Ned. Even a picture of her and Ned and Gordon, all smiles, when Gordon visited during the school year and got to see Ned perform with the choir.

Ned stares at the tribute.

“Are you all right?” Julia asks.