“You’re wrong,” she says. “Mom cares about us. It’s everyone else who doesn’t. You’re stupid if you can’t see that.”

I shake my head. I don’t want to have this fight. “Sure. Whatever you say. Look, we’re on the same side.” I pause. “Just know that if you need anything, I’m here. You don’t deserve to be treated like that, okay?”

She sniffs. “Yeah. Whatever.”

—

All the anger I bury deep down during that conversation is still simmering the next day when Matt passes me in the hallway before last period and says, “Hey, Teller. I heard May basically freaked out at our show the other week,” then gives a laugh, and I punch his fucking face. He looks at me in surprise for a second, holding his cheek with his hand, and then launches himself at me. He’s heavier than I am, but I am angry. I manage to get in a couple shots at his stomach before Mr. Ames pulls me off him and drags us both to the principal’s office.

To my surprise, May’s sitting in the waiting room when we walk in. Matt lets out an obnoxious guffaw when he sees her, and I strain against Ames’s grasp.

Ames throws us both into chairs on the other side of the room from where May’s sitting and looks down at us with a frown. “Jesus, guys. What’s gotten into you? I thought you were friends.”

I snort and Matt shoots me a dirty look. “Little behind the times, Ames.” I don’t even sound like myself, and I see May listening from the other side of the room. “Haven’t you heard? I don’t have any friends anymore.” I see Matt roll his eyes. “What? You have something to say?” I lean over to him in my chair and Ames takes a step toward me.

I hold up my hands like It’s cool, bro. All good here.

All good here.

What a fucking lie.

Chapter Thirty-nine

I’m sitting on one of the principal’s office’s uncomfortable chairs when Zach is dragged in by some teacher. His face is flushed and his eyes narrow. When I see Matt next to him, it’s not difficult to figure out what happened.

I try to catch Zach’s eye from across the room, but it seems like he’s deliberately avoiding my gaze. I feel bad; yesterday he said something to me about what the school is doing to mark the one-year anniversary of the shooting and I totally shut him down and walked away. And I didn’t answer his texts last night. It seemed like appropriate punishment that when I arrived at school today, I got a note saying Rose-Brady wanted to see me.