I can just say he came over to talk and we didn’t do anything but who would believe that but maybe it is the best I can do people will say everything I imagine even if it is not to my face but it is always possible and people like to know the worst possible thing to say to a person even if they never say it because it is always a holstered weapon to get at people and if they think they have to they will tell me I killed him and this will define my entire life

And I wish he was alive and I was dead and it’s a pretty simple feeling

They had found his phone in his pocket. A friend knew how to unlock it so the police were able to take a look at it. They went to the school looking to talk to her, but she wasn’t there. Eventually, they found their way to her front door. And when her father answered, he brought them into the living room, made them coffee, and knocked on his daughter’s door. He apologized to the officers for the delay, saying that she has been taking this really hard.

Harper emerged from the room with a wet face. She knew her father had been knocking for a few minutes, and she figured he was trying to feed her. She came out only to grab some water. She turned into the living room to see the pointy hats of the county cops drinking out of coffee cups and immediately began bawling while everyone in the room frowned and offered no condolences.

The Sheriff read the texts messages on Derek’s phone. He had a thick accent and exhaled hard when he spoke.

“‘Come over. Come over. I need you to come over right now. Tongue emoji. Monkey hiding face emoji.’ Now, miss, was that you?”

Harper said nothing.

“How old are you, miss?”

“Sixteen,” Harper said.

“Sixteen,” the sheriff repeated.

Harper’s mother, Rose, tapped her feet. She kept staring out the window, staring at all the sheriff’s car in the driveway.

The sheriff held Derek’s phone and kept reading.

“‘Idc,’ guess that means ‘I don’t care,’ ‘what time it is. Come over or I’ll let all those senior girls know you are messing around with a sophomore. Skull emoji. Jk. I’ll make it worth your while.’ And then there is a picture.”

“A picture?” Rose repeated.

“It is sexual in nature,” the sheriff stated.

“Harper,” Rose said.

“Then there are more texts—you asking him to come over, I don’t need to read them. This is you, correct?”

Harper said nothing.

“Why didn’t you notify anyone? This is serious. The picture alone, as you are underage, is—”

“We don’t need to talk about that right now,” Rose stated.

“We need your statement, miss,” the sheriff said.