“I don’t know. A little.”
“Did you ever ask her out on a date?”
“No…”
“Some of your friends from the football team said that you did ask her out. And she told you no.”
“That’s not… That’s not what happened at all. Some of us were going out for burgers and I just invited her along. No big deal. And she was busy.”
“Did it bother you when you saw her out with Liam?”
“Hell no. She’s not even that hot. She could go out with whoever the hell she wants. Liam… half the football team, for all I care.”
“So you weren’t jealous?”
“What the… I thought we were talking aboutLiam. Liam is the crazy one.”
“Tyler, how many times have you been suspended for fighting?”
“Jesus Christ, just twice. Is that a lot?”
“It’s more than any of your peers.”
“Yeah, but… The first time wasn’t my fault. The guy stole my girlfriend. You don’t do that to someone.”
“But you threw the first punch.”
“Yeah. I did. But—”
“And you were the one who punched Liam in the hallway first. Weren’t you?”
“Fine. Yes. Look, I was mad at Liam because I thought he killed Olivia. That’s the reason… I’m not crazy like he is. Yeah, we used to be friends. But after I realized what he was like, we stopped being friends. I’m not like him. And I sure as hell didn’t do anything to Olivia.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
ERIKA
Jason texts me that the police are still searching the house, so I take the kids to McDonald’s for lunch. I want to warn Liam about what’s happening, but I’m not quite sure how to tell him.
Hannah agonizes over the menu at McDonald’s, complaining about how it’s going to ruin her diet. Then she goes ahead and orders a bacon double cheeseburger with large French fries. Liam says he’s not hungry, but he reluctantly orders a Big Mac and Coke. I don’t have much appetite either, but I pick something randomly from the menu. We’ve got to eat.
Hannah is the only one who manages to eat anything. She stuffs French fries into her mouth absently, almost automatically. Liam stares at his burger. His right cheek looks worse than it did in Mrs. McMillan’s office. I can only imagine how bad it will look by tomorrow.
“Do you want me to get you some ice for your cheek?” I ask him.
“No.”
“It’s going to get more bruised if you don’t ice it.”
“I don’t care.” He regards his burger with a look of disgust. “Mom, I’m not hungry. Can I go sit in the car?”
Somehow I get the feeling I shouldn’t let Liam out of my sight right now. “No. We’re all going to stay right here.”
“But, Mom—”
“You don’t have to eat, but you have to stay here.”
“Fine.” Liam slumps down in his seat and pouts. Wow, the kid’s acting like a real teenager now. Hannah has always been the expert at moping when we tell her what to do, but Liam always accepted everything without argument.
