Page 43 of Don't Say a Word
“Ido.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Angie.”
She bit her lip. “He was preoccupied, okay? I saw him in class and we talked and stuff, and after school we almost always studied in the library before he had to go to work. But...” she hesitated, then said “...lately, he’s been quiet.”
“Did he tell you anything specific? Trouble at work? With a friend? A bully? A teacher? Something going on at home, with family?”
“No. Hewouldn’ttell me, so I asked. He just said he had a lot on his mind and didn’t want to drag me into it.” She paused again, as if thinking about what to tell me.
“Be honest,” I said. “If you hold back, I can’t help.”
“I’m not. I just don’t know. Elijah was a really good guy.”
“Good guys sometimes make mistakes.”
“You think I don’t know that? You think him dying is his fault?”
“I didn’t say that.” Damn, this girl was jumpy. “Elijah was under a lot of pressure. I want to know everything about him. If he was preoccupied, why? Worried about his grades? College? Money?”
“He wanted to go to U of A and would most certainly get a full scholarship. Mrs. Clark—” She stopped, frowned. “Anyway, she was really good at helping us with all the paperwork and stuff for scholarships and financial aid. It’s not like my mom would knowwhat to do. And his mom had a good job; he told me she changed jobs over the summer, that she liked it and it paid more. He was competitive about grades, but why would he worry about school when he had straight A’s?”
“You and I both know kids sometimes take stimulants to stay up all night to study for a test or write a paper.”
“So? That doesn’t kill anyone.”
“It’s a pattern.”
She frowned. “You don’t believe me.”
“I don’t disbelieve you. But you still haven’t given me any reason as to why Elijah was preoccupied. What about people he had problems with, at work or school or at his apartment complex?”
She shrugged. “I don’t—” She halted and bit her lip.
“What did you just think of?” I pushed.
“It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Let me be the judge.”
“It was last year. I mean, in May, at the end of the school year.”
“Tell me.”
She bit her lip and looked torn, but finally it came out. “Elijah reported someone for cheating.”
That was interesting.
“What’s the penalty?”
“Zero on the test, automatic two-day suspension. But it was the final.”
“Who?”
“Danielle Duran. Honors English. The final was a series of questions about the three books we read that semester, then an essay. We were told the prompt and allowed one index card for quotes and citations. She had her entire essay written and accessed it on her smartwatch. Elijah sat behind her and told her to take off her watch. She told him to mind his own business. After the exam he told Mrs. Porter.”
“And what happened?”
“Danielle said it was only her citations that she was allowed, but refused to show Mrs. Porter her watch, said she deleted the document after the final. She was given a zero and ended up with a C in the class. I heard her parents threw a fit, but I don’t think Mrs. Porter backed down. And because she got a C, she wasn’t accepted into Honors English this year. It really screws with your GPA.”
