Page 27 of The Design of Goodbye
“Liam, stop it! Tell me.”
“I hate to admit this”—he paused, leaving me impatient with anticipation—“but it’s the best coffee I’ve ever had.”
chapter eleven
Liam didn’t bring lunch. And he should have because he was seriously lacking in energy. Maybe it was the drugs. I’d forgotten about those. I hadn’t seen him take anything since that day in the lunchroom, though.
“Why are you so tired?” I asked. “Did the shock of me arriving herefirstexhaust you?”
“Not quite.” He took his glasses off, set them on the table, and rubbed his eyes.
“Then, why?” I asked as I unpacked my lunch, courtesy of my dad: a caprese sandwich, homemade sweet potato chips, grapes, and apple cider cookies.
“I didn’t sleep well.” He yawned and put his glasses back on. “I need some water. I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t forget to go down to the second floor for the drinking fountains!” I called after him, remembering the ones on our floor didn’t work because of the construction.
After he left, I thought about Jules. It’d been a week since she and Tanner had broken up, and she’d tried to focus on other things. Like me, Liam, andanswers. She’d called me this morning as I was leaving for tutoring, demanding answers and threatening to post the pictures soon if I didn’t start making progress. I was desperate now. I probably only had a few more days—if I was lucky. I needed to do and say whatever I could to get Liam to talk. Today.
As soon as Liam came back, I asked, “Why do you keep forgetting your lunch?”
“I haven’t forgotten it. I don’t have anything to bring,” he said. “I’ll eat later.”
“I don’t believe you.”
His jaw clenched. “That’s not my problem.”
“It should be,” I said. “Do you know the whole school thinks you’re doing drugs?”
He stilled. “Why?”
“You never eat. You always put your lunch in your backpack. I’ve heard drugs suppress your appetite.”
“I ate the brownies you gave me,” he said. “And I do eat my lunch. I save it for later.”
“Why do you save it for later?”
“Why do you think?” he asked, tone bitter.
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
“Because it’s easier to be hungry during the day than at night when trying to fall asleep.”
Oh.Oh.
My gaze darted to my lap. I wished Jules and her ultimatum didn’t exist. I hated I was doing this: tearing down a nice boy because I didn’t want embarrassing pictures of me posted to Whirl.
But the ultimatumdidexist, and the picturescouldn’tbe posted.
Ineededanswers.
I squeezed my hands into fists so tightly I was worried my nails were going to cut through skin. “The point is, I’ve never seen you eat anything. And,” I continued, “Tanner sees you talk to Matt Stark sometimes. Everyone knows he does drugs.”
He let my words sink in. “Not that I should have to explain myself, but Matt lets me borrow his bike tire repair kit sometimes. I don’t do drugs.”
“I saw you take them,” I said.
He frowned. “When?”
