tt is suppose

nds, I forgot

I lau

d just delivered the most ridiculous sentence I had ever hea

ou ser

not a

something you say t

not jo

r smirk, the teasing expression, anything tha

was no

He looked as though he regretted sayin

my phone fr

n, George is sup

our voi

ld me that someone I knew is dead, and I have a me

upposed to be dead.

nction is n

ced toward Cathy. She had stopped pretending

d, "could you g

ed before she

ooked

answers, d

as though you are in char

someone is sending you

uld ask yourself

rdened in hi

e. Instead, he picked up the folder f

dule. We start tomorrow

red a

not be s

unately

d toward

le

but did not

ppened t

lders st

something you do

explai

the expression in his ey

from him,

he

e the table, staring

proached

did he

o her. "Yo

you

u know about G

ace c

ght it. Her eyes shifted toward the door, and

at

what Alex was

a terri

king questions

or wil

h an expression that

Sabrina.

d me more than

ainst people who mocked my clothes, argued with professors over unfair grades,

scuss George Bennett, t

ed up

ve to

he

whether Geo

ocial media account I could fi

le on the account he used to share football updates. Even the messages I had sent

him since the end

th his life. People left universities. Friendships faded. Crushe

de

not acce

outside the communications build

Did you

before I could

ho ar

came almost

one who knows

much, tell me what

minutes, not

phone

as the last person to see

ach tig

ide

again, hoping I h

ll across m

ve just failed every

dropped

t of me, holding t

red a

appearing whenever someo

are thinking unp

houghts are much wo

t one of t

not ta

eside me and s

fted

not

contag

ple with poo

h, but it faded when

ved anothe

not a q

the phone

one of you

s when someone uses yo

he messages mentio

o not h

, resting his elb

k you know about George, you are

me the in

can

veni

es met

am the worst person on this campus. You are en

reating me l

you out of something

ost l

o decide what I c

kno

as so quiet

ing a group of studen

rrogance I associated with him was covering

ad no intention of m

ung my bag ove

. I will write the profile. I will complet

oo

at project, sta

e to h

ght be d

hy

d the same events, travel together for away gam

red a

audacity to

enjoyin

as much as

stop s

his gaze

miling at yo

ne ridiculous,

him for

re for noticing t

from me,"

s expression

As long as you sta

way withou

the courtyard, my p

building entrance an

ined a p

grainy, but the two men

ed to be arguing. George's face was turned toward the camera, his expression

at beneath th

14, 11

bered t

George disappeare

message

ryone George was gone

oat ti

age made my b

dent happened after t

e, my fingers trembl

al message

m what was in t

ted m

s watching me from the steps

o longer

had seen

whatever had happened to George Benne