The Boy I Swore To Hate

e new school year was that the uni

that it hated

tanding in front of the Westbridge High School noticeboard, st

N BLA

seconds, I s

I bli

me rem

I whis

re stopped scrolling thr

at the n

name, her expression changed. It was subtle-just a

ngs when they concer

be kidding me,"

decided that my suffering

it's a

f returning senior students. Unless someone has develop

e school entrance. "Ame

d to he

that what we're calling p

uldn't let what happened two yea

h anyone this year. That is

her before she

n't l

dent. Teachers loved him. Students admired him. He was supposed to graduate

ked messages and accusat

al information. His scholarship disappeared. His friends abandoned him. Eve

od had been at the

hat was wha

ly after the scandal. No exp

agined what I would say

, arguments in my bedroom, and entire

and all those spe

school entrance looked nothing l

anging loosely around his collar. His dark hair fell across his forehead, and his e

gaze fo

pped w

d, the noise around u

cognition crossed his face, followe

t, pe

rrit

en, probably

d walking

he said when

deeper than

, so was my d

ied. "I see they still let

"And I see you still mistake bei

small choking

nore

ut to say the sam

already maki

ms. "What are

s a fascinating concep

nough of this pla

le disa

behind his eyes. It was gone so qu

o choose where we start

stepped past me and heade

e had managed to end the convers

elievably annoyi

ne. "And you are still unbelievab

ate

cour

ean

kno

ded unco

to ignore

news. Damien Blackwood was back, and every hallway conv

n expelled from his previous school. One particularly imaginative rumor sug

ll of it

g the first day without gett

ted exactly f

Lawson, a man who considered surprise tests a legitima

ond row, placed my notebooks on

attered. The scholarship I intended

and I wasn't about to let one arro

sroom do

n wal

urse

desk. "Ah, Mr. Blackwood. You'

ir seemed to di

ced the vacant s

d at th

ared

" I

an eyebrow. "Exc

ing,

out the chai

s several inche

between our belongings. "Afrai

ntaminate the entire

ning to y

. "Now that everyone is sett

m fell

holarship this year. The scholarship covers university tuition and living expenses. It is a

ntion s

ing while my friends went to parties and watched movies. Winning it would m

oday. Candidates will be assessed through coursework,

and wrote the date at

e words that ru

tes this year are Amelia H

erupted in

urned towa

ready loo

to be joking

had planned this, I'd have chos

you won't

ze hel

ou, Amelia. You always as

ut you, Damien. You alway

t morning, he didn't h

it a research proposal by Friday, and the strongest proposa

he had finished expla

ned back i

re the smartest person in e

ompensate for your

soft, humo

n't chang

er hav

is expression

anything about w

his

ow en

know what someone wa

stopped

r attention, and Damien turned toward the board as though

rate on the assign

t repeating thems

someone wanted

attempt to confuse me. Damien had always bee

not fall

ooks and stood so quickly that my

remaine

first day ba

me. "It's gett

y from my

ion changed

peared. So did th

eli

ame out sharper than I intended.

econds, neith

owered his ga

what happened to

ve one hard

t me to be

ed at me agai

fore he could sa

convinced myself that the

mo

behind the library, reviewing my scho

nt had sent me a

e picture, no name,

ne sen

ROTHER WHAT REALLY HA

ach tig

reply, another

ISN'T THE PERSON

d it

n a

ent cold aro

message

W WHO DID, LOOK AT THE

screen until t

tyard. Someone shouted across the lawn. The ordinary

methin

ain I knew exactly who the vil

hat I might have spent those tw

ard the scho

ld see Damien sitting alone at a t

one watching him,

met throug

dn't

e with an expression

hone vibr

message contain

side my brother on the night

hidden by a doorway, was som

n standing beside m

had truste

a Whi

ped br

worn to hate wasn't the only pers

ling that my entire worl