Dallas hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, so the next morning was rough-going. Even Rico seemed to understand that he needed to be less chatty than usual and he didn’t fuss when Dallas helped put his shoes before going out to the school bus. Dallas’ bad mood continued until English class, when they were handed back the essays they’d turned in earlier that week. Dallas discovered a fat B+ and “Good improvement” scrawled across the top of his paper. He was so delighted, he even grinned up at Mrs. Hozicki.

“Well done, Randall,” she said. “It would seem that Mr. Westerson is a talented tutor.”

Dallas didn’t care to mention that Nate had only corrected a few of his grammar mistakes; he simply beamed and replied, “Yes he is, ma’am!”

Dallas couldn’t wait to show Nate the good grade (it was the best he’d ever received in Hozicki’s class) and he burst out of the classroom to catch Nate at his locker before lunch. But as he approached it, Dallas found a crowd of people suspiciously huddled next to the spot. Something about the quiet, intense way people were whispering made Dallas’ skin prickle and he pushed his way through the crowd. Then he saw Nate’s locker and his blood ran cold.

Sinner.

Asshole.

Fag.

Someone had scrawled the words onto Nate’s locker with a white paint-pen which glowed accusingly in the hallway’s fluorescent lights. Dallas felt bile rise in the back of his throat and he turned to the nearest person, a sophomore girl who was part of the cheerleading squad.

“What’s going on?” he demanded. “Who did this?”

The girl must’ve been eager to gossip, because she didn’t care that the person asking was Dallas Carpenter. She smiled nervously.

“Haven’t you heard?” she asked in a loud whisper. “Nathaniel Westerson tried to kiss Roy Kearns outside the gym locker room after school yesterday!”

“That’s absolute bullshit!” Dallas said without thinking, making the girl flinched. “No way Nate would kiss that fucker, even if he did like boys!”

“But some of the guys from the track team caught them,” said another junior boy, who Dallas knew was part of the honors cohort. “They said Nathaniel was clinging onto Roy and Roy had to push him away, shouting that there was no way he’d kiss another guy.”

“One of the girls from the church must’ve heard about it and done this to Nathaniel’s locker because they’re all secretly fighting with one another to be Roy’s girlfriend,” the cheerleader said. ‘He’s going out with at least three of them. I’ll bet that Lizzie Barbuck did this - that girl knows her way around craft supplies.”

The blood was pounding Dallas’ ears as he tried to keep his calm. Now was not the time to lose his temper - he had to make sure Nate was safe.

“Where’s Nate now?” he asked.

The girl and boy shrugged.

“No one’s seen him all morning,” the junior replied. “The guidance counselor and vice principal came looking for him, but he hasn’t been in class.”

“Right,” Dallas said and he stormed off in the direction of the shop class without another word.

“Please be there!” he prayed as he sped through the hallways. “Please be there, please be there!”

* * * * * * *