Page 93 of Every Hidden Truth

Ben’s eyes watered, and he reached out to take my hand again. I was the one to pull away this time, resting my hands in my lap. He grimaced at the clear rejection, but he didn’t say anything, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles whitened.

Dad shifted his attention between me and the principal. “Who’s that?”

“Another student—”

“A problem student,” Mr. Rodriguez added, unrepentant in the face of Principal Moore’s fierce expression. “Glare at me all you want, Phil, but we all know what that boy is. We’ve never caught him since no one comes forward, but—”

Mr. Fields stepped in, his young face looking years older as the displeased lines around his mouth and eyes deepened. “We can’t go accusing kids blindly.” He turned to me, sincerity bleeding from every pore. “Not that I don’t believe you, Silas, but you must understand.”

“This situation is delicate,” Mr. Moore finished with a pointed grimace at the phone.

“If my son said this boy did it, then he did it!” My dad stood, readying himself to battle my principal, and my heart swelled. “My son doesn’t lie.”

“We are not insinuating that at all, Mr. Brigs,” Mr. Fields intervened, ever the voice of reason. “Silas, can you tell us why you believe Mr. Boyt is the offender?”

No. Please, no. Please, don’t make me.

“Silas?” Ben whispered so quietly I almost missed it, and I fisted my hands in my lap to keep from smacking my name from his mouth.

Releasing a shuddered breath, I blinked through the tears blurring my vision. “I’m sorry, Dad.” I studied his anguished features as he lowered himself into his chair, as if in preparation. “I wanted to pretend it didn’t happen. I was scared and embarrassed, and I—I just wanted to forget.”

“Forget what?”

He looked at me like a man burning alive, and I was the one who set him alight. I dropped my eyes in shame, wishing I could melt into the floor and die.

“Boyt attacked me back in October. He assaulted me in the boy’s bathroom down by the gym.” The confession wasbarely above a whisper as I silently pleaded for forgiveness for something that wasn’t my fault. “Daddy, I’m sorry.”

Devastation crashed over his face, and it was too much to bear. I curled into a ball in my chair, thighs to my chest, and buried my face in my knees. In my own makeshift safe place, I hid.

“When you say assaulted—”

“What the fuck do you think he means?” Ben answered the principal’s callous question on my behalf. “Are you really going to make him spell it out for you?”

Someone, maybe Aunt June or Ms. Acker, was crying softly. Ben’s fingers ghosted over the back of my neck, but I flinched away, forcing him to release me. I didn’t want him touching me. It left a bitter aftertaste on my tongue.

“We can no longer postpone notifying the authorities,” Mr. Fields said, and I bit my lip until I tasted blood as Principal Moore agreed.

“Indeed, you’re correct. Ryan, please make the call.”

Hugging my knees to my chest, I pretended I wasn’t here. I was in the back of my truck, parked at the drive-in. As I gazed into the night sky, I counted the constellations. Maybe I’d paint them one day. Or maybe I’d simply stay here forever, where no one could find me. Where no one could hurt me.

“Silas, sweetheart?” I remained in the dark haven I’d created for myself, ignoring Aunt June as I pressed my forehead to my knees until my skull protested and a headache bloomed behind my eye. “Silas, did you go to the hospital? After, I mean.”

Jolting from my unfeeling stupor, I blanched in horror at the misunderstanding. “No, he never…” I met Aunt June’s teary eyes. “I got away. He didn’t—I got away.”

Nodding in relief, she turned to Uncle Henry as Mr. Rodriguez muttered under his breath.

“Would we have camera footage? Not inside the bathroom, of course, but the hallway?” He addressed the principal.

Mr. Moore nodded slowly. “We’ll check.”

“Even then, is that enough?” Ms. Acker asked, and no one answered.

Ben cleared his throat. “I’m a witness. I was there. I saw it happen. It’s how we met.” Aunt June and Ben had a silent conversation ending with Ben’s eyes watering as he hung his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Aunt June.”

I had no idea what they’d communicated, but Aunt June wiped at the thick tears streaming down her cheeks. “Oh, Benjamin.”

Her disappointment was heavy, and Ben cringed under the weight.

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