by daisy harris
“What’s up?”
“I talked to Maureen; Todd showed up. He told his parents about The Other Woman, and the school’s collecting phones today.”
“Oh my God.” Bethany’s hands shook. “Oh my God, oh my God.” She pounded on her phone. “I wish I’d made backups. All our conversations . . . Should I get rid of Instagram you think? I can’t remember if we ever messaged about it on Facebook . . .”
“I don’t know.” I frowned at my screen. “Fuck, I’d do a factory reset if I didn’t think it would make me seem more suspicious.”
She turned her device around, showing me a picture of her and me in front of Nathan Hale the day we’d followed Zoe Ward to cheerleading practice. Julius was in the background. Bethany had joked about sneaking him into the shot.
I’d hate for her to delete that memory. “Could you email it to someone? A friend who doesn’t go to Clinton? Or put it on Instagram?”
She frowned, and I could tell she felt the same way I did—that we were throwing out all the good stuff we’d done along with the bad. “I don’t want to take the chance.” Bethany clicked the trash can to get rid of the shot. When she lifted her head, she shrugged sadly. “We can take another sometime.”
“Yeah.” I wanted to say something to make things better, but I didn’t know what. Instead, I hugged her. “I never should have dragged you into this.”
“Shhh.” Bethany eased me away. She jerked her head like there was someone behind me.
I turned to see Julius striding in our direction. Mrs. Hundstead usually dropped him on the other side of school, so he must have gotten my message. The aloof stare on Julius’s face said he was only showing up on the odd chance there truly was an emergency. Whatever lapse in confidence he’d had after his therapy session had been erased because his too-cool armor was back in place. His black, button-up shirt was pressed, his hair shiny and swinging. Even the set of his jaw was perfect—sharp enough to slice into my heart.
“Turns out Liz found out about The Other Woman,” I called, breathless at seeing him. “Todd was in the office this morning.”
“I know.” Julius stared at a spot to the left of my head. “Natasha heard about it first thing this morning. Apparently, Todd drove toward the East Coast. The Other Woman told him she’d meet him in Chicago. Somewhere along the line, he was out of cell phone range for a while and he started to question the stuff she’d told him.”
I rubbed my face. Fuck him for not warning me. “So Todd figured out she was bullshit?”
“It’s not too surprising.” Julius popped the collar on his peacoat. “Out of contact with a manipulator, many victims start to realize they’ve been deceived.”
I frowned, wishing he’d drop the distant act. “Regardless, there’s a plan to—”
“Confiscate all student phones. Yes. I know. That’s why I left mine home. I got your text right before I left.”
I ran a hand through my hair. Julius could have texted me and let me know all this, assuming he’d heard about the shakedown before I did. The fact that he hadn’t meant we were probably back to square one. With Julius an island and me on the outside. “Well, I guess that’s it, then.”
From his jacket pocket, Julius plucked a pair of sunglasses. Ignoring Bethany and me, he slipped them on and headed inside.
A line of kids stretched around the school from the pickup zone, where Maureen was handing out cell phones. I stood next to my backpack, close to the front. Julius had gone already, and Bethany was still inside with Thea. With no one to talk to and no phone to pretend to look at, I felt like everyone was watching me and judging. I couldn’t wait to get home and serve out my grounding.
“Walker?” Maureen called me forward.
“Yeah. Hi.” I bent to dig. In the rush that morning, teachers hadn’t had time to label everyone’s phones. I considered choosing one that wasn’t mine, just to see what it had on it, but I mentally quashed that impulse. Curiosity was the drug that had lost me Julius. I couldn’t indulge in it anymore.
“Rough day?” Maureen asked.
“You could say that.” I shoved some phones to the side. Their slick outer coatings slid over the others. Under my hand, Hello Kitty battled with camouflage and solid covers in colors of the rainbow.
I found mine at the bottom. Gray plastic over a secondhand phone. What did that say about me? Probably that my cover choices had been limited. Still, I wondered if I’d have wanted more flair.
“It’s been a tough semester so far.” Maureen smiled sympathetically. “But chin up. We’ve figured out the source of the problem, and Liz has already planned a series of all-school assemblies to talk about the dangers of Internet stalking, catfishing, and dummy accounts. Hopefully, we can turn this into a learning experience.”
“I guess there’s a bright side.” I stood.
“Henry?”
I paused, hoping she didn’t talk about feelings in front of other people. “Yeah?”
“It’ll get better.” Maureen peered at me with the kind of concern my mom did—at least when she wasn’t furious with me.
“It couldn’t get much worse.”
She gave me a small nod as I left.
My screen always took ages to light up, and it wasn’t until I was at the bike rack that the phone came to life. It asked for my pass code, and when I entered it, the screen showed the same stuff that had been there before. Maybe they hadn’t searched our phones after all? If so, I’d been a dipshit for erasing everything.
I walked my bike to the corner, trying to check my text messages before starting the ride home. But all I had were emails and a couple of notifications from Instagram.
Sure, my friends had been phoneless for the day too, but that didn’t make me feel any better. So I opened Instagram. Even stupid votes of confidence from strangers would boost my ego.
To my surprise, there was a message in my inbox, so I clicked on it. A picture of Zoe Ward popped up on my screen, along with a message that said, Hey. Want to chat?
The account name was Zoe_2.0, but it was clearly the same person using Zoe’s picture. Excitement spiked through my system. I didn’t know whom to tell. Julius? He’d blown me off that morning.
I could contact Bethany, but she’d advise me to alert the school. Then, of course, there was the option of turning around and informing Maureen. That was the right thing to do, but for some inexplicable reason, I still climbed on my bike and, heart pounding, I rode away.
By the time I got home, I hadn’t decided what to do. I typed in a long and drawn-out introduction, and then erased it. In the end, I wrote, Sure.
The single word message looked stupid, especially since I’d paired it with a picture of an annoyed gerbil. However, I figured that owners of fake online accounts weren’t likely to judge.
I tossed my backpack next to my bed and took off my shoes. In the empty apartment, the air was stale from no one being around for nine hours. I was too lazy to cook or open windows, so I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling as I waited for Zoe_2.0’s response.
Trade numbers? The message came with a picture of a puppy with big eyes, begging.
Though I knew this person was fake, I still snickered.
Instagram didn’t let people send just messages. They had to be with pictures, so I dug a stupid selfie out of my phone’s cache. I’m 206 555 9023.
Ooh. You’re cute. She sent a picture of a cartoon dog panting and drooling.
For an instant, I tensed, thinking I shouldn’t have sent her a real picture. Then again, the image on my profile was real. It wasn’t like I’d used a secret identity the way Julius had. Fuck it. I didn’t have the energy to care if she knew who I was.
Thanks, I replied.
A text showed up. How old are you? She asked. I’m serious, though. You could be in a boy band.
Fourteen. I couldn’t resist a smirk. Communicating with her was like entering comments into a machine designed to give you a positive answer. Though I knew she was fake, it was good t
o be told nice things.
A second or two later, my phone buzzed.
What’s your name?
I shouldn’t give her my real one, but the only other name that came to mind was Julius’s and I didn’t know whether he was using that for his own messages. Henry.
Hi, Henry. I’m Zoe.
Though I knew whoever was sending the texts wasn’t Zoe Ward, it was easy to picture Zoe smiling and laughing—being the type of girl who’d tell you you’re cute and not expect anything in return.
Hi. Even with fake internet girls, I had no idea what to say.
:) Apparently, Zoe_2.0 didn’t have that problem. What’s up?
Hmmm . . . Nothing much. That sounded stupid, and if I was going to get useful information out of this person, I needed to engage them in conversation. School sucked today.
Yeah. Mine did too. :)
Another smiley face had me grinning. Julius never sent emoticons.
Do you have a girlfriend? she asked.
I nibbled the edge of my lip, unsure how to answer. If Zoe_2.0 was a fake account, there was no reason to lie. Sort of, but we’re not really together.
Ooh, that’s interesting. Tell me more. You seem super nice. Any girl would be lucky to have you.
I sucked in a reassuring breath and sat taller on the bed. Fingers shaking, I typed in something that might intrigue her enough to keep talking to me. I’m not sure I even like girls.
Are you gay or something?
My heart clenched, and I swallowed so I wouldn’t throw up into my mouth. Fuck, I shouldn’t have told her that. I lowered the phone, ready to drop the conversation and block her account. Before I could, another text appeared. That must be hard.
I chewed on my hand, trying to get my pulse to stop racing. She hadn’t said anything mean. Even if she did, this was a fake account. Who cared? I read homophobic stuff all the time in the comments sections on YouTube. Yeah. It is hard, I texted. People expect me to go out with girls, and I don’t want to and I don’t know how to get out of it. I paused, wondering how much I dared say. If I wanted to gain her trust, though, I needed to put myself out there. I like this one guy. We were best friends, but I’m pretty sure he hates me now.
I’m sure he doesn’t hate you.
I smiled.
You’re too cute to hate. ;)
Shut up. ;) I matched her winky face with one of my own.
Outside, the sky was clear with the evening light Seattle got when the sun set below the cloud cover. Feeling better, I got out of bed and cracked the windows. Then I went to the kitchen to make a sandwich.
My phone buzzed, the plastic jittering on the countertop; I picked it up.
So tell me about the boy you like. Is he as cute as you?
I grinned. He’s cuter. My hands were covered in bread crumbs, so I wiped them on my jeans. Give me a second and I’ll tell you all about him.
I ended up texting with Zoe for so long it was dark out. If it weren’t for the knock on my door, I might have talked to her all night.
Hey, hold on. Someone’s here. I thumbed into the screen.
“Hello?” I’d gotten under the covers and was in my T-shirt and underwear, so I stood to pull on my jeans.
“Yes. Hello. Henry?” It was Julius’s voice.
Stupid, but my first reaction was to tell Zoe what was going on. I shook my head, reminding myself that Zoe wasn’t a real person.
“Hey.” I went to the door and cracked it open. Julius stood there with his head bowed and his hands in his pockets.
“What’s up?” I must have looked a mess. I ran my hand through my hair.
Julius’s face was pinched, his lips pale and small. He stepped from foot to foot. “The Other Woman’s accounts have been deleted, and she isn’t responding to my texts.”
Reluctantly, I stepped to the side and let him in.
“She may have fallen off the radar, and I don’t know if the police will make the connection to Zoe Ward.” He picked up a pen from the breakfast counter and spun it in his fingers. “This is a disaster.”
“I’d thought you weren’t talking to me.” I leaned against the couch.
He waved dismissively. “Bethany is busy at her brothers’ soccer game tonight. She’s not picking up her phone.”
“So I’m your friend of last resort?” I crossed my arms. “Nice.”
“Henry, don’t be stupid.”
I cracked my knuckles, trying to calm myself enough to not kick him out. “I shouldn’t have said that shit to you yesterday, okay? I’m sorry. It was out of line, but I just . . . I know it’s your business, but I wish you’d be real with me about what happened with that teacher. And if you’re just hanging out with me because you’ve got no one else to listen to you—”
“For God’s sake, Henry.” Julius slashed the air with his hand. “How many other students do you see me talking to?”
I frowned at Julius’s question, which seemed to have come out of nowhere. “I don’t know. I guess you mostly hang out with me and Bethany.”
“And why do I talk to Bethany?”
My gaze dropped to the floor. “You’re friends with her because of me.”
“People don’t tend to like me. I can be abrasive. I’ve seldom had friends. Being so close to Kyle didn’t help that.” He tipped his head back, so his hair fell to the side. His sidelong gaze was sharp, but scared at the same time. “But evidence suggests that you and I are friends.” His Adam’s apple rose on a swallow. “God only knows why.”
“We are.” I folded in on myself. “Friends, I mean.”
“So will you help me figure out what happened to the account?” Julius tossed his hands up, as if admitting we were friends was all the closeness he could handle for the day.
“Fine.” I sighed. I doubted I’d learn anything new about Julius’s past anytime soon, but at least with regards to The Other Woman, I had the latest information. “She opened a new account under the screen name Zoe_2.0.” When I went to my bed to grab my phone, my first impulse was to proudly show Julius my texts. Then I remembered the stuff I’d said about liking a boy, so I slipped it in my pocket. “She’s been texting me.”
Julius frowned. “What did she say?”
“None of your business.” Julius and I may have patched things up, but I wouldn’t admit what I’d told Zoe.
He smirked. “Did she tell you you’re handsome? Sweet? That she thinks you are a ‘really great person’?” Julius made air quotes.
“Maybe some of that stuff.” She’d said every last word. I ground my teeth, angry at myself for buying into Zoe, and also at Julius for popping my happy little bubble. I wanted to believe everything Zoe had said: that I was cool. And smart. The account might be a lie, but I wanted to believe that what it said was true.
“There’s no shame in it.” Julius shrugged. “She said the same things to me.”
There was a pause, and I realized Julius was still standing in the middle of my living room, staring around like he had no idea where to sit.
It was exactly how I’d pictured he’d act if he ever came to my apartment. Under other circumstances, I would have suggested we go to Starbucks to talk. Today, being grounded, I didn’t have that option.
“Want to sit down?” I pointed toward my couch. “I’m not supposed to leave.”
“Oh.” Julius went over and perched on the edge. “This is fine.”
I headed into the kitchen and opened a cabinet. “I’ve got milk and orange juice, if you want something to drink.”
“Juice is fine.” Julius had his phone out now and was texting. “Oh, look. Now that you’re offline, I have a brand-new message.” There was a hint of smile on Julius’s face. “Now who’s the friend of last resort?”
I snorted a reluctant laugh. “What’s she saying?”
“Oh, that she had to delete the other account because her parents had followed it.” Julius blew out a whistling breath. “Her pattern is interesting. Very intense at first, but then she backs off.”
>
“Huh. You think?” I went to the couch and handed him his juice.
“The first few days she speaks with a victim, she seems to have copious free time and wants nothing more than to shower her intended new boyfriend with love. Of course, she also drops subtle insults. It took me a while to notice that, but she’s careful to balance her affection with hurtfulness.” He stared at his glass of juice. In the end, he let out a deep sigh. “Kyle used to do that, too. He’d keep me after class, showing me books and websites he thought I’d be interested in. But then . . .” Julius bit at the edge of his lip. “It took me ages to figure it out, but he’d say something hurtful in front of the class. Like, ‘There’s Julius with his hand up again. Why not give someone else a chance to be teacher’s pet?’”
Julius tapped his fingertips, one at a time, on the coffee table. “Then he’d text me after school, asking me how I was doing.” Julius glanced my way. “That’s against school rules, by the way. And if I mentioned it in the hallway, Kyle would laugh—saying I’d been the one trying to contact him.”
I tried to picture what Julius was describing. On one level, Kyle’s behavior didn’t seem too out of the ordinary. One the other hand, he must have known he was embarrassing Julius. No wonder school authorities hadn’t believed Julius. Most people picture abuse as simple, sudden, and violent. Kyle had clearly been subtle, calculating, and manipulative. It was easy to imagine how Julius would have thought he was going slowly crazy.
“The Other Woman operates the same way.” Julius wiped his face on the back of his sleeve. “Hours of flattering texts, with a barb or two thrown in to keep you off-balance. I’m convinced that’s the key to how she gets her targets so infatuated. Pure affection gets boring. Love alternating with pain is much stronger medicine.”
I thought back to the moment where I’d been sure she was going to diss me for liking boys. She hadn’t. But she easily could have. Yeah—my heart had skipped a beat. That had only made me happier when she went back to being nice. “I think I saw that.”
“Also, I’m guessing she doesn’t have time to maintain the constant contact with all the victims she’s manipulating. So she alternates intense positive regard with periods of silence. Even with how much she’s texted me lately, there would be stretches where she would disappear. Sometimes midconversation.”
