The boy’s smirk curved cruelly as he folded his arms across his chest. His voice was loud enough to gather glances from passing students.

“This isn’t about you, sweetheart,” he said to Carol with a scoff. “Shift back and let your precious friend here face us. What do you think, Jeremy’s sister?”

My heart gave a painful squeeze in my chest, and it suddenly made sense. This wasn’t random. It was personal. My pulse quickened as heat crawled up my neck.

I forced myself to step out from behind Carol. My voice shook but I tried to sound braver than I felt.

“Wait…this is about Jeremy, isn’t it?”

The boy...