"And then what?"
She shrugs. "We grew apart. We were still friends but once we had boyfriends we didn't do as much together."
A breeze blows and she shivers, hugging her arms to her chest. "I think it's getting colder."
"Alyssa, why are you here? I mean here, talking to me? Everyone else is giving me the silent treatment."
She pauses, still gazing at the field. "I liked what you said in there."
"You mean at lunch?"
"You're the first person who's ever stood up to him. And what you said is true. Braden does whatever he wants and we all just go along with it. People did the same thing to Kristen but they'd talk about her behind her back, saying she was a bitch and how much they hated her. They don't say those things about Braden. It's like you said, they treat him like a god. No matter what he does, everyone still loves him."
"Why? Because of football?"
"That, and because people are scared of him."
"Scared of what? That he'll turn people against them like he did to me?"
"That's part of it."
"What else are they scared of?"
She turns to me. "You know what he's like. You live with him."
"You mean when he gets mad?"
She nods. "He loses control. And it happens fast. One minute he's fine and the next he's completely lost it."
"Yeah," I say, thinking of the gun incident last night. "I've noticed that."
She looks down. "Don't tell anyone this but..."
"What? What is it?"
She hesitates. "I think he did it."
"Did what?"
Her eyes lift to mine. "Don't make me say it."
"You think he killed Kristen?"
"Kristen?" She shakes her head. "No."
"Andrea," I say.
She nods. "I'm not saying he did it on purpose. But I don't know, maybe he did."
"Why do you think he did it?"
She chews on her lip, turning back to the field and slipping her hand out of the sweater to smooth her long blond hair.
"Alyssa, why do you think he did it?"
"Doyouthink he did?"
"Yeah, but I can't say for sure."
