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“No. I’m going to leave him alone, and I think you should, too.” When Nick started to protest, Michael held up a hand. “I don’t think he’s hurting Quinn.” He paused, and his voice took on a shadow of the pain he’d expressed when he’d talked about that night at the quarry. “He hates me. He hates our whole family. He hates what we are and he hates what we can do. We see the dark side of Tyler because that’s all he lets us see.”
“Maybe that’s all there is to see,” Nick said bitterly.
“I don’t think so,” said Michael.
“Why not?”
“Because he loved his sister,” Michael said. “Very much.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he was the first kid I pulled out of the water that night. He was bleeding all over the place and his shoulder was dislocated, but once I brought him around, he coughed up a gal-lon of water and fought like hell to go back under to find her.”
He paused. “I understand why he hates us, Nick. I do. But I think part of him hates himself, too.”
Nick thought of the burn on Quinn’s wrist. Of the way Tyler had grabbed him two hours ago. Of the years of abuse he’d suffered at the hands of Tyler and Seth and their friends. He kept flashing on that gym class freshman year, when Tyler had cornered Nick in the locker room and beaten the crap out of him.
Nick could still remember feeling powerless, clenching his fists so he wouldn’t call elements by accident, afraid to swing because he didn’t want Tyler to hit him harder.
He’d switched places with Gabriel the next day. His twin wasn’t afraid to hit back.
What had Quinn said? Tyler still thinks your brother killed his sister.
Tyler had confided in Quinn. About something that had happened five years ago.
Quinn had confided in Tyler. What else had she told him?
Nick’s head couldn’t handle all these emotions. “Can we go?” he asked abruptly.
Michael took it in stride. “Sure. If you’re ready.”
The drive home was quiet aside from the steady rain smacking the windshield. This time, the temperature in the cab remained steady. No tension hung between Nick and his brother.
“Thanks,” Nick finally said. “For being okay.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that.” Michael paused. “I won’t say anything to the guys.”
Nick nodded. “Thanks.”
Michael was silent for a while. “Can I tell Hannah?”
Nick thought about it. “Yeah. I think that’d be okay.”
Michael nodded and didn’t say anything else.
Nick wanted to put everyone’s troubles out of his head, to let the sound of rain on the windshield steal his thoughts and let him relax. Instead, he kept analyzing his conversation with Michael. About Quinn, about Adam.
About Tyler.
They were almost home when Nick figured out what Michael had meant about Tyler.
He was the first kid Michael had pulled out of the water.
Covered in blood with a dislocated shoulder, but when I brought him around . . .
Tyler had been hit by a rock, too. Michael hadn’t just lost Emily that night.
He’d saved Tyler’s life.
