The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden(14)

“So apparently…” Madison lowers her voice a notch. “Tyler said he had to stop being friends with Liam, because Liam is legit crazy. Like, he would say and do all these crazy things. And Tyler got really freaked out.”

I suppress the urge to roll my eyes. “Crazy like what?”

“I don’t know exactly,” Madison admits. “But apparently, it was some really bad stuff. Like, Tyler was actually afraid of him. He said Liam is really messed up and any girl who gets involved with him will be sorry.”

Now I really do roll my eyes. “Come on. You believe that?”

“Yes, I do! Liv, I told you I got a bad vibe about the guy. There’s just something about him…”

“Well, I don’t see it.”

“Then you’re blind.”

I stare at my best friend and feel a burst of anger in my chest. Why is she doing this to me? She knows how much I like Liam. She’s dated two complete jerks and I never said one bad word about either of them. Well, that’s about to change right this minute.

“Well,” I say, “at least he’s better than Aidan.”

Madison’s mouth falls open. “What are you talking about? What’s wrong with Aidan?”

“Are you joking? Aidan is a total asshole. He treats you like crap and he’s practically flunking out of school. He bullies underclassmen. And he probably shoots up steroids.”

Two little pink spots appear on either one of Madison’s cheeks. “He doesn’t shoot up steroids.”

“Fine. But all the other stuff is true.” I look her in the eyes, daring her to contradict me. She doesn’t, because I’m totally right. “But Liam is the awful one. Because he gives you a bad vibe. Oh my God, how awful.”

The pink spots on Madison’s cheeks widen. “Fine. You want to go on a date with a psychopath? Be my guest.”

With those words, Madison spins on her heels and stalks off, probably to find Aidan. Her dirty blond ponytail swings aggressively behind her as she walks away. We’ve had fights before, but this feels like the biggest fight we’ve ever had. It makes me uneasy.

But I miraculously forget all that when Liam materializes in front of me.

He looks devastatingly handsome in his track team T-shirt, baggy jeans, and a lightweight jacket with his hair slightly damp from the shower. He smiles at me and my heart does a little dance in my chest. So what if Madison and I are fighting? I can’t even think about that right now.

“You came,” Liam says, as if he’s slightly surprised and pleased.

I return his smile. “Of course I came. I said I would.”

“Yeah, but…” He ducks his head down. “Anyway, I’m glad you’re here.”

This guy is not crazy. No way. I don’t know what Madison was talking about. It’s clear Aidan and Tyler are jealous of Liam, because he does so well in school and all the girls think he’s cute.

“You look cold,” he observes.

I’m not going to lie. I’m pretty freaking cold right now. My teeth are actually chattering a little bit, and my lips feel like they’re turning blue. But I don’t want to seem like I’m complaining. “Maybe just a little.”

And then Liam does something that totally melts me. He takes off his jacket and he holds it out to me. “Here. Take it.”

“But then you’ll be cold.”

“Nah. I’m okay. I’m still hot from running.”

I’ve never kissed a boy before, but somehow it seems more significant that a boy has never made a gallant, romantic gesture for me before. I’ve had a crush on Liam for several months now, but in this moment, I fall head over heels.

I’m totally in love.





Chapter 13


Transcript of Police Interview with Olivia Reynolds:

“Olivia, can you please describe your interactions with Liam Cass?”

“We’re on the debate team together. We have been for the last two years.”

“Are you friends with him?”

“Yes. I mean, we’ve been on the team together a while. So we talk a lot. I mean, not just when we’re debating.”

“Would you describe your relationship with Liam as more than friendship?”

“Um. Well, no. Not exactly, but... look, I feel weird talking about this with, like, the police… it’s, like, embarrassing…”

“But you understand why this is important.”

“Yes. Of course. I mean, that’s why I called you. I thought… maybe if I told you what happened to me, it would help.”

“And we appreciate you contacting us.”

“Yes…”

“So going back to the original question: did you have any sort of romantic relationship with Liam Cass?”

“Well, no. Not officially. But… I sort of…”

“What?”

“I… I liked him. A lot. I thought he was cute. And he’s really good at debate, you know?”

“Did he express romantic intentions towards you?”

“Honestly? I mean, sometimes I thought he did. One time he walked me home, but nothing happened. Obviously he liked somebody else better.”

“And then what happened?”