MR. MATTHEWS.

Mr. Matthews and Anna.

He had “a thing” for her.

Lily thought they “should get a room.”

I took some long deep breaths and tried to dissect it all as logically as I could.

On the one hand, even if Anna had been interested in Mr. Matthews, even if Mr. Matthews had given her special attention, that didn’t mean he was who she’d gone out to see that night. Having a crush on a teacher was one thing, but actually getting involved with one was totally different. And a teacher wasn’t what I’d have expected for Anna at all. I’d have expected a guy at school, some guy with nice hair and a slow smile. Preferably one who read the occasional book. Not that a teacher was literally impossible—I’d seen the Lifetime movies—but I really struggled to see Anna going that route.

On the other hand, there were things it would explain, like why Lily refused to talk about what happened and why the guy hadn’t come forward. And why Anna had snuck out in the middle of the night to see him.

That last one had seemed particularly strange to me. Because it would be one thing for her to sneak out and meet someone I’d already known she was seeing—I got that people did that—but I didn’t understand the secrecy about the guy himself. Our parents weren’t strict, had never laid down any rules about dating. At most, they might have teased her briefly if she’d told them she was going out with a guy at school, joked about making him come over for dinner so they could grill him about his intentions.

I did know that Anna had liked Mr. Matthews. As a teacher, as a coach. I remembered her telling me he asked students to call him by his first name (Ben), that he assigned good readings and thoughtful homework. She’d also mentioned that he took his role as the cross-country coach very seriously—unlike the volleyball coach, who was known for spending entire games playing Candy Crush.

And I’d been surprised when Anna had signed up for cross-country. While she’d always had an innate athleticism, always done well in gym, she’d never been particularly interested in sports. I’d assumed cross-country was Lily’s idea, but now I wondered if Mr. Matthews had been part of it, even the main motivating factor.

I hated that idea. Hated the idea that Anna might have been involved with some creepy guy at least twice her age.

Still, I thought back to Mr. Matthews at the funeral, his head bowed, seated apart from the other teachers.

And I thought…maybe.