Micah stood in the backyard of the old campus gym, staring at Archie and his brother in a daze. He replayed a half-forgotten line from the novel in his head. "Because of my brother..."
Archie's younger brother barely appeared in the novel.
Back then, when Micah read the book in his dream, his mind automatically skimmed past the line. It had felt irrelevant then. Now, with Russell bouncing in place beside Archie, the missing puzzle piece clicked into place.
There was a time in the novel when Darcy had asked Archie, 'Why did you believe in me? Why track down the person who spread the gossip? Everyone else had treated it as a fact.'
Archie had answered, "Because of my brother. The one who hurt you hurt him first. I had my doubts, but when your case was also linked to him, I knew I should step forward."
