“She’s nice,” he told me quietly, staring down at his coffee mug. “But at school, she acts like I don’t even exist.”
I recognized Ella from various school functions. She was a polite, quiet girl, known for her gentle demeanor and the kind of studious nature that teachers deeply appreciated.
At first, I thought Jeremiah simply had a harmless, teenage crush. Then, he said something that fundamentally shifted the conversation.
“What if you asked her?” he suggested carefully, his expression unreadable. “Maybe if she were compensated for her time, she’d say yes.”
I should have shut that conversation down immediately. I should have stood up, drawn a firm boundary, and explained why treating human companionship as a commercial transaction was entirely unacceptable.
Instead, I let misplaced sympathy guide my hand.
Chapter 3: The Decision That Felt Harmless
The very next day, I contacted Ella privately through social media. Even now, I can vividly remember staring down at the glowing screen of my phone for nearly an hour before typing out the message. I convinced myself I was only trying to help two young people create a bridge.
When Ella finally replied, her response should have been a massive warning sign.
