Shatter-Me-PDF-Shatter-Me-Series-Shatter-Me-Shatter-Me-1-Tahereh-Mafi (1)

sobs, his small face smeared into the dirt, his arms clutching
at his bruised abdomen. I couldn’t look away.
I could never get that sound out of my head, that scene
out of my head.
That’s when I started paying attention to Adam Kent.
“Juliette.”
I suck in my breath and wish my hands weren’t trembling.
I wish I had no eyes.
“Juliette,” he says again, this time even softer and my
body is in a blender and I’m made of mush. My bones are
aching aching aching for his warmth.
I won’t turn around.
“You always knew who I was,” I whisper.
He says nothing and I’m suddenly desperate to see his
eyes. I suddenly need to see his eyes. I turn to face him
despite everything only to see he’s staring at his hands.
“I’m sorry,” is all he says.
I lean back against the wall and press my lids shut.
Everything was a performance. Stealing my bed. Asking for
my name. Asking me about my family. He was performing
for Warner. For the guards. For whoever was watching. I
don’t even know what to believe anymore.
I need to say it. I need to get it out. I need to rip my
wounds open and bleed fresh for him. “It’s true,” I tell him.
“About the little boy.” My voice is shaking so much more
than I thought it would. “I did that.”
He’s quiet for so long. “I never understood before. When I
first heard about it. I didn’t realize until just now what
must’ve happened.”
“What?” I never knew I could blink so much.
“It never made sense to me,” he says, and each word
kicks me in the gut. He looks up and looks more agonized
than I ever want him to be. “When I heard about it. We all
heard about it. The whole school—”