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still had a shocked look on his face, a look that degenerated into one of wrath, which stayed with him for some time. That look, along with his reputation for fighting, kept the teasing to a minimum.
    After the bus pulled away from the stop and the laughter subsided, an undercurrent of revulsion surfaced. She’d been merciless to that cute boy already scrupulously spurned by fortune. As the invective flowed that morning, Jennifer knew she’d miscalculated dreadfully. She had finally achieved her goal. She conquered his heart, then destroyed it—in front of everyone, no less. She’d put the urchin in his place, and there were a couple of girls who looked approvingly at her as if to say, “It’s about time.” Why, then, did she regret it more than anything she had ever done?
    Kristen wouldn’t talk to her at school for days. When she finally said something, it was, “Don’t bother coming to my house this weekend. I don’t want to see you.”
    “Oh, come on, Krissy. Why are you mad at me?”
    “I know you set up that disaster to bring me down, too. You know I like him, and you couldn’t stand the thought that he might still like me after you humiliated him. I need to know: why did you do it?”
    “You wouldn’t understand.”
    “I think it’s because you like being mean to boys since your father moved away. Did you stop to think for one second that this boy has suffered enough for a lifetime already?” Kristen walked away. The two were estranged for three weeks, and their relationship was never the same after that.
    Kristen shied away from Robert for the next several days, too nervous to approach him. When they inadvertently met on the corner as she was walking her dog, he crossed the street to avoid her. She couldn’t stand the disquiet and decided to apologize.
    “I just wanted to say—” she began.
    “I never want to see you or your awful cousin again!” he interrupted, yelling to her across the street. “I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. I can’t believe how mean you two are.”
    “I had no idea what she was planning.”
    “Yeah, right. It was you who asked me to do it in front of everyone.”
    “Jenny asked me to be the messenger, but she didn’t tell me what she was going to say. I’m as angry with her as you are.”
    “You’re not a laughingstock, are you? I don’t want anything to do with either of you ever again!” he declared as he walked away. It would take him a long time to get over the Taylor treachery; a distrust and wariness epitomized his relationship with both girls for years.
    Above all else, Robert was insecure. He’d had his life ripped away from him at age eight. Never again would he love anyone, he’d decided then; he couldn’t face the torture of losing love again. Moreover, all his experience since then had taught him to trust no one. But along came the perfect girl, and those vows went out the window. He even fantasized about being married to her. Learning to love and trust again had been a crucial breakthrough for the young man, but her despicable deed shattered that, exacerbating the deep psychological damage caused by the loss of his family, and crippling his ability to form close relationships. He made some solemn resolutions to himself: never trust anyone again; never commit to any girl; and, most importantly, never fall in love!
No one will ever again break my heart
, he promised himself. His adamant refusal to commit and fall in love would affect both girls for years to come.
    Jennifer’s picture was gone from his trunk. He’d torn it up and tossed it out, and put his mother’s picture back where it belonged, and the frame back into his trunk along with the remaining remnants of his dead family.
    Kristen decided to give up on him. She had plenty going on in her life and wasn’t interested in boys yet. Months passed without any interaction between Kristen and Robert, save a sneer when their eyes happened to meet.
    In the meantime, puberty was