Chapter 28

After school, Ella meets Anton, who reveals he quit smoking and asks her to hold his green lighter to avoid temptation. Walking to his apartment, Anton admits he provoked Devin by dumping his backpack and insulting his mother, explaining the earlier fight and Devin’s absence.

At the apartment, they find it empty. In Anton’s room, Ella notices weights and learns Anton is training to defend himself and his brother from their father. When they start their geology project, Ella sees Anton’s messy, misspelled notes with some reversed letters, inferring he may have a learning difference. She patiently rewrites and explains the material, and Anton agrees to go to the library, praising her clarity and intelligence.

Their work is interrupted when Anton’s younger brother, Brad, barges in and teases Anton about having a girlfriend. Flustered, Anton locks Brad in the closet as part of a game they play. The act triggers Ella’s intense trauma from being locked in closets by her mother, and she panics, demanding Brad’s release.

Anton calmly explains he taught Brad to pick locks and would never hurt him. Brad quickly opens the door himself and proudly reenters, confirming it was playful. After Anton sends Brad away with a promise to play later, Ella still shakes from the memory but regains composure. Intrigued, she asks Anton to teach her lockpicking.