46

He turns, surprised, and you see Zoe standing just behind you. At first glance, she looks quite calm—but as you look closer, you realize you don't think you've ever seen eyes so full of disappointment.

"Tobias," she repeats quietly. To your right, Tobias clenches his fists. "Why…just why?"

There are a few moments of total silence. The tension is only broken when Maxie reaches the three of you, frowning at little as they notice Zoe's expression.

"What's the matter, hon?" they ask, smiling uncertainly. Zoe's gaze doesn't waver from Tobias, who you can hear grinding his teeth.

"I was just packing up when Mr. Logan came over for a chat," Zoe says—and like a punch in the gut, it hits you who she must have been talking to. "He said how nice he thought my sign was, and I told him thanks—and then he asked me if I painted it. I said no, actually, it was Tobias's friend Huknock, and we already had the paints at home. And then he said: 'That's funny. Tobias was in the store this morning, along with that young Huknock. They didn't buy anything—but I could've sworn there were quite a few paints missing by the afternoon. And we've never stocked those particular paints before, so I'm not quite sure how they ended up at your house.'"

When Maxie hears this, a look of utter heartbreak flashes across their face. They turn to Tobias, aghast.

"No—Tobias, you didn't. Not again."

Finally, you bring yourself to look at Tobias. His shoulders are quivering. His eyes are glistening, fixed on the ground.

"Can you at least be honest, Tobias?" Zoe asks, her voice starting to shake. "After we've spent the last five years doing our best to trust you, can you at least look us in the face and tell us you stole those paints? And was it really worth it, just to try and make us happy? Did you really think that's what we'd want?"

Tobias doesn't move. Pursing her lips, Zoe looks at you instead.

"What about you, Huknock? Do you have anything to say?"