Then asked:
“Why did
Mr. Monroe scare you so much this morning?”
Ethan stared at the mug.
“Because there’s another thing.”
Of course.
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Opened an email.
Handed it to me.
It was from a regional television station.
They wanted to interview him.
The boy who grew his hair.
The teenager who raised nearly thirty thousand dollars for his cancer-stricken friend.
Human-interest segment.
I looked at Ethan.
“You didn’t answer?”
“No.”
“Good.”
He swallowed.
“They’re not the only ones.”
He opened another email.
Then
another.
Local newspaper.
National morning show.
A charity.
A children’s organization.
Then one from an unfamiliar name:
Matthew Kellerman, Office of the Kellerman Family Foundation.
Subject:
Regarding Lily Monroe’s fundraiser
I frowned.
“Who are they?”
Ethan shrugged.
I opened it.
The message was short.
We would like to speak with Ethan’s parent and Lily’s parents before making any public announcement. Mr. Kellerman has reviewed the fundraiser personally and is interested in covering the remaining verified expenses associated with Lily’s treatment period, including family travel and housing support. We will not
