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wishing
I’d remained uncool and alone
versus the center of insincere attention
from the other kids, the teachers,
    everyone.
    I dream of my long-lost, simple past,
the way I used to dream of Becky Ann.
Like iron filings to a magnet.

AFTER
----
    The gun might’ve been Blake’s answer,
but it wasn’t mine, as much as I wanted
to grasp hard onto any answer.
    Here’s what I know:
    I stopped a massacre.
I stopped a school shooting.
    Perhaps that’s the answer
I never expected to find.
Perhaps that ought to be
enough for anyone,
even though it meant
surrendering the only
genuine friend I ever had.
    Here’s what I also know:
    I miss Blake.
But I did the right thing.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
----
    A successful book is always the product of a powerful initial vision, some careful re-envisioning and adaptation, and collaborative input from trusted sources. With that in mind, thanks to my wife for sifting through countless drafts of this book and for reminding me to “get back into the mindset of a kid.” A very special “Thank you!” is deserved by Caryn Wiseman and Mary Kole at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency—their help at a crucial point in this book’s evolution was invaluable and spot-on.
    Most of all, thanks are due to Mary Kate Castellani, who provided both the gentle support and tough-nosed editorial feedback that this book sorely needed.
    To the many others who helped along the way, a sincere and well-deserved “Thank you!”

To Victoria, Valerie, and Veronica—with love and gratitude
    Copyright © 2011 by Ryan G. Van Cleave
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval
system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
    First published in the United States of America in March 2011
by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., a division of Bloomsbury Publishing, Inc.
E-book edition published in March 2011
www.bloomsburyteens.com
    For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to
Permissions, Walker BFYR, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010
    Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:
Van Cleave, Ryan G.
Unlocked / Ryan G. Van Cleave.
p.  cm.
Summary: While trying to impress a beautiful, unattainable classmate, fourteen-year-old Andy discovers
that a fellow social outcast may be planning an act of school violence.
ISBN 978-0-8027-2186-0 (hc)
[1. Novels in verse. 2. School violence—Fiction. 3. Loneliness—Fiction. 4. High schools—Fiction. 5.
Schools—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.5.V36Un 2011           [Fic]-dc22            2010023296
    ISBN 978-0-8027-2261-4 (e-book)