I lost touch with both of them after high school. I did confirm with his brother when he was a couple years older that it was boiling (or close) water instead of just hot water that was steaming because of the cold. Miraculously, his face had no lasting injury. You'd never know it happened to him if you saw him. His brother said his scalp was burned but he said he "got over it" quickly, and of course he never went to the hospital. The grandmother died a couple years later.

Thanks for the read and comment!