“I’ve told you, she never answers your calls when she’s on holiday.”

“She fucking knows!” he spat.

“Hey,” Tyler said, stepping between us. “I’m not sure what’s going on here, but I bet it will make more sense in the morning. Let me take you home, Sterling. You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“Fuck you,” Sterling said, still staring at me. “And you, too.”

“Fuck me?” I said. “Who’s the one who passed me the mystery pill?”

“She’s never going to speak to me again. What am I going to do?”

“You’re overreacting, Sterling,” I said. “You’re being paranoid. Whatever you’re on isn’t helping.”

“I know this is your fault!” he snapped, his voice carrying through the trees between our homes. “You’re not just the town whore; you’re the world’s whore. Everyone knows who to call for a fuck if Ellie’s in town,” he said.

“Wait just a goddamn minute,” Tyler said, taking a step. I grabbed his coat, holding him back.

Sterling laughed. “What are you going to do, lieutenant bad ass? Change my mind?”

“Keep talking,” Tyler growled. “You’ll find out.”

Sterling held up his hands in mock terror. “Put that blue collar to work.”

Tyler took another step, but I put my hand on his chest. I turned to face him but looked down instead, ashamed. “He’s drunk. He’s upset. He lives next door. Just let him go home.”

Tyler’s jaw muscles danced beneath the skin, but he let Sterling pass, even after Sterling nudged him with his shoulder.

I trudged up the steps, using my keys to gain entrance to my parents’ home. It was quiet, every step and movement we made echoing through the halls.

Tyler closed the door behind us, and then followed me to the kitchen. “Your house looks a lot different this time.”

“Nearly empty?” I asked.

Maricela had left me a covered plate in the fridge with a toothpick flag on how many minutes it should cook in the microwave.

“Wanna share?” I asked. “It might be a day or two old, but at least it’s not an MRE.”

“Nah. You go ahead.”

I removed the foil and pressed the three. The light turned on and the plate began to spin, slow and steady. I was glad someone else was in the house besides me, but I didn’t want to turn around, afraid of the expression on Tyler’s face.

“What happened with you and Sterling?” Tyler asked. “Weren’t you friends a few weeks ago? Why was he saying those things about you?”

“Because it’s the truth,” I said simply.

“Bullshit. I don’t believe that for a second.”

“Why wouldn’t you?” I asked, turning around. “You’ve experienced it firsthand.”