“Shake it off,” Murph says as he turns toward her. He greets her with a fake smile.

“Hi,” she says with a glowing expression as she walks up the counter. “Hi, Logan,” she says to me. Murph turns toward me with a look of shock on his face. That had to be the last thing he expected her to say.

“I just wanted to bring back your jacket,” she explains.

I walk up to the counter to face her. Murph retreats to the back of the shop to give us some privacy. I couldn’t fake a smile if I tried, and I feel terrible for the tense, cold expression on my face.

“You can keep it,” I say. “It looks better on you, anyway.” I try to busy myself with cleaning up around the front counter so that I don’t have to look at her blue eyes and the look of sweet innocence there. She would be better off leaving me alone and getting as far as possible.

“I couldn’t. This is a nice jacket,” she says.

It is a nice jacket. My brother bought it for me. As a celebration after my first tattoo and, I suspect, as a way to induct me into his motorcycle club. But I don't want it back now. It will only remind me of her. And my brother, for that matter. And I don’t want to be reminded of either of them.

“I want to thank you again for everything last night,” she says. She’s trying to get my attention, to prolong our interaction, and I’m the biggest dickhead for ignoring her and trying to push her away. But she needs to go. And far.

“It was nothing,” I say.

“It was definitely not nothing,” she argues through an awkward laugh.

I don’t answer and she stands there, her smile fading away. She glances back at Murph who’s cleaning and organizing supplies.

“Maybe we could hang out later. I’d love another ride on your bike.”

“I work pretty late tonight. Spring break is busy for us.”

“I’ll wait.” She really won’t give up. No matter how much I just wish she would leave, even though I know my world will be a great deal darker when she’s not standing here in front of me. She can sense my hesitation.

“You’re the nicest person to me on this whole island, and I thought we had a nice time.” She’s whispering so that Murph can’t hear.

I swallow down the urge to tell her that last night was one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time. I want to tell her that I’ll quit it all because of her. That I want to stay with her everyday so that I never light up again. That she is my new addiction.

But I don’t.

“Sierra, you don’t need to be hanging out with me.”

“So I should be hanging out with guys like Tyler instead?” she asks as she tucks her hair behind her ears.