I wandered over to a picnic table and sat down. The night was chilly but not cold, and this spot was blocked by the side of the building, so it was comfortable. I needed the fresh air to clear my head, or my heart, or whatever it was that was making me feel so damn dazed.

“Are you hiding out here or can I join you?”

I looked up to see Emily, her coat pulled around her as she stood at the corner of the building. She glanced behind her and gestured. “I can go if—”

“No, don’t go. I was just taking a breather.”

She approached the table and sat down. “A breather. Yeah, it’s nice, isn’t it? Just a few hours where we don’t have to worry about food or safety. I almost forgot what that felt like.” She looked up at the star-filled sky. They were still clear here, but not as clear as they’d been in the unlit blackness of the places where we’d made camp along the way. She closed her eyes for a moment. “The air feels nice.”

I let my eyes linger on her profile, her skin luminous in the moonglow. After a moment she sighed, opened her eyes, and looked at me. “I’m sorry, Tuck.”

“For what?”

“For believing Charlie’s lies. For firing you when you didn’t deserve it. You asked me to trust you and I turned away.”

A lead weight dropped in my stomach, even as my heart lifted. I hadn’t expected that. “He…admitted it? About the drugs?”

“Only after I confronted him and broke it off. When we get to California, we’ll be going our separate ways.”

I didn’t want to acknowledge the swirl of happiness at that news, but there it was. “What made you realize Charlie was lying?”

“Well, let’s see, maybe the fact that you’ve gone out of your way to help people for the last week in every way you possibly could, sometimes to your own detriment, while Charlie’s first priority is obviously himself. I should have listened to you. I should have at least heard you out. I’m so, so sorry.”

I scratched at the back of my neck. Okay, yes, I was still hurt that she hadn’t believed me, even after I’d begged her to. And I could also admit that part of my hurt was that she’d chosen Charlie over me. But could I blame her completely? “I made mistakes. People are going to judge me for those. I understand. I have to carry that.”