“No. We can’t hide this. It’s done.” I had done this and now I’d have to face my parents. The air was quiet, no more music was playing and no other hidden messages from my brother.

“What do you need us to do?” Amelia asked.

“Nothing. I wanted to talk to my parents. This is good. I just need some time alone if that’s okay.” I needed to think and to stand under hot water, then ice my aching shoulders.

“Are you sure?” Amelia asked. “I don’t want to leave you alone like this.”

Like this. Like the mess that I had become. The girl who could beat her brother’s bumper to twisted scrap metal. The girl who was obviously unstable. “Check in on me if you need to but I’m fine. I promise. I need to prepare myself. I need some space to think.”

Amelia nodded and went to the house, probably to gather her things.

Cooper gave me an apologetic shrug. “Sorry about . . .” He looked at the bumper, at the platform, then back to me.

“It’s okay. Thanks for trying.”

Abby gave me a small wave and she and Cooper climbed into their truck and left.

Then it was just me and Jackson. I couldn’t even look at him. He probably thought I was crazy. I felt a little crazy.

As if reading my mind, he said, “It’s about time you lost it.”

My eyes snapped to his and he had on his trademark smile. The one that made it look like life was just a joke waiting to be told.

“I told you a long time ago to run as far from me as possible, didn’t I?”

“And to think if I had I would’ve missed this awesome display.” He nudged the bumper with his toe.

“Apparently, I have to be the best at breakdowns as well.”

He laughed. “I was thinking the same thing. Show-off.”

I smiled as well but then took a deep breath. “Jackson, I—”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he said before I could finish. “Come on, I’ll help you clean things up.”

He stepped toward me but I stopped him with, “I just need time. To think.”

He looked hurt and that confused me.

“You need your earphones?” he asked.

“What?” It took me another second to realize that he was upset because he thought I needed time to think about him, about us, when I really just meant I needed to think about the night in front of me with my dad. And how I was going to clean up the mess I’d made. I was about to say as much when he put on his smile that closed him off, protected him.

I started to panic. Why was he pulling away?