His face flushed more. “Um, I think I need your help, or maybe your parents’ help. It’s about my mom, and I know that your parents…”

Vera stood up so fast that her blue plastic chair nearly toppled to the tiles. “Um, yeah, sure, we can go somewhere.” She snatched her purse from the back of her chair, bright roses blooming on her cheeks. “Follow me.”

They sat on a splintered wooden bench in the shade of trees speckled with bright white blossoms. Tiny round petals snowed into their laps with the breeze, and his throat itched at the sight of them.

“Thanks for talking to me.” Max coughed slightly.

“You didn’t give me much of a choice. You showed up at my work.” Vera’s lips were tight.

“I wasn’t sure where else to find you.”

“So the one hundred and eighty days of school we had together this year weren’t enough?” Vera tilted her head, dark waves falling over her shoulder. “Because I don’t exactly remember you chatting my ear off, you know, since kindergarten.”

Touché. “I couldn’t say this at school. It’s about my mom. She’s been acting strange, and, well, your parents—”

“Look, I don’t know what you think you know about my family,” she cut him off, “but we’re not a 7-Eleven. We’re not open twenty-four hours to serve you whatever you need whenever you need it.”

His chest clenched. He may not have hung out with Vera much (or at all), but he knew what a girl’s face looked like when she was pissed, and this was it. When they didn’t get a chance to speak in English class, or, more accurately, when he couldn’t work up the nerve to talk to her in front of his friends, he thought he’d uncovered the perfect opportunity. He diverted from his jog to learn her schedule and even waited until her lunch break, thinking it was the polite thing to do. Besides, her friends didn’t look annoyed by the interruption. Wait, her friends…

“Sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have come to your work.” He thought of all the school lunches where Vera ate alone. “I didn’t mean to involve your friends, but I really need to talk to you.”

“Of course.” Her tone was flat. “That’s why I’m here, in case you really need me.”

Max squinted, his head throbbing. What was he supposed to do? He spent the last couple nights sleeping on the floor of his sister’s room, not to fend off the nightmares, but to fend off their only surviving parent, who was now acting like a stranger. Like a threat.

No. He was blowing this out of proportion. He had to be.

He shook his head, throat squeezing tight.

A hand touched his arm, fingers light on his skin. “I was rude,” Vera said, her voice softer. “I just like to keep my coworkers separate.”

Max opened his eyes. Roaring Creek wasn’t exactly kind to this girl. Neither was he. If the roles were reversed, how would he react if she showed up at his work one day, in front of everyone?