Noah and Julian come around the corner and grab Aiden into one of those bro hugs.

“I knew we’d find you here,” Julian says to Aiden with a quick glance in my direction.

“But would it kill you to answer a text message every once in a while?” Noah complains as he gives Aiden a shove.

Aiden steps aside so I can open my locker.

“Hey, how are the twins handling all of this?” Annalisa asks. “Have you explained everything to them yet?”

Aiden runs his hand through his hair, which is getting kind of long. “Just like with the whole finding Greg dead outside our house thing, I didn’t exactly tell them everything. But they know who Andrew Kessler is now, and they don’t really care for him. So since we’re staying at Mason’s for a bit, Brian and Natalia have been really good with keeping them occupied and getting them ready for back to school.”

Ever since Aiden’s arrest, Mason’s dad has had legal custody over him and his brothers, Jason and Jackson. Once Aiden turns eighteen this week, he’ll file for custody. I’m guessing the current situation’s working out pretty well for now—since Aiden’s been dealing with a media frenzy, it’s helpful to have actual adults you can depend on around.

The warning bell rings so we all start moving toward class. As we walk, Aiden grabs my hand in his bigger one.

“Hey, just a heads-up, don’t make plans this Friday.” Noah grins, not so innocently.

Aiden sighs, apparently already knowing what Noah’s talking about. “I told you, I don’t want a birthday party.”

“You’re turning eighteen in two days! You’re getting a birthday party! My. House. This. Friday. Be. There,” Noah says.

“Noah, the last time you threw a party, you ended up in the hospital,” I point out, and I know none of us wants a repeat of that. Especially right now.

“You can’t just stop trying to live because something bad happened,” Noah says thoughtfully. “We’re just gonna pull up our big-boy and -girl pants and throw the best damn party that Aiden deserves. And no one is going to talk me out of it.”

It’s Aiden’s party, so really, he gets the final say. He mumbles something that sounds like “Fine, whatever,” under his breath, making Noah cheer triumphantly.

Bad things happen in life—especially mine lately—and we can’t let that stop us from living. I am going to get through senior year and have a normal life if it kills me, which it honestly just might. With my new resolution coursing through my veins, I feel more determined than ever to not let the bad things bring me down; to make the most of my time here in King City with my friends.

“What classes do you have after lunch, again? History, spare, then math with me?” Aiden asks me as we walk up the stairs.

“English, spare, then math. Why?”

“We have a sub for math.” His eyes light up mischievously. “What do you say we get out of here after English and go do something?”