He unlocks his bike from the railing, stops, turns to me. "I'll bring dinner back, okay?" Before I can get another word out, Adam silences me with a quick kiss. Right on my mouth.

I can't move.

Adam carries his bike down the stairs, swings onto the seat, and takes off.

What the hell just happened?

I should be upset he ran off on me like that. Then again, he did kiss me, and that sort of makes up for pretty much anything.

One of my neighbors emerges from the apartment next door. There's a hitch in his step when our eyes meet, and the odd look he gives reminds me I'm standing outside half-dressed, and God knows what kind of stupid expression I have on my face. I duck inside, cheeks warm, and get changed.

Something significant just happened. He kissed me.

I almost go for my computer to email Casper. The reality that she won't answer drags me out of my momentary bliss, and I am left staring at the laptop on my bed, feeling idiotic for even having thought it. It's just me and Adam now.

Being alone in the apartment is too much. I want to think about Adam kissing me because it's happier, and then I feel guilty for wanting to be happy after attending the funeral of one of my only friends.

After I get changed into something more comfortable, I hop in the van to go...somewhere. I don't know. The van turns over reluctantly, but it starts. As long as it starts, we're good, right? The heat already doesn't work. Neither does the A/C. I end up a few blocks away at the store, long enough to grab some milk and chips. We always need milk and chips.

As soon as I try to start the van to head home, it sputters, whines, and dies. I try again. This time...nothing. Dead. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. My emotions are wired all wrong anyway, so who the hell knows what kind of reaction this situation will trigger?

In the end, I laugh. I hit my palms against my thighs, rest my head on the steering wheel, and laugh, because this really fucking figures.

These are the times I wish I'd had some kind of normal upbringing. A normal set of parents who would teach me what to do when situations like this came up. Maggie was a great foster-mom, don't get me wrong, but she never thought to teach me all the little stuff. How to pay bills or balance a checkbook, how to register a car, what to do to get my damned internet activated.

Or what to do when my car breaks down.

I can't just leave it here, can I? What will Adam say when he comes home and finds me gone? Logically, I am only dimly aware this is not the end of the world but I keep thinking Casper would know what to do. My mind is a frazzled mess of thoughts and panic and I am suddenly so very glad I never deleted Harold's number from my phone like I said I would.