She looked at him expectantly.

“Maybe it’s best I’ll be back in school next year,” he said. With secret service trailing him everywhere he went. With the entire world watching him, deciding if he was living up to his father. It was hard enough being compared to his dad before he was president, when he was just the senator who’d grown up poor, worked his way through college, and earned the reputation as the nicest guy in Congress within a few weeks of first being elected to the House of Representatives.

Lennon hoped everyone got used to disappointment.

“I’m sure you’ll find your place,” she said.

He shot her a grateful look. “I know you’re probably not going to come with me when we get to the gate, but just know that if you ever change your mind, I’ll help you. You wouldn’t have to navigate the world out there by yourself.”

“You’re right that I won’t come.” She smiled at him. “But thank you.”

MAISIE

THE BORDER BETWEEN East Spencer and Val’s Territory was a makeshift fence. Some places were an actual chain-link fence, and other spots were open but patrolled by cops.

Maisie and Lennon walked about half a mile to the spot where Hadley’s friend had suggested they cross over. It wasn’t the best spot. That spot was miles away, on the route they could have taken if their car hadn’t immediately gotten blown up upon crossing into Spencer territory.

This spot was the only option they had, at the moment.

It was beneath a crumbling overpass that someone had only recently dug through to make accessible. According to their friend, the cops in East Spencer hadn’t found the hole yet, so it wasn’t monitored on their side.

The other side, though? That was a mystery.

“I think I see the spot.” Lennon pointed. “There are the black rocks Hadley was talking about.”

She followed his finger to where a pile of black rocks sat on the front of the rubble. That was the spot.

She glanced over her shoulder, checking for cops. All clear.

Lennon hopped up the rubble, reaching for the black rocks. “What do you think our chances of getting crushed to death in here are?”

She surveyed the crumbling overpass, which was bound to cave in one day. “I’d say fifteen percent.”

He stopped for a moment, flashing her a smile that made her heart leap. “I was going to say twenty. I like that optimism.”

She returned the smile, and his eyes lingered on hers for a moment past normal before turning back to the rocks.

God, she was an idiot. And so was he. They were a couple of idiots maybe about to be crushed to death.

She considered, for a moment, leaning into the stupidity. It was a cool, clear day, and they could go sit in the grass and take a break instead of possibly getting crushed to death. She would like that—to just take a few moments with him. His shoulders had tensed up when they talked about his family, and they’d never gone quite back to normal. Maybe they would, if she ran her fingers across them.