“Mark!” She screams. “Mark, wait!” she runs without looking back at the car. The driver shouts again and honks the horn. Daniel quickens his pace and when Lynell reaches him, she tugs at his arm, struggling to keep up. “Mark, let’s talk about this!”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m done!” He turns so they head down a side street away from the cab. He chances a look back before adding, “I can’t believe you.”

“Mark, please,” Lynell says, trying to make it sound like a sob. The driver calls for them to stop once more before giving up and speeding away. Lynell and Daniel turn down another street and look back, verifying that the taxi has left.

“I think we did it,” Lynell mutters.

Daniel grabs her hand and pulls her forward and between two buildings. A few minutes later, they stop talking and he pulls her into a hug. “I hated that,” he mutters.

“Me too,” Lynell says, her voice muffled against his chest.

He lets her go and she steps back, their eyes meeting for a moment before they both start laughing.

“Microwaving a turkey?” Lynell gasps between laughs.

“Three minutes? Harsh!”

She shrugs. “At least we aren’t Mark and Emily. They sound like they have major problems.”

“Oh, yeah.” He chuckles. “Like we don’t have any.” The mood sobers, and Daniel locks their hands together, looking at his watch. “It’s almost four o’clock. The warehouse is still about a fifteen-minute walk. We better get going.”

Lynell nods and Daniel turns, but she tugs on his hand. “Wait.” He looks back at her, eyebrows raised in question before she stands on her toes and captures his lips in a deep kiss. She pulls away and breathlessly says, “I’d rather have Daniel Carter than Mark any day.” She gives him another quick kiss before standing back. “Lead the way, Mr. Longer-Than-Three-Minutes.”

Daniel smiles and adjusts the bag on his shoulder before starting the walk.

“No one knows about the warehouse except Zach and I,” he says. “We picked it at random and only met there once.”

Lynell nods, trying to ride the high for as long as she can before feeling it fall away into fear, anxiety, and pain. They stop once for Daniel to fish out two pills and a water bottle, which they split. It’s 4:20 when Daniel stops walking. Lynell looks up at the large building across the street. It appears empty and abandoned, with only two cars out front, one of which has no tires.

“Let’s stay here and watch,” Daniel says.

They sit against the graffiti-covered wall of a closed gas station across from the warehouse. The overhanging ceiling and multiple old gas stalls, one of them with an old, vandalized car sitting next to it, keeps them hidden from any prying eyes. The wall reads, “BLEED THE REGISTRATION,” which makes Lynell scoff. It’s not the most creative phrase, but common for graffiti. She’d never given it much thought before, knowing it would be painted over within hours, but now she wonders about the artists. Did they fight with Daniel? If they knew who she was, would they hate her as much as Eric? Would she want them to or would she actually join them in their rebellion?