That’s when her phone buzzed.

She whipped it out like it had electrocuted her, processed whatever was on the screen, then went all dark from the inside out. It oozed through her eyes. ‘Ah, damn. Damn, damn, damn.’

‘What’s wrong?’

‘It’s my mom. Turns out I’m, like, not actually supposed to be places in the middle of the night. Who knew?’ She softened, and looked at me. ‘I’m sorry. I gotta go. Really great five minutes, though.’

I surprised myself with how upset that made me, like something I ought to take care of was slipping through my fingers. I didn’t want her to leave. I figured it’d go back to the way it was after the cemetery – just pretending like we’d never spoken. That sounded terrible. I liked her. ‘Oh. OK, yeah.’

‘Hey, do you – do you want a ride tomorrow? To school?’

My heart dropped.

‘Why?’

‘Huh?’

‘Why are you offering?’

‘I … Because you’re funny? I like you? And I live close.’

I had to ask. ‘June.’ She looked at me. ‘Do you feel bad for me?’

‘Why do you seem so, like, surprised by the notion that someone could just like talking to you?’

I’m not – I’m surprised that you enjoy talking to me.

But I didn’t say that. It came out as ‘I don’t know.’

‘At the cemetery – when you didn’t want me to drive you home – was that because you were afraid? Like, to be in a car?’

I nodded, revelling in the simplicity of not having to explain to somebody why I was doing something or why I felt the way I did.

‘Well, don’t worry. I – don’t want you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Seriously.’

‘No. That’d be nice.’

‘Really?’

‘Yeah.’

‘OK. I’ll … see you tomorrow.’

I remembered the time. ‘Today.’

She smiled. ‘I’ll see you today. Pick you up at seven?’

‘Sounds good.’

Later, at the end of the school year, after everything had happened, I hated myself for never questioning the small things. But when she said it was her mom on the phone that night, I had no reason to believe she was lying.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Why did I say yes?

I woke up after a sumptuous two-and-a-half hours of sleep, pulsing with the knowledge that June would be there soon – alongside the recognition that I had made a terrible mistake.

I was rarely so easily swayed. Maybe it was the night-time or the exhaustion or the intrigue but something about her had forced me to make a decision I wouldn’t normally have made, and even though it was only mere hours later, I wanted nothing less than to sit beside the helm of a metal death-trap, no matter how compelling the captain.