“She wondered if you were my girlfriend. So, I told her yes.” He sat down with the same confidence and nonchalance as he normally did. It wasn’t technically normal to be that chill, but who was I to say anything? “Also, did you know your bodyguard dude is camped out in front of your house all by himself?”

“He does that sometimes. Wait. Did you just say you told Martha that I was your girlfriend?”

Kelly came out of the kitchen with silverware and plates. “Does this mean you two are official and Garrett is nixed?”

“No,” I said.

“Yes,” Brent said at the same time.

She was obviously trying not to laugh at him injecting himself into my life. “That clears everything up. You two are something else.”

I looked him dead in the eyes. “I hate you.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night.” He casually started eating his food after looking at me again with that same expression. Hungry.

Being casual was not what I expected. My brain felt broken. Everything still felt just out of reach. “I need the both of you to explain just what in the hell is going on. Also, why are you two so chill after watching someone die? This has to be a normal occurrence if you two are as cool as cucumbers despite me trying not to lose my mind and can’t help but vomit in the kitchen.”

My world was turned upside down. My virginity gone just a day before by the guy sitting in front of me–which, I didn’t even know him that well. My best friend that I’d had for years was suddenly telling me that she knew a lot more than I did, essentially spilling secrets. I didn’t know how to cope with those two things let alone there are murderers running rampant and kids willing to sell each other out. Did I even know who I was at this point? There were so many questions for my mom and I wished she could have given me something to answer me with, but that was a long journey I had to trek on my own.

Was running away an option?

“I think you need to sit down and chill for a bit. You don’t need all the answers in one day, and you’re clearly not dealing with it well. Did she say she threw up in the kitchen?” Brent asked Kelly to verify what I said like he didn’t believe me, but it was true.

“Yup. Right there.”

He shoved some food in his mouth and scooted to his right a bit. Of course he would be that dramatic about vomit but not about death.