“I think my team needs me,” she said. “I hate to say no, because I like what you say and you’re officially on my top ten neatest people list.”

“I’m not that neat.”

“You are,” Darlene said.

“But they’re focused on the dangers and stuff and I need to help them. When things are calm—”

“They’re never calm,” Aiden said, interrupting.

Kenzie went quiet.

“That’s not—it’s not me saying that, I didn’t decide that or anything. It’s what Tattletale and Imp say. There’s always something, if you’re living this life. You keep going until you crash into the rocks or you bail out.”

“Then I’ve got to help them until they crash.”

“Okay,” he said. “Can we agree to not be enemies? Can we be friends?”

“Um.”

His heart sank, seeing her try to formulate a reply.

“I’m not very good at making friends. I try. Every time I try to be nice or build up a relationship, I mess it up. My current team is the closest thing to good friends I have, and the boy closest to me in age that I was in love with did the bailing out thing. Or the rock thing. I’m not sure.”

“You don’t have to do anything.”

“But I do! Already I’m thinking about what I could do for you guys that’s nice enough to match up to you doing this.”

“You don’t have to.”

“But then what’s the point? What’s—I want to do something nice. Isn’t it kind of hollow if I can’t?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like friendship to me if anyone’s keeping score and trying to keep it balanced.”

“But I want to do something.”

“Then tell me you’ll consider the alliance. Let’s just make a deal to be good to each other and to all capes around our age. That’s all it takes. Tell me you’ll think about it. I can’t think of anything more I want.”

“Me trying to be good to people leads to disaster. I get overly invested, especially when I’m not at my best. Right now I have two bullet holes in me, and I’m fuzzy with drugs, and I’m feeling like my parents are about to yell at me because I’m entertaining guests while I’m a mess—”

“It’s okay,” he said, a little bewildered at the sudden outpouring. “Um. I spent the last few years with these guys. They’re Heartbroken.”

“We’re fucked up,” Candy said. “We’ve got you beat any day.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Kenzie said.

“I’m really, really good at dealing with these guys now,” Aiden said.

“Super good,” Darlene said, sounding more like Juliette in a monotone than like she usually did.