I’m hurt to hear her say this. “Of course I won’t tell her.”

“She’s wormed stuff out of you before.”

“She won’t this time, I swear.”

Skylar stares into my eyes like she’s looking for proof that I won’t tell.

“Cross my heart, Skylar.”

“See you tomorrow.” She rides right through the puddle, slings the bike on its side in the grass, and goes inside without looking at me.

I know it’s Rob she’s mad at, not me. But I feel bad anyway. At home, I strip off my clothes and take a shower. I stand in the stream of hot water and cry. I’m confused and upset. I don’t know what to do or think or anything.

Secrets gnaw at me—the tree house, the man and woman in their cars, Jason and Carter, the horrible house, Rob and the drugs. Even the dead deer. I can’t get its smell out of my nose or the way it looked at me out of my mind—its eye clouded over but staring right at me, its head bent back so its bloody throat showed. The flies that didn’t even fly away, the crows hunched on branches, cawing at us.

How did Skylar and I get into so much scary trouble? We just wanted our own private place, that’s all. And now it’s like I’m trapped in a bad dream that I can’t share with Mom. I have to pretend everything is fine. If she ever finds out what Skylar and I are up to, she’ll kill me.

I sit on the couch and wait for her. She walks in, all smiles, and flops down beside me. “How about dinner tonight with Greg at Gepetto’s Pizza?”

I force myself to smile and look happy, but as much as I love Greg, I’m not in the mood for him or pizza. I just want to go to bed and stream Disney videos until I fall asleep. But if I tell Mom that, she’ll think I’m sick or that I quarreled with Skylar and she’ll start asking questions. I might cry and break down and tell her everything.

So maybe it’s good to be going out after all. Greg will be his usual funny self and make me laugh, and maybe I’ll forget everything for a little while.

“He’ll be here any minute,” Mom says. “Can you be ready that fast?”

I tell her I’m ready now.

A couple of minutes later the doorbell rings. Greg gives us both a big hug. His beard rubs against my cheek and he smells good, like he just took a shower.