“We’ll call Ruby from our house phone and have her spread the plans to everyone later,” I announced, bolstering myself up with the supply of false confidence I always kept stocked. No one could know how far this had slipped away from me.

“That’s it?” Harrison asked. “We’re gonna agree we think Marley died by suicide then head home for a bit to chill?”

Aidy started clapping. “Bravo! You got it all in one try!”

“Can I talk to you?” he asked her, low and serious.

“Isn’t that what we’re doing right now?”

“Alone,” he whispered, succeeding at pulling off a calm but sincere command.

Aidy could only push so far. “Fine. We’ll walk back together.” She picked up the box and tucked it under her arm. “Don’t get caught, Olivia. Not now.”

“I won’t,” I warned back.

Nick stepped up. “Wanna walk with me?”

Bigs and Teeny were already pulling out of the parking lot. Ruby chased them down to ask for a ride to Emery.

The choice was all but made for me. Not that I minded. I needed a good distraction. Besides, the battle between Nick and me had only been allies fighting for dominance. When he allowed everyone to continue on with this, he’d surrendered to me. In fact, he’d been trying to surrender to me every time we spoke. But a challenge was always more irresistible, and our years apart required constant affirmation that he wouldn’t leave again. I asked him, “Are you sure you want to walk with me?” needing another little boost.

He laughed the same laugh he always did. A quiet chuckle at every obstacle I gave him to climb over. “I’m sure,” he said. “How’s your nose?”

Thanks to medicine, and Marley, I’d almost forgotten about it. I covered it with the bag of no-longer-frozen peas I’d picked back up. “It doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

“I’m sorry that happened.”

“I’ve had worse,” I said, as if he didn’t already know. He was there the day I broke my wrist jumping over a fence in his backyard. And the time I gashed my thigh climbing over another fence around the corner from where we stood. Me and fences.

Nick and I started the walk back to Albany. His pace was slow and calculated. I had to drag my feet to keep from breaking ahead.

“I’m going to say it before you stop me. And because you need to know,” he said.

To protest seemed futile.

“I didn’t abandon you. I came to your house. A few times. Aidy told me you didn’t want to see me again.”

Aidy, Aidy, Aidy. Conversations about Nick post-Marley never went well. But in the early days, I’d cried to her, wondering where he was, wondering why he didn’t try to talk to me. She said nothing of Nick coming over.