“Actually,” Ruby croaked out. A fine line of sweat beaded up on her forehead, right where her braids began. Her hair, onyx black and too thick to all be held at once, had recently been cut above her shoulders. The two braids Teeny put in the night before wound back into two little buns, one on either side of her head, with short pieces clinging to the back of her neck. “I’m gonna go over to Ollie’s.”

I gasped. Ruby had a crush on Marley that everyone, including Marley, knew about. Ruby told me that sometimes it was like her feelings for Marley lassoed around her throat and she forgot how to breathe. I could see it then, how much effort she put into each inhale, her hands holding her ribs and pressing tight, trying to push the breath up and out.

“I’ll explain more later,” she whispered to me. “Love you.” She hurried out quickly, leaving her sleeping bag behind. I decided I’d bring it over to her later to get the scoop.

Only Marley, Nick, and I remained.

And Nick didn’t leave.

7

Aidy and I headed the wrong way. We ended up far out on the railroad tracks, nearing the famous POINT OF NO RETURN sign. The sun lowered with each step. Aidy stopped to stare. I matched her actions as a little sister should, the two of us holding our hands above our eyes to appreciate the beauty of Cadence on the cusp, flirting with night. We stood at the southeastern border, our backs to the open desert behind us, our eyes looking due west at our hometown.

Aidy laughed at herself. “Can you believe I said that to Marley’s mom?”

“I really can’t.”

“She was making me so mad! Her fight with Mr. Bricket was outrageous. Way more people were talking about that. What you did made people kind of—I don’t know. Sad, I guess.”

My breath dragged. “Yeah.”

Aidy dropped her visor hands to look at me. “Are you okay, though?”

“Obviously.”

She tossed a curious glance over her shoulder. “So, then…” she started.

“Nick,” I responded. His name had been on her lips since she’d woken me up that afternoon, and she’d yet to work up the courage to say it aloud. I had to do it for her, because I always had to be the one to handle the hard things. I was glad for the opportunity. I liked getting the chance to say his name without having to follow it with a reflection on what he’d done or how he’d failed to overcome it.