As Leo sat down beside her, Joey’s head did a washing cycle spin, and the stars came down to dance with the happy shopping carts.

“Have some water.” Leo handed her a bottle, and after a tiny struggle, she popped open the top and chugged. Leo composed their cereal bowls. “I have such a memory of you, our first summer. You were up in arms that Corfu didn’t have Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Remember how we protested?”

“Oh God.” Joey crunched down on Cinnamon Toast Crunch deliciousness. “I totally forgot that. You were such a good sport. I made you march with that insane poster.”

Leo slurped up a spoonful. “You made me a believer, Jones. You wanted it so badly that I got all riled up too. Didn’t we march for days until old man Kristo finally capitulated? I’ll see what I can do. He was so peeved.”

“Super peeved. But the next summer, he had Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”

“You were so determined, Jones. Passionate when you believed in something. Full of big, unique ideas that came to life when you painted them.” Despite her inebriation, Joey had a lucid certainty that she was indeed those things once. In a strange way, she felt closer now to the kid who’d campaigned for Cinnamon Toast Crunch than to most of the stages she’d occupied since.

Somehow, the memory of strong, little Joey emboldened her. “Leo, you know that day on the beach, when I told you I looked for you in Nice?”

There were a few spoonfuls of cereal-worth of silence before Leo said, “Yeah.”

“You said I wasn’t the only one with ghosts. I couldn’t let you finish then. I was going to jump out of myself or something. I don’t know why, but I need to know. Did you…did you ever look for me too?”

Leo stared beyond her, beyond the lot, at Federal Highway. A green car careened by, then a white one. Then no cars at all. “The truth is, after we split, I spiraled, Jones.” Leo rubbed his eyes, his cheeks, made fists with both his hands—and then slowly unfurled his fingers.

“I mean, I put on a good front. First, I got that gig as a deckhand. Then I got promoted to second mate. I was throwing it all into work, but if I’m truthful, I saw you at the bottom of every beer I downed. I was angry. Scary angry. Pissed off at the world. Especially at my father.”

Joey had thought hearing that Leo had suffered too would make her feel better, but it didn’t. She bit her lip and tasted frosting. The artificial sweet roiled her stomach.

“I punched a guy in the supermarket once. He took the avocado I wanted.”

“Good avocados are serious business.” Joey forced a smile.