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straight up. He looked quick at my headlights, glaring. Not knowing it was me. He clicked off his phone and stood, chest a little out and shoulders back. Hands loose by his sides and arms away from his body. Tough. I turned off the headlights and then he recognized Bird’s car. But he was still frowning.
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” He’d gotten to the unrolled window before I even opened the door.
    â€œI just—”
    He made a mad-sounding noise. “Don’t get out.” He pointed at me through the windshield as he moved around the front of the car.
    â€œI didn’t know what to do,” I told him when he got in. “They found out we were never at the QT. And so many other questions. If I can’t call you, how am I going to know what to say?”
    â€œBack out. Drive. We can’t be here.”
    â€œDee, what did—”
    â€œI said we can’t be here. My mom, you know?” And I did know. His mom had a temper worse than his father’s. Dee was always getting in fights with her. I’d heard a few on the phone. One time he had this huge bruise on his back from when she’d thrown a hair dryer at him. Which I could relate to.
    â€œLet’s just drive,” he said.
    I backed out, not knowing where I was going. He pointed me along a few streets and then onto a dark road that passed by a post office. It dead ended at this science fiction–looking building surrounded by trees. There was a FOR LEASE sign in the grass out front. It was spooky, but at least we were alone.
    â€œThey asked me about Saturday,” I started again. “Where we went. I had to tell them.”
    â€œWhat, exactly, did you say?”
    â€œWe went to the movies, like you and me said. The purple one—way out.”
    â€œYou’re right—that’s the one we go to.” Finally there was a little smile in his eyes, pleased with me. Proud.
    â€œThey asked me about where we ate. I said there was aMcDonald’s. But I didn’t exactly say we went in. Just that it was there.”
    â€œThat was smart of you.”
    Relief and warmth gushed over me. But it didn’t solve everything.
    â€œDid you say anything else?” he wanted to know.
    â€œWell, I mean, the gym. But that’s where you went, so.”
    I saw the muscle in the corner of his jaw bulge, once.
    â€œAnything else?” He was staring out the windshield now, not at me.
    â€œWell, I don’t know what Bird said yet.”
    His mouth was tight. “She don’t know shit.”
    â€œNo. You’re right. But, Dee, they had a—a letter.”
    He turned to me, brows together.
    I tried not to choke up. My angel. Forever. “It was . . . it was in your handwriting. To . . . to . . . another girl.”
    He looked away again. “That’s old.”
    â€œThey found it at the house. The house where . . . I mean, they were looking inside and they found it and . . .”
    â€œI told you, that’s old. She don’t have nothing to do with us.”
    â€œBut Dee, it was her dad ! I saw it on the news!”
    I was trying not to make him get angry at me for bringing her up, for not trusting him, but I was so desperate for answers it was impossible to keep from raising my voice.
    All he needed to do was say again that it really was over with him and her. To fold me in his arms and tell me he was sorry I was scared. That there was . . . some other reason he’d done what he did to her dad on Saturday. A coincidence. Or, like Kenyetta had said, it was just someone his gang needed to get rid of, that was all. Not anyone who had to do with him and her. And me.
    Instead he grabbed the top of my arm and pulled me to him. “Listen to me. You don’t need to know anything about that. That’s old business. You understand? All you know is, I picked you up on Friday, we hung out, stayed together on