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rate I was spending money, I wouldn’t last long on my own. But budgeting wasn’t a skill my mom and dad taught me before everything went pear shaped.
    The owner handed me an envelope; then Kian headed back for his quick photo session. Afterward, I confirmed, “Pickup on Friday afternoon?”
    The guy nodded. “Thanks for the referral, but don’t post a flyer at school.”
    â€œAfter this, you won’t see me again,” I promised. “But I was wondering, is there any way you could give us a discount?” I held up the album.
    â€œSorry. If this town wasn’t such a shithole, I could probably get more than twenty.”
    â€œAll right. Thanks.”
    Disappointed, I put the record back. Unfortunately I couldn’t grant all of Kian’s wishes like a fairy godmother; my resources were decidedly limited. I had to save bus fare to get to school, which was a huge priority. Skipping would not only get me in trouble but it would also limit my access to Kian. How else could I see him every day without it being weird?
    â€œI’m so excited. I wonder what’s playing,” I said.
    â€œI can check tonight if you want.”
    â€œThat would be awesome.”
    The wind was cold, and we really needed to get on our respective buses. But as we walked toward the stop, I could only think of keeping him with me a little longer. Inviting him to my place would probably make him call family services or at least open the door to some serious concern on his part. Yet I wished we could hang out like we did before, none of the barriers between us. Now I understood how Kian must’ve felt, falling for someone he’d watched on Wedderburn’s orders.
    â€œI can’t believe we’re doing this.” His words came out in a rush. “It’s like something I’d read about, happening to me .”
    â€œLife should be an adventure,” I told him.
    Not a constant struggle for survival.
    â€œIt must have been awesome in California,” he started, and then he appeared to remember the lie I’d told. “Oh, wait, fourteen schools, two years. So you probably didn’t leave a ton of friends behind.”
    â€œNot many. Do you still have time tonight? There’s somewhere else I want to go.”
    He raised a brow at me. “How exactly do you envision my social calendar looking?”
    â€œWell, you might get in trouble for being late.”
    â€œIt’s fine. I already texted my uncle that I was hanging out after school, and my aunt probably wouldn’t care if I didn’t come back at all.” Those words should’ve been laced with bitterness, but instead, there was only this matter-of-factness that bothered me more.
    I ignored the implications, however, because he didn’t want sympathy. “On the plus side, it means you can do what you want, right?”
    But I’d been on that side of parental freedom, and it sucked because it meant nobody gave a shit.
    â€œI guess. But mostly all I do is go to school, read, and watch movies in my room.”
    That’s a lie. You write poetry too. But that wasn’t something he’d tell me so fast because it wasn’t cool and he was probably still focused on how I might judge him, like friendship was a chipped porcelain cup—one wrong move, and it would all be shards on the floor.
    â€œCome on.” I dragged him on the bus and dinged my pass twice.
    Since he had no idea where we were going, there was no reason for him to pay. Hopefully, this idea wouldn’t hurt his feelings. It wasn’t like I planned some big makeover or that I didn’t like him exactly as he was. But to fit in a little better at school, he needed to dial down the vintage.
    â€œYou know, I’m not big on surprises.” But he settled beside me without further complaint, and I totally noticed when his knee brushed mine. He jerked back, though. “S-sorry. I didn’t do that on