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his dad had just left town, and his house was filled with tension.
    “Guess not.”
    We walk a few steps in silence.
    Luke stuffs his hands in his pockets. “Might not want to mention that to Shawn.”
    Shawn? Why is my chest squeezing in all of the sudden? My head snaps towards Luke. “I think he knows.” Why would Luke know that would be a big deal? I mean, part of me thinks it wouldn’t be a big deal, but part of me knows that Shawn won’t be happy on the days I have to step into Juliet’s role. Am I just trying too hard to do something that won’t work?
    “I don’t think he does.” Luke shakes his head. “He didn’t live here that year.”
    “Right.” Then I definitely won’t bring it up. And suddenly I’m wondering why I was so excited to play Juliet. I’m not sure it’s something Shawn would be comfortable with, and I’m supposed to be lessening the strain on his life, not making it worse.
    ***
    Shawn’s still on a late schedule at work. I’m not sure why he doesn’t just change it. His dad owns the place. With my rehearsals after school, and his work schedule, we haven’t seen much of each other this week. As soon as I hear his bike on the road I climb out of bed, again , hoping to spend some time with him.
    I start my careful routine to get out of my house without getting caught. I stand on the street for longer than normal, part of me wondering if Luke is running around in the middle of the night. He isn’t. It shouldn’t make me feel disappointed. Seeing Luke would just cut into my Shawn time.
    Now it’s time to go through the careful routine of not being caught at Shawn’s house.
    I stop in the front yard, and his dad’s angry voice carries out into the street. I can’t hear the words, but now I’m torn as to whether I move forward, or turn back toward home. My heart pounds in my ears as I slowly circle to the side of the house. I’m scared for me, and scared for Shawn. But what am I supposed to do if things at his house are as out of control as they sound? I can’t help. Maybe this is one of those situations where I should call the cops or something, but that can’t be right. It’s too drastic. It’s just Shawn’s dad, and it is just yelling. I think.
    I stand and wait for what feels like an hour. The voices finally die down and the noise of the TV gets louder.
    Shawn appears at the gate. He gives me a thin-lipped smile as he holds it open for me to walk through. I sit in the first chair I can find, arms clutched around my middle, not wanting to be too close to the back door. It’s like there’s this thick, black mood surrounding his house. How can he live here like this? Or maybe I’m just making too much out of nothing.
    “Hey.” He doesn’t even sit next to me on the chair; he takes the lounger across from me.
    “I’m the one risking my neck to see you. You should be a little more grateful,” I try to tease. Anything to help lighten the mood here.
    Anger flashes across his face and my chest seizes tight as I scoot further away.
    Now I’m not sure what to do with myself. All of this is so beyond anything I’ve ever been around before. My hands tuck into my sides as I fold my arms more tightly in front of me, almost like protection. Which is ridiculous. I don’t need protection from Shawn .
    “I’m sorry.” He lets out a breath. “I just miss you.” He leans forward and brushes his fingers down my cheek. I love this side of him so much that I start to feel guilty about being irritated.
    “It’s okay.” But my chest and body are tensed, as if waiting for the next round to begin.
    “Since you’re going to be all busy, I figure you owe me.” Now there’s a smirk on his face.
    “Owe you?” I try to tease back, just to keep the peace. And this, I can deal with. This is just Shawn, not some weird, tense, confusing situation.
    “A weekend. You can tell your parents that Mindy’s taking some girls to her parent’s condo. You’ve done that before.” Now