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    “How long have you been standing there?” I dabbed at my eyes with the heels of my wrists.
    “We heard you in the other room. Jonah wanted to come, but he’s still too weak to get up.”
    “I saw my sister. She’s the one who gave me the 8-ball keychain on my bag.” I pointed at the bauble.
    “I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how hard it must be to lose your family. Don’t forget, you’ve still got us. And Ilya. He’s your family now.” Faith’s voice sounded uncharacteristically soft. Her eyes brimmed with sympathy.
    “I didn’t know you cared.”
    “Of course I care. I know I’ve been bitchy lately. I don’t have an excuse.”
    “You’re still in love with Jonah. I get that. I can’t help how I feel either.” I swept more moisture from my eyelids with my fingertips.
    “I’m getting over Jonah, Irina. I don’t want to be the bitter bag who glares at you from the sidelines. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t want to be with me. It’s embarrassing.” Faith whipped her hair back with a nod and an eye roll.
    “Ilya told me you were embarrassed while you were with him too. Don’t let it eat you up.” I sat up to face her.
    “You and I both have to get our heads together.”
    “I’m glad you don’t hate me.” I took a calming breath.
    “Likewise,” said Faith with a smile.

Chapter 5
    “I’m going to the University of British Columbia. I know where Gemma lives now,” I announced as I walked into the guys’ room the next morning. “It’s probably a bad idea and a waste of time. I’m doing it anyway.”
    “Actually, we should all try to keep busy while Jonah rests,” Ilya said.
    “Go, but don’t talk to your sister. If Rubin did his work well, and he always did, she won’t know you.” Cole stood at the kitchenette counter breaking up a pineapple with his bare hands. “You’ll scare the hell out of her. She may even call the cops.” He portioned pineapple onto four paper plates.
    “Maybe she’ll remember me if she sees me in person.” I heard the desperation in my voice and saw pity on the faces of my friends. I waved away the pineapple Cole passed to me.
    “We can’t stop you from trying, but for what it’s worth, I agree with Cole,” said Ilya.
    “Go see her. Say goodbye somehow if you can. We’ll be here for you when you get back,” said Jonah from his bed.
    Faith nodded agreement.
    “Thanks. I won’t make a scene, whatever happens,” I said.
    I returned to a bus stop I’d passed on East Hastings that had a UBC route listed on its signpost. A bus arrived a few minutes later. I dropped coins in the fare box, took my receipt, and made my way to the back of the bus. I found an empty seat in the back row next to a window.
    Vancouver’s downtown eastside rolled along beside me. The crowds on the street gave way to boutiques and the lobbies of modern glass towers as we plowed back into the heart of the city. The bus turned onto the iconic Granville Street and the boutiques and eateries took on an edgy flavor. People with body piercings wearing ripped up band shirts or skull-decorated tees and raggedy jeans flaunted studded bracelets, mohawks, and dyed hair. They walked the street mingling with tourists and business professionals. Windows populated with army boots and indie band posters alongside trendy clothing, pizza-by-the-slice and tattoo parlors.
    As the blocks of hard rock culture gave way to plain glass and metal towers again, the road took us out onto a bridge, like exiting through a gate and floating out onto open water.
    We stopped on Granville Island. Nostalgia flowed over me as I remembered coming to the Island with Mom and Gemma. I looked over at a yellow building topped with a rainbow behind the words Kid’s Market. We’d visited Vancouver because Gemma had a science project in a provincial competition exhibited at Science World.
    Mom took us shopping at the Market because Gemma’s project had won a medal. She bought gifts for both of us to