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moment hung suspended, balancing on the wave of shock enveloping me. Then anger flared in my chest, as warm as the fire that Molly’s family had built in the fire-ring on the hilltop. “You don’t get to decide!” I shouted after Molly. “Damn it, I’m your best friend . You don’t get to push that away!”
    I saw Molly pause at the bottom of the hill. Her hands went still by her sides. Then she took one step forward, and another, slowly walking away from me. I ran down the hill, slipping on a stone and falling hard. But I scrambled up and slid down the rest of the way, ignoring the burning pain in my palms and knees. “Molly!” I grabbed her arm and she went still.
    “Please,” I said. “You would do the same for me.” I breathed heavily, from both the run down the hill and the sudden shock of emotion vibrating up and down my spine, through my smarting knees and palms. I wanted so badly for Molly to look at me. “Don’t you understand?” I said finally, after a few breaths. “I’m the closest thing you have to a sister, and you need all the family you can get right now.”
    She looked down at my legs. “You’re bleeding,” she said softly. Then she sighed, her shoulders softening. “Come on, we need to get back to the house and fix you up.”
    Ignoring the warm blood sliding down my shin, I matched Molly’s slow, thoughtful pace, breathing in the warm air and savoring the clean scent, free of car fumes.
    “I would do the same for you,” Molly said finally in her normal voice, glancing at me, “but I would’ve tried to commit you to a mental institution first, if someone told me the story I just told you.”
    I snorted. “Yeah. You’re right. You’re just lucky that I trust you.” I tilted my head, considering.
    Molly smiled her bright smile that so often ended our disagreements. The radiance of her smile turned sour feelings into mere memories. I scowled at her.
    “Don’t you go pulling the smile on me,” I told her, mock-chastising. “It may work with all the boys, but it will not work on me. I am immune.”
    “You are not,” Molly said. “You’re in a better mood already.”
    “Only because I was in the better mood to begin with.”
    “Details, details.” Molly waved one hand dismissively. “My smile has very little effect on boys, and even if it did, I wouldn’t be interested.”
    I grimaced. Relationships were a sore subject for me right now. It seemed like I careened through the dating world with all the grace that I possessed in daily life, except I bashed into boys instead of tables, tripping over my words instead of down stairs. “Let’s not talk about this right now.”
    Molly glanced at my face and took in my dour expression. “Tess,” she said softly, “just because you haven’t found someone that fits you yet, doesn’t mean you won’t ever find him.”
    I clenched my teeth a little, biting down on a sarcastic response. “I know.”
    “You’re tall, blonde and ridiculously smart…chemistry major and all.” Molly raised her eyebrows mischievously. “There are plenty of boys who would very much like to see what kind of chemical reaction they could—”
    I swatted at her arm. “Molly. That’s not what I’m interested in anyway.”
    Molly smiled. “I know. I’m just teasing you. You’re funny when you’re angry.”
    “It’s not like you’ve had great success in the dating world either,” I said, unable to keep myself from unleashing my counter-blow. But Molly just smiled her mysterious smile, eyes glinting.
    We walked a little farther. A brown and white streak suddenly appeared over the crest of the next hill, resolving itself into Kirby, who ran toward us at full tilt with his ears flapping and tongue lolling. Molly kept walking unconcernedly. I faltered a little when Kirby kept his pace, barreling straight at me. He swerved right at the last second, whipping his head around and sticking his cold nose into the back of my knees. I squeaked in