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four, it was the first time I’d had the house to myself.
    After the funeral, we had visitors come visit us and mourners come mourn with us. And now our fridge was full of food and Mom was antsy to leave and I was antsy to get my house back.
    “Okay,” she said, smoothing back the sides of her hair again. “If you change your mind, I’ll be at the Graysons’. Otherwise, I’ll bring you back some dinner.” The Graysons were myparents’ best friends. My dad worked with them both, which meant they were probably all going over paperwork with my mom. Wills or what ever. No thanks.
    I turned on the television the second she was out the door. My phone buzzed sometime around lunch, but it was on the other side of the couch. I’d have to get up. Then it rang—I could see Kevin’s name glowing from the display. I focused back on the television, but this red banner scrolled across the bottom, a weather alert, ruining the movie. It cut off the gun in some guy’s hand, so I couldn’t tell where it was pointed.
    Flash flood warning . I looked out the window. Not a cloud in the sky. Liars.
    The doorbell rang, followed by persistent knocking before I’d even have time to get to the door, which I wasn’t doing. But that’s how I knew it was Kevin. Then his face was in the living room window, hands cupped around his eyes as he squinted. He saw me looking and waved vigorously, ignoring the fact that I was obviously ignoring him.
    I opened the front door and he ran his fingers through his even-shorter-than-normal hair. “So,” he said. “Funny story.”
    “I can’t wait.”
    “I heard you’re not talking to Delaney.”
    Yes, because that was the most important thing to happen recently. “What did she—”
    “Maya told me.”
    I rolled my eyes before I could stop myself. I mean, I get what Kevin saw. What every guy saw. And I got what Delaney saw—what she felt—as we drove by and saw a girl unloading the back of a car, balancing a crate on her hip as she walkedinto Justin’s lake house. Delaney had been worried it was her—we had to get closer to be sure. We had to get too close to be sure. Close enough to see the guy carrying a wheelchair over his head as he walked up the makeshift ramp that hadn’t been there the week before. Close enough for Maya to see us watching.
    But their whole friendship was based on a lie: that Delaney was friendly, when really she’d just been drawn to her house. And to me, Maya was just another reminder of what I’d done to Delaney.
    Part of me thought Delaney liked having her around, despite what she said, because Maya didn’t know anything about her. Didn’t know the history here, never knew Carson or Troy. Never understood why everyone, except me, kept a little distance.
    “Is it because she didn’t show at the funeral?” Kevin asked. “Because, not that I’m going Team Delaney or anything, but she doesn’t have the best history with funerals. …” The last funeral she’d been to, Janna had jabbed a finger at her chest and blamed her for Carson’s death. In front of everyone. Nobody stood up for her. Nobody told Janna to stop. Not even me.
    I cringed just thinking about it.
    “Nope,” I said, swinging the door closed.
    Kevin jammed his foot against the door frame to block the door as I was swinging it shut. “Funnier story,” he said. “Janna’s back.” He seized on the fact that I’d paused. “So. We’re going to Justin’s. I’m here to kidnap you. It will be easier if you don’t resist.”
    Kevin would follow through. He would drag me there.He’d think it was hilarious. If he wanted to, he’d win. I could probably take Justin. I used to be able to take Carson. I couldn’t take Kevin. I learned that lesson in eighth grade when he held my face in the mud after I told his then-girlfriend about his other then-girlfriend. I’d since learned to keep my mouth shut in all things related to Kevin and girlfriends.
    I’d also learned not to resist when he tells