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the city, my friends. There’s too much open space here, too much sky.” He stood, searching until he found his knife. Clicking the blade closed, he stuffed it into his jeans pocket. His face had finally relaxed, although there was a mournful shadow across his features. “I’m gonna go.”
    I stood up, turning towards him. “Home?”
    He played with his tongue stud for a moment, arms hugging his chest as he looked at me. Then a small smile broke through the shadows, and he nodded.

 
    Chapter Five
     
    After dinner, I plugged in my laptop to our DSL, and Googled Fairhaven. The website said it was a rehabilitation center for boys from twelve to eighteen. But when I pulled up the facility map it was evident by the wards listed that Fairhaven was a mental institute. If that wasn’t enough, the long list of resident psychologists confirmed it. Even if the inside of the facility looked like a glorified prison, the front grounds were nice, and the Chicago skyline could be seen from what they called the Western Athletics area— which looked like an exercise yard if you asked me. Worn grass, chain-link, and a well-used basketball court; the hoops rusted and missing their nets.
    It wasn’t hard to understand why Zane had been there. And despite how together he appeared at school, I knew what he said about not being ready to leave had been true. He was still working through losing his family, not to mention the unknown horrors he had endured in that van.
    *
    That night I dreamt of thick black hair, and haunted sapphire eyes.
    *
    The next morning it was as if nothing had happened. Zane was sitting on Chuck’s work station surrounded by happy admirers. He didn’t even spare a glance my way when I entered. He slid onto the stool next to me right as the bell rang. I looked at him as he pulled out his notebook, turning it to a fresh page.
    “What?” he barked as he began sketching.
    “Nothing.” I turned my attention to Mr. Taylor, and nothing else was said between us. I hadn’t expected much to change, but I thought I might warrant a secretive smile, or at least a nervous look. Yet he ignored me like always. And for some reason that bothered me more than it should have.
    That morning as I rose to consciousness, the dream had fled as dreams do. The only clue had been my body’s embarrassing reaction left in its wake.
    However, sitting next to him wisps of my dream came back as quick flashes; the silver glint of his tongue stud, the feel of his hair, his body pressed to mine, and suddenly I was too warm, he was too close. This wasn’t happening. I tried to regain control of myself, but my body rebelled. Didn’t it know how backwards this was? How wrong? I took a few deep breaths trying to steady the sick feeling in my stomach. Oh God . I was attracted to a guy ! A GUY !!!
    Zane pushed against my nervous knee with his, and I just about leapt off my stool. He shot me a quick amused look, then stood, and scooted behind me. I glanced around, surprised to see everyone leaving. I must have missed the bell.
    “Easy cowboy, I don’t bite...unless you ask me,” Zane whispered in my ear, and I turned, only to catch his back as he strode from the room. What the hell had he meant by that? As I rose from the stool I discovered I was trembling. The remnants of Zane’s scent teased my nose as his willowy voice echoed in my head. A shiver skittered down my back, and all of a sudden I wanted to scream and cry and punch something, maybe a lot of things—and, yeah, possibly throw up.
    I managed to hold my breakfast down, and instead pensively chewed on my lip all the way through my next two classes. By the time lunch rolled around, my hamstring was sore from the constant nervous motion of my leg over the last couple hours.
    “Jesus, quit. You’re bleeding.” Lily pulled on my chin until I released my lip. “All right, what’s bothering you?”
    I shook my head, but grabbed her arm, and steered her to an empty table in the corner of