I lifted my hand and grinned, shaking the keys from side to side. “Draco put them on the counter.”

  “If he had any idea that we would follow, you know he would’ve taken them with him,” she said with a laugh.

  I grunted as I unlocked our doors, not nearly as amused.

  “There’s clothes in the back seat,” I told her as I cranked the car and pulled a U-turn. “We both need some long pants.”

  “Good call,” she replied, slapping my shoulder. “You’re so smart.”

  “At least one of us is.”

  “Please,” she said, the top half of her body disappearing out of view as she leaned between the seats. “If you were smart, you’d get your shit together and start school.”

  “I told you,” I said, carefully turning a corner as Charlie’s body swayed, “I’ll start this winter.”

  “You should’ve started three years ago,” she grumbled. “Got some!” She scooted back into the front seat and held up two pairs of pants.

  “You had to grab my most expensive pair,” I said in exasperation.

  “They were the only ones I found,” she replied with a laugh. “At least they’ll cover our legs.”

  “Oh, hell no,” I said, snatching my expensive jeans out of her hand. “You can wear the other ones.”

  “Aw, man. These are mom jeans!”

  “They’re not mom jeans. They’re work jeans that I wear when I’m helping the oldies outside. You can roll them up easier.”

  “If you weren’t such an Amazon,” she muttered.

  “If you weren’t such a shrimp,” I shot back. “Just be thankful that they’ll fit.”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said as she stripped out of her shorts. “I’m so glad that you’re now skinny as a rail and I can wear your clothes. It’s a fuckin’ dream come true.”

  “Hey,” I griped, coughing a little. “Fuck, where did I put that mask?” I searched my pockets, finally finding it under me. It was bent all to hell, but thankfully popped right back into shape when I put it on.

  “I’m supposed to be this size,” Charlie ranted, ignoring my search. “I come from small people. You are not. Your dad is a fucking monster and your mom had an ass for days. I’ve seen photos.”

  “I’m slender because I work out,” I said, glancing at her as she bent over to roll my jeans up her ankles.

  “You’re slender because you don’t eat enough and you run like you’ve got a wild animal chasing you.”

  “How else are you supposed to run?” I joked.

  “I think what you never figured out,” she said, leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest, “is that you don’t have to sprint when you’re running over five miles. It’s just fuckin’ weird, okay?”

  “I like going fast,” I replied.

  “No, you don’t,” Charlie scoffed. “You’re literally driving about twenty miles an hour right now. You’re the least fast person I know.”

  “It’s smoky!”

  “You’re an old lady.”

  “Okay, that, too,” I conceded.

  “And you need to start taking better care of yourself,” she harrumphed. “It was a whole thing while Draco was gone—but he’s home now. There’s no more need for the fuckin’ hair shirt. Go back to school. Eat. Have fun.”

  “That’s not even—” I sputtered, unsure how to even reply.

  “It is,” Charlie said, cutting me off. “He was in limbo, so you were in limbo. But he’s not now, Kara. So move the fuck on.”

  “In a minute, I’m going to drop your ass on the side of the road and let you walk,” I snapped. “Fuck you.”

  “You know I’m right,” Charlie said, pointing at me. Oh, man, that irritated the shit out of me. She hated when people pointed at her, so I knew she was doing it just to be an asshole.

  “I know that you have no fucking clue what you’re talking about,” I spat. “Stop trying to analyze me.”

  “I don’t have to analyze you,” she said, her voice a little lower as she leaned back in her seat. “Everyone can see it—not just me.”

  “Well, all of you can mind your own fucking business,” I replied. “I didn’t start school yet because I needed a goddamn break.” Charlie made a noise of disbelief in her throat that I chose to ignore. “And my body changed because I got older, not because I’m starving myself or some shit.”

  “No one said you’re starving yourself,” Charlie replied instantly. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Well, that’s what it sounded like.”

  “I just meant that you don’t take care of yourself like you should,” Charlie said, throwing her hands up in the air. “You don’t. And also, I’d just like to point out that losing baby fat after high school is normal, not losing the glorious tits and ass God gave you.”

  “I still have tits and ass,” I said distractedly as we came up on a makeshift roadblock.

  “Just drive through the gap in the middle,” Charlie said, leaning forward to stare through the windshield. “If we don’t fit, I’ll get out and move the signs.”

  I nodded as I threaded my car through the narrow opening.

  “Fuck,” Charlie said with a sigh, glancing behind us as we continued toward her parents’ house. “Shit’s getting real. That wasn’t there when we left earlier.”

  “We’re driving toward a fucking wildfire,” I replied, turning my headlights on. They didn’t do anything except illuminate the haze, so I turned them off again. “That’s about as real as it gets.”

  We were quiet for the rest of the drive, both of us leaning forward, as if it would help us see through the haze of smoke. It wasn’t so thick that it was impossible to see, more like a really foggy morning.

  “God,” I said as I turned on my blinker. “If I hadn’t been here two million times, I wouldn’t have even known where to turn. You can’t even see the mailbox.”

  “I know,” Charlie said. “Fuck, Kara.” She turned to me. “How the fuck are we supposed to even know if the fire is close?”

  “I’m sure we’ll see it,” I lied.

  We crept up the road until I could see the back of Rose’s SUV and Grandpa Grease’s big pickup. Parking behind them, I braced for the inevitable what-do-you-think-you’re-doing-here conversation.

  “I’m going to change my pants real quick,” I told Charlie, pushing my seat back. I slipped off my shoes. “Keep an eye out, would ya? I don’t want to scar my dad.”

  “You’re not wearing underwear?” Charlie asked with a mocking gasp.

  “Yes, I’m wearing underwear,” I shot back, pulling off my shorts. “But that’s bad enough! He’d have a heart attack.”

  “We’re all good,” Charlie replied as I reached for my jeans and awkwardly put my feet in them. “The only person I see is Draco.”

  “What?” My head shot up as I struggled to yank my jeans up my legs.

  “Oh, he looks pissed,” Charlie said conversationally as I jerked my jeans over my hips. “I’ll let you deal with that.”

  Without another word, she was out of the car and jogging in the opposite direction of Draco—and I was stuck in the car trying to get my shoes on.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Draco asked as he yanked my door open. “Crank your car and drive your ass back to Callie’s.”

  “I hesitate to say this for obvious reasons, but—” I shrugged as I got out of the car. I was really trying to ignore the way the black bandana covering the bottom half of his face made his eyes seem even more striking than they usually were. “You’re not the boss of me.”

  “You just got done tellin’ me that comin’ out here was stupid and now you’re here?”

  “It’s a woman’s prerogative to change her mind,” I replied airily. I refused to give him any indication of my real reaction—the way my toes curled at his tone or the way my heart raced at the thought of arguing with him.

  I was clearly demented.

  “Kara,” he growled, his fingers wrapping around my bicep as I tried to move around him. “You need to go back.”

  “So, you can be out here but I can’t?” I asked, raising my eyebrows. “Huh.”

  “There’s no reason for you to be here,” he replied, skirting around the question. “We’ve got it covered.”

  “Well, I’ll pitch in where I can.”

  “You aren’t needed.”

  “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’m sure it’s all hands on deck, right?”

  “For fuck’s sake,” he ground out in frustration.

  “Don’t use that tone with me,” I snapped back, yanking my arm out of his grip.

  “I didn’t use a tone,” he replied in the same tone.

  “So, only you can help out, right? Only you can step in when someone needs it. Only you can put yourself in danger. Right?”

  “The fuck are you even talkin’ about?” he shot back. “You know you don’t wanna be here. Fuck, I don’t even want to be here. It smells like shit and my goddamn eyes are burning.”

  “Then why don’t you leave and let other people handle it for once,” I replied, stalking off toward the house.

  I was feeling pretty damn good about my parting shot. I mean, I’d really nailed the whole passive aggressive thing and I was hoping that he’d stand there for a few minutes trying to figure out what I’d been implying. Instead, I only made it about four steps before I was being lifted off the ground and carried toward the back of my Jeep.

  “Draco,” I said in warning as he dropped me back on my feet.

  “You got somethin’ you want to say to me?” he asked, leaning down until our faces were just inches apart.

  “Pretty sure I already said it,” I replied, glaring.

  “No, you made some bullshit comment and then stomped off like a twelve year old.”

  “Right,” I bit out.

  “I’ve given you time,” he said. “I’ve given you space. I’ve left you the fuck alone even though I—” He pointed his thumb at his chest. “—was never the one in the wrong. But I’m not gonna let you be a fuckin’ idiot just to make some stupid point that no one understands but you.”

  I opened and closed my mouth twice, trying to figure out what I should reply to first. I couldn’t even wrap my head around everything he’d said.

  “You were never in the wrong?” I finally yelled. “You were never in the wrong?”

  “The fuck did I ever do to you?” he asked incredulously, smacking his hand on the window behind me. “Be your friend? Support you? Stick up for you? Love your stupid ass?”

  “I never asked you to stick up for me!”

  “You didn’t have to,” he yelled in my face. “I fuckin’ loved you! I couldn’t have stopped it!”

  “I didn’t ask you to love me, either!” I yelled back.

  “I know that,” he replied derisively. “You were too busy tryin’ to ride Curtis’ dick.”

  I hit him. I slapped his face so hard that my palm stung and I felt the twang all the way to my elbow. For a second, I think we were both shocked into silence. I’d never hit anyone before. I’d never even had the urge.

  “Fuck you,” I rasped out. “Get the fuck away from me.”

  “Kara,” he replied, his voice full of remorse as he reached for me.

  I slapped at his hands, pushing them away from me. “Get away from me,” I hissed. Furiously, I wiped at my face. I didn’t want to fucking cry. I hated crying. Why the hell was I crying?

  Shame and embarrassment burned the back of my throat until I felt like I was choking.

  “Talk to me,” Draco said, following me as I strode toward the house. “I don’t wanna keep doin’ this shit!”

  “Then don’t,” I said tiredly, not bothering to look at him.

  “Jesus Christ,” Curtis called out as he rounded the house ahead of us. “The fuck could you two possibly be fightin’ about when we’re already dealin’ with this shit?” He gestured around him.

  It was the wrong thing to say and the wrong way to say it.

  “Draco was just reminding me of how I wanted to ride your dick when we were teenagers,” I replied conversationally. Curtis’s mouth snapped shut as his eyes widened. “We should just do it now and get it over with, don’t you think?” I asked. “I mean, everyone knows I had a thing for you—so if you’re up for it?” I shrugged.

  The venom pouring out of my mouth didn’t even sound like me, but Jesus it felt good. It felt good to turn the tables. To be the person talking about the stupid crush I’d had on Curtis instead of the one trying to forget it. It felt good to throw it back into Draco’s face. It felt spectacular to throw it back at Curtis. After all of the years of him acting like I was going to try to make a move on him, my mocking offer had frozen him in place. Like I’d ever touch him. The thought made me physically ill.

  Draco made a sound from behind my shoulder but I ignored him, staring at Curtis like I was waiting for his answer.

  “Kara,” Draco said, his hand landing softly on the back of my neck. “Enough.”

  I firmed my jaw and straightened my shoulders, but I couldn’t find the strength to jerk away from him again.

  “You stay away from me and I’ll stay away from you,” I replied to Draco, my eyes still on Curtis. “We were friends when we were kids, we aren’t now.”

  “Bullshit,” Draco said.

  “If you think you’re ever going to have the opportunity to throw that shit in my face again,” I said, finally pulling away so I could turn to look at him. “You’re out of your mind. Yeah, I had a crush on your brother.”

  Draco jerked, as if the confession physically hurt him.

  “Because you were out fucking and flirting with any person who had a vagina, while Curtis hid what a man-whore he was.” I shook my head. “I thought he was fucking mysterious. I didn’t know that he was a self-righteous prick.”

  “Kara,” Charlie said in warning. I hadn’t even realized that she’d come out of the house.

  “Go ahead,” I said, waving my arm out in front of me as I pulled off my mask. “Anything you want to add?”

  “Let’s just take care of the house and go,” she replied. “We can deal with all of this later.”

  “Right,” I laughed. “Later. Sounds good. I’ll put it on my calendar.”

  “What did Curt do?” Draco asked quietly, stepping between me and Charlie. His eyes searched my face like he was trying to read the answer there.

  “Ask him,” I replied.

  I followed Charlie up the porch steps and into the house, my hands shaking with leftover adrenalin.

  “When I left you to deal with Draco, I didn’t realize you’d start World War Three,” she said, spinning to face me in the middle of the living room. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I replied, using my shirt to wipe off my face.

  “It’s probably a good thing that you two are fighting,” Charlie said with a sigh, striding toward the downstairs guest bedroom. “At least that means you’re talking.”

  “We aren’t fighting,” I countered. “He was being an asshole.”

  “Well, either way, at least you’re talking.”

  “No, we’re not,” I argued, putting my arms out in front of me so she could stack a pail of quilts on them. “Seriously, don’t get your hopes up. I’m done.”

  “You can’t be done,” she said, shaking her head. “You never even started.”

  “Why would I need to? I didn’t see him for over three years and now we’re different people. It’s not a big deal. I don’t hang with Curtis either.”

  “Don’t think you’re going to get away with that shit either,” she said, glancing at me over her shoulder. “You’re gonna tell me what the fuck Curtis did. I thought you just didn’t want to hang with him because of Draco, but after that shit out there, something tells me there was a different reason.”

  “Just drop it,” I grumbled.

  “Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” she replied. “Help me bring these to the car. My mom texted and asked me to bring them to Aunt Callie’s. I can’t believe she fuckin’ forgot them.”

  “The original Rose made these, right?” I asked as we carried the quilts outside.

  “Yep. Gram and her sister, too,” Charlie said with a smile. “They were gone before I was born.”

  “What the fuck are you two doin’ here?” my dad practically yelled as he caught sight of us in the driveway.

  “We’ve been here a while,” I replied, strolling toward my Jeep. Dammit, I should’ve put my mask back on. “Where have you been?”

  “We went over to Mark and CeeCee’s and grabbed their excavator,” he said, hurrying forward to open the back door of the Jeep. “Gonna clear some brush and get it moved away from the house.”

  “That’s a good idea,” I said, putting the quilts on top of the stuff I’d packed earlier.

  “I know it’s a good idea,” he said dryly. “Now, what the fuck are you doing here? Did Rose know you were comin’ here?”

  “Nope,” I replied, popping the p. “But somehow, Farrah knew where we’d gone, so I’m sure Rose knows now.”

  “She’s gonna skin you,” he said, his lips twitching. “And I would, too, if I wasn’t here lookin’ at how far away the fire actually is. Those fire maps are a bit deceivin.’”

  “Charlie wanted to come help you guys,” I said as we moved out of the way so Charlie could add her quilts to the pile.

  “And you had to come with her,” my dad grumbled.

  “You’re surprised by this?” I put my mask back on, but it didn’t seem to make that much difference.

  “Nope,” Dad said, copying the way I’d popped the p. “But I don’t know that there’s anything you can help with, sweetheart. There’re already too many people here as it is. We only got so many hoses.”

  “We can go back,” Charlie said, shrugging as she shut the Jeep’s door. “I got Gram’s quilts and you’re right—there’s not a lot for us to do.”

  “Seriously?” I asked incredulously.

  “I just wanted to make sure,” Charlie said, unrepentant. “But it seems they’ve got it under control.”

  “Thanks for the confidence,” my dad replied in amusement.

  “Anytime, Mack Truck,” Charlie said, happily giving my dad a quick hug.

  “You two let me know when you get back to town, alright?” Dad said, ruffling Charlie’s hair.