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“Who is she, Chris?”
Chris kept his eyes on the clouds overhead and replayed the events in the parking lot. Becca had been kneeling over him, pouring water across his face. He’d come up swinging, sure they were bringing him around to finish him off. Water was all too happy to lend itself to fury—she’d been lucky he didn’t knock her flat. Or worse.
Chris shook his head slightly. “She’s nobody. Just a girl.”
“I think you should stay away from her.”
“Looks like you already took care of that for me.”
“You know what I mean.” Michael paused. “I don’t like her story.”
“Well,” said Chris, turning his head to the side. “You weren’t there.”
That one hit its target. Michael was silent for the longest moment. “What do you want me to do, Chris?”
Something. Anything. Chris looked back up at the clouds, keeping his eyes open to the rain. “Nothing, Michael.”
His brother rolled back in the chair, staring up at the same dark sky, letting the downpour soak him, too. The rain didn’t talk to him, but Chris knew Michael felt something when the drops struck the earth.
“I hate this,” Chris finally said.
“I know.”
“We’re stronger than they are.”
“That’s the problem. You know that.” Michael paused. “Don’t let them bait you.”
Chris pointed to his face. “Is that what this is? Baiting me?”
“Damn it, Chris. They want you to lose control. You know that, right?”
He did know that. Didn’t Michael know he knew that?
“I want to leave,” said Chris.
Michael sighed, a sound full of oh-not-this-again. “And go where? Just how long do you think we could stay hidden? We’re not little kids anymore, Chris. If we move into another community, they’ll report us for sure.”
Chris scowled. “Then let’s go somewhere there’s no community.”
“Oh. Great idea. Where’s that?”
“Shut up. We don’t need them. We don’t need—”
“We don’t need what? A house? School? You want to move to the middle of the woods somewhere and just live off the land?”
Yeah. He did. If that was the tradeoff, he’d take it.
Chris stared out at the darkness and didn’t say anything.
Michael rolled his eyes. “Okay, Chris. Whatever.”
Some of the tightness in his chest was loosening, making it hard to maintain his anger. He could feel it now, the rain tracing along his shoulders, feeding relief into his muscles.
“You want me to just leave you alone?” said Michael.
No. He didn’t. He wanted Michael to sit here and tell him that this time they’d stand up to them, that they would show Tyler and all those freaks just who they were messing with.
But Michael would never do that.
