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Jalen laughs. “So that’s still happening, huh?”
I nod, though I really wish Sienna would be more careful. Thank God Craig spends most of the year away at college. Having him back in town for spring break is already making me nervous enough. I’d hate to think what might happen if the wrong person caught them together.
“Don’t look so worried. Craig’s a good dude. Sienna’s safe with him.”
“He’s not who I’m worried about.”
Jalen laughs, clearly thinking I’m referring to Sienna.
I don’t bother correcting him.
After all, Sienna is the only person who knows just how depraved the Reds really are. She’s the only one I ever confided in about what they did to me, and even then, it took her months to pry the whole truth out of me.
The fewer people who know just what they are capable of, the better.
Oblivious to the thoughts churning through my head, Jalen steers me toward the building.
The moment we step inside, however, I’m too distracted by the chaos around us to worry about much of anything. The music is almost deafening, bouncing off the concrete walls until I can barely hear myself think. We pass couples tucked into dark corners, kids dancing in rooms that probably haven’t seen a working machine in years, and a group playing some drinking game on an overturned crate.
“Hey!” A guy farther down the corridor suddenly shouts over the music. “Out! Everybody out of there!”
A handful of kids stumble out of a doorway, laughing.
“I’m serious,” he snaps, pointing down the hall. “Stay the fuck out of the boiler room. That shit’s condemned. There’s still old industrial crap in there, and nobody knows what the hell might be leaking.”
Someone boos him.
“Boo me all you want. I’m not explaining to your parents why you grew a third arm. Find somewhere else to fuck.”
That earns a round of laughter.
Jalen snorts and keeps walking.
We climb another flight of stairs before finally emerging onto the roof. A rusted pipe has been wedged beneath the heavy metal door, keeping it propped open against the wall. I follow Jalen out into the cool night air, relieved to finally be somewhere I can hear my own thoughts.
The music isn’t nearly as obnoxious as it was downstairs. It’s less manic, too. Strings of lights crisscross overhead, swaying gently in the spring breeze. Someone has dragged up two battered couches and several mismatched lawn chairs, creating little pockets where people sit drinking and talking. A makeshift dance floor occupies the center of the roof, while everyone else lounges around enjoying the night.
Just beyond the edge, Fairhope stretches out beneath the night sky.
“I’m out.” I crush my empty can and toss it into a nearby trash bag someone has tied to a pipe.
“Then I’ll get you another one.” He grins. “Whatever the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets.”
Before he leaves, he leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek.
The old Max would have immediately put some distance between us. Made sure he understood where the boundary was.
This Max? She doesn’t care.
I’m not really here anyway. Not the version of me that used to care about things like that.
As far as I’m concerned, Jalen isn’t kissing me. He’s kissing whatever is left.
I walk toward the edge of the roof and rest my hands against the low wall, staring at the town that’s practically disowned me.
It looks small. Then again, it is small. A small town filled with small-minded people.
People who prefer rumors when the truth is inconvenient, who preach kindness until cruelty becomes more entertaining, who decide a person’s worth based on hearsay alone.
