“Walk with me?” I ask Jack, rounding the front of the Jeep. We just got to school and are walking in through the parking lot. “We’re going to the same place, right?”

“Yeah.”

I pull my bag up on my shoulder. “I won’t ask again. I get it.” We fall in step together and I playfully nudge him with my elbow. “Besides, you’re already moody enough. I don’t want to poke a sleeping bear or anything.”

“I’m not moody,” he snaps.

I raise my eyebrows, trying not to smile. “Maybe broody is a better word.”

“How is that any better?”

“It’s not really, but some people say broody guys are sexy.”

“Do you think they’re sexy?”

“Depends. Angel was pretty broody. But he also had that whole undead thing going for him.”

“Angel? From Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”

“Yes.” I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear again. This constant mountain breeze is getting rather annoying. “I’m surprised you knew that.”

“My mom is obsessed. She and Veronica watch it together.”

“Maybe I’ll request it at the sleepover tonight,” I say. “And I promise not to tell if you want to sneak in and watch it with us. Buffy is a good show.”

“I heard you say my name,” Veronica says to Jack, turning around. She’s been taking Snaps of herself the whole way in.

“Just telling Nora how much of a loser you are. Gotta prepare her for her first famous Veronica Harrington sleepover,” Jack teases, and a lightness takes over his face. Veronica jerks her head up, and I think she’s going to tell him to fuck off or something. Instead, she looks at her brother in awe, like hearing him joke and seeing him smile is as rare as a Blue Moon. She shifts her eyes to me, then back to Jack. Finally, she smiles.

“Shut up. She already knows I’m a loser.”

“I do,” I agree. “Which is fine since I’m just as big of one, if not bigger.”

We walk into school together, and Jack and I part ways with Veronica, continuing on in the same direction of the offices.

“Have fun,” he says dryly.

“You too.”

He goes into Mr. Levine’s office, shutting the door behind him. I can almost discern what they’re talking about, but it feels wrong eavesdropping. A minute later, I’m called in to talk to Mrs. Freeman. We go through the same things as before, and she lets me go not long after I got in. Jack steps out of Mr. Levine’s office at the same time.

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey. Again. How’d you do in there? They tell you you’re certifiable yet?”

“I already knew that. What about you?”

“Oh, I’m totally crazy. Pretty much a lost cause. It’s only a matter of time before they declare me a danger to society and lock me up.”

We fall in step together, leaving the office and walking down the hall. “Well, when they commit you, I’ll stop by once a month and play some Tom Petty for you.”

“I’m going to hold you to it,” I say seriously. “So you better keep your end of the bargain. I’m sure I’ll make some friends on the inside.”

Jack chuckles. “You’re thinking of jail, not a mental hospital.”

I cock an eyebrow. “Are they really that different?”

He shrugs. “Probably not.”

I stop, needing to turn and go down the hall to my locker. I can see Alice Bloom, one of Veronica’s friends, staring at me. She thinks she’s hot shit and is a typical mean girl. Her eyes narrow and she shifts her gaze to Jack.

“So, tonight,” I start, catching Jack’s eye again. The hallway is crowded with students, and someone bumps into me in their hurry to get through. I stumble forward, heels slipping on the slick tile floor. Jack catches my arm, steadying me.

“What about tonight?” he asks, voice deep and gruff. His hand is still on my arm, and his rough skin sends shivers down my spine. I blink rapidly, trying to find the words I was about to say.

“I guess I’ll see you, right?”

“Right.”

* * *

“How was school today?” Stephanie asks as I hang my bag on the hall tree. Stephanie is always at the house when I get home from school, and most of the time she’s in the kitchen ready to make me a snack if I want one. Usually, I say no, and go up to my room to study—really to be alone—but today I’m hungry.

“It was good.” I pull out a bar stool at the island counter and take a seat. Stephanie tries not to smile as she goes to the fridge, asking me if I want anything to eat, and I decide on strawberries and yogurt. “I got an A on my math test.”

“That’s great, hun! I knew you would though.” She sets a handful of strawberries on a cutting board. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks,” I say, wondering why she even cares. I divert my eyes to the bowl of vanilla yogurt in front of me, not sure what else to say. Our interactions have been like this since the day I arrived. It’s weird being under her care, knowing she’s not my mom and as soon as I turn eighteen, she’ll be out of my life, maybe forever.

“What time are you going over to Veronica’s?” Stephanie brings the cut up strawberries over.

“In an hour. We’re going to order pizza for dinner.” I add a handful of strawberries to my yogurt and stir.

“You girls will have fun, I bet.”

“Yeah, I think so.” I eat a spoonful of yogurt, cringing at how freaking awkward this is. I don’t want to care about Stephanie. I don’t want to develop a relationship with her.

I’m going to leave as soon as I can, so what’s the point?

* * *

It’s not even midnight, and the entire house is quiet. Veronica passed out nearly an hour ago, and I’ve been laying here, using my Kindle to message Becca and mindlessly scroll through Pinterest. A low power warning pops up on the screen, and my charger is downstairs in my purse. With a sigh, I set the Kindle down and slowly get out of Veronica’s bed we’re sharing. She doesn’t so much as stir when the door creaks open.

Charlie, on the other hand, does.

He’s in Jack’s room, and I hear his dog tags jingle and his paws on the hardwood floor behind the closed door. I make it halfway down the stairs when Charlie bolts after me, nearly knocking me over. Maybe he can open that door too.

My purse is in the living room, and I sit on the couch as I dig through it. I should have brought my Kindle down to use for light. Charlie comes running, jumping up next to me and wagging his tail like mad.

“Hey, buddy,” I whisper, and put both hands around his neck, petting him. I have to hold him back from licking my face and covering me with dog slobber. With Charlie distracting me, I don’t hear someone else come down the stairs.

“Nora?” Jack’s deep voice rings out, startling me. A light flicks on and I blink rapidly, trying to get my eyes to adjust. “What are you doing?”

I turn my head up, eyes sweeping over his body and landing on his eyes. It’s like all the air got sucked out of the room and I forgot how to breathe. A chill runs down my spine at the same time heat makes its way in waves through my body.

Jack is only wearing boxers, and the dim light casts shadows over every mound of muscle on his body. He has a scar on his side, right above his hip. Thick, pink scar tissue forms a jagged line, looking like something tore through his flesh.

“I couldn’t sleep.” It’s hard to find my voice for some reason, and even harder to stop looking at Jack.

“Neither could I.” Jack comes around the couch and sits on the other side of Charlie. The dog turns, pressing himself against Jack, who puts one arm around the dog and scratches behind Charlie’s ears with the other. The air conditioner kicks on and I shiver. I pull my hair over my shoulder and start braiding. It’s a nervous habit, though right now I can’t quite put my finger on what’s making me nervous.

“Hungry?” Jack asks.

“Kind of. Are you?”

“I’m always hungry.” He stands, and I get a half-second to check out his ass before he turns. “I’ll find you something to eat if you want.”

“Sure. Thanks.” I pad into the kitchen behind Jack. Charlie beats us there and is standing by the pantry wagging his tail. Jack turns on the bright lights, and we both blink from the harshness of the change.

“Cold?” Jack asks, running his eyes over me. He jerks his head away and turns, gripping the pantry door tight.

“A little.” I clasp my arms around myself, realizing that my nipples are showing through the thin fabric of my tank top. I didn’t even think about putting a bra on to come downstairs; I figured no one would see me and I’d be back into Veronica’s room in a few seconds flat.

“Put a sweatshirt on or something,” he orders, and I don’t understand why he’s angry.

“It’s upstairs.”

“Go get it.”

I blink, starting to feel awkward. “Maybe I’ll go back up—”

“Here.” He picks up a hooded sweatshirt off the back of a kitchen chair. It’s purple with some sort of lightning bolt symbol on the chest. I saw Jack wearing it the other day when he went for an early morning jog. With Charlie, of course.

“Uh, thanks.” I stick my arms inside the sweatshirt and pull it over my head. The sleeves hang inches past my fingertips, and the hem comes down, long enough to cover my sleeper shorts.

Jack looks at me, blinks, and turns away only to look at me again. “That might actually be worse,” he mutters.

“Well,” I start and take a step back. “You’re taking broody to the next level. I’m going back upstairs.”

“Wait.”

I cross my arms and lean against the wall. “Yeah?”

He opens the fridge. “You can stay.”

“Thanks for the permission.”

“It is my house.” Taking a step back from the fridge, he sighs. “Everything in here is shit. My mom’s on some lame diet where she only eats vegetables and juice.” He rolls his eyes. “She’ll be off it in a week. Until then, we all suffer in silence.”

“I’m no stranger to fad diets. I’m guessing there’s nothing around here that’s still open to order takeout from, is there?”

“There is one place that’s open twenty-four hours. They don’t deliver, but we can go pick it up.”

He said ‘we’ like he wants me to go with him. Only a minute ago, he was acting like the sight of me repulsed him. And they say women are complicated.

“Okay. What do they have?”

“Burgers, fries, milkshakes…typical small-town diner food. Is that okay?”

“A cheeseburger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake—with a cherry on top of course—sounds really good right now.”

The smallest smile plays on Jack’s full lips. “I’ll phone in the order. It’ll be ready by the time I get there.”

“Can you just go out like this?”

“I have before. I’ll leave a note in case anyone wonders where I am. It’ll take twenty minutes.”

My grandma would skin me alive if she woke up to a note saying I went out for food. “Your parents are cool with you going out at night?”

He shrugs. “I don’t sleep much anymore. And I’m eighteen.”

“Right.” Age wouldn’t have mattered with Mimi. As long as I lived under her roof, she’d enforce strict rules. A wave of sadness crashes into me, and suddenly I’m alone on the shore, feeling the sand slip away from under my toes.

“Nora?” Jack’s brown eyes narrow with concern.

I blink away my emotion and push my shoulders back. “Yeah?”

He runs his hand through his messy hair. “I’ll put in the order. And put on pants. You…you should stay here.”

Without another look, Jack walks away. Charlie follows, and I sit on the couch in the living room again. The master bedroom is on the first floor, and I’m painfully aware of how close Mr. and Mrs. Harrington are to me. I tuck my legs up under myself and pull the hood up on the sweatshirt. It smells faintly like laundry detergent and cologne mixed with the outside air. It smells like Jack, and it's irritatingly intoxicating.

Charlie races down the stairs again and flies onto the couch. Jack emerges into the living room a few seconds later, wearing dark jeans and a blue Henley shirt with the buttons undone. I didn’t think putting on clothes would be hotter than seeing him in just his boxers, but somehow it is.

He grabs his keys and Charlie springs over, dancing and whining.

“Quiet, Charlie,” Jack tells the dog, making me think he’s not supposed to go out like he said. “Fine. Come with.” He clips a leash to Charlie’s collar and stops near me. “Want to come too?”

“Yeah.” I stand and roll up the sleeves on the sweatshirt. I don’t have time to go upstairs and get dressed, and honestly, I don’t even care. I just want to be with Jack. I get my shoes and meet Jack by the back door.

We get into his Jeep and something flutters in my stomach. We’re not doing anything wrong, yet I know I shouldn’t do this. I’m breaking a handful of my grandmother’s rules—leaving the house without permission, riding in a car with a boy to an unknown destination—and I doubt the Kellers would be too happy about this either.

“I’m surprised anything is open all night here.” I fiddle with the strings on the hoodie, watching the dark streets pass by.

“It’s off the highway. Lots of truckers stop in for food and fuel.”

I raise an eyebrow. “You’re taking me to a truck stop?”

Jack gives me a sideways glance and smiles. “Yeah. I guess I am. The food is good at least.”

Jimmy’s Cafe is busier than I expected. Maybe I underestimated this small town. Since I’m in my pajamas, I stay in the car with Charlie while Jack goes in to get the food. I look through the windows of the diner and see a table full of kids from school. I don’t know their names, but I’m familiar enough with Dale Hollow’s blue and white letterman jackets to know they go there.

They greet Jack, smiling as they talk, and all Jack does in response is look their way and give a small nod. The others don’t react like Jack just blew them off, and it’s not the first time I’ve noticed it. Everyone at school is receptive to Jack. Teachers always say hi and ask how his day is going. The entire female population blushes and smiles when he walks by and a majority of the guys greet him with respect.

He’s attractive. Very attractive. I get the girls fawning over him.

He’s good at sports. I kind of get why the guys look up to him.

He’s quiet and keeps to himself. Maybe the teachers are thankful for that?

About five minutes later, Jack gets back into the car. He reaches into the bag and pulls out a burger, ripping off a small piece for Charlie.

“Did you get him his own burger?” I ask, seeing that it’s plain.

“I always do.”

I can’t help but smile. “Are people from school usually out this late?”

“After football games, sometimes. And the drive-in is closing for the season, so a lot of people went.”

“People still go to drive-ins? I thought that was just a thing in movies.”

Jack half-smiles. “There’s not much else here to do. Did you go out all the time in L.A.?”

“No. My grandma was pretty strict. If she knew I was out right now, she’d be livid.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But she wasn’t a tyrant or anything. She made sure I worked hard and stayed focused on school, but then she’d randomly let me skip a day and go to Disneyland.” I close my eyes and rest my head against the window, heart hurting.

We get back to the Harringtons’ house, and Jack goes into the kitchen to give Charlie the rest of his burger, tearing it into small pieces and putting them in his dog dish.

“We can go upstairs and watch TV or something,” he tells me. “So we don’t bother my parents.”

“Okay.” I hold both our milkshakes, feeling the chill from the drinks seep into me. Or maybe it’s just nerves. Jack leads the way into his room, which is set up just like Veronica’s but in different colors. His bed is centered between two windows with a dresser across from it. A large TV and gaming systems clutter the top of the dresser. Also, like Veronica’s room, there’s a tiny bathroom attached to the bedroom with a sink, toilet, and shower. Charlie’s bed is on the floor next to Jack’s, and it’s filled with dog toys. I’m guessing Charlie sleeps with Jack and not in his own bed, which oddly makes me feel even more attracted to Jack. He loves that dog, and it’s so sweet.

I put the milkshakes on his nightstand, wondering if I should ask for coasters or not. There were certain rooms in Mimi’s house I wasn’t allowed to even bring food in. Setting a cold drink on a wooden surface without a coaster would have been a crime.

Jack lazily smoothes out his comforter, and sits, grabbing the remote from inside his nightstand. I get on the bed next to him, moving a pillow against the headboard to lean on. He flips through channels as we eat, settling on a horror TV series.

“Do you get scared easily?” he asks.

“Not usually. I like creepy things.”

“You continue to surprise me, Nora.” He tips his head in my direction and his lopsided smile makes my heart skip a beat.

“You really shouldn’t judge me.”

He holds my gaze, and a burning starts inside me, starting in my chest and spreading all the way through my body, gathering with an intense heat at my core. I fold my legs under me, forcing myself to take a slow breath.

“Cold?” Before I can answer, Jack reaches down and pulls his comforter over my legs. It’s covering his too.

“Thanks. I was cold.”

“If you wore more substantial PJs, you wouldn’t be so cold all the time, you know,” he spits, not looking at me.

“Typically, I go to sleep when I’m in my PJs, and I sleep in my bed under blankets that keep me warm.”

“You’re not in your bed though, are you?” He’s not looking at me again, and that’s when it hits me. My tank top and short shorts weren’t offending him. They’re doing the exact opposite.

Heat rushes to my cheeks and I hide a smile. “The blanket helps. Thank you.” He presses play, and halfway through the first episode, I’m done with my food and am totally sucked into the show. When that one ends, we start episode two.

“Getting scared yet?” he asks.

“No, but I will admit this is freaky.” I might have the blanket pulled tightly around me. Charlie got up a while ago and moved to the floor, and Jack stretches out, putting his body closer to mine. The scene intensifies, and I gather the blanket in my hand. Right as the characters are waiting to see if something pops out at them, Jack grabs my arm, making me jump.

“Jerk!” I shriek with a smile, shoving him back.

He playfully pushes back. “You said you didn’t get scared easily.”

“I wouldn’t call that easily,” I laugh. “You snuck up on me.”

“How did I sneak up on you?” he laughs back. “I’ve been here the whole time.”

“Yeah. You have.” Our eyes meet, fanning the fire inside me. I put my hand to my chest and inhale. “My heart is racing. Here.” I grab his hand and put it against my chest “Feel.”

Jack flattens his hand over my collarbone, splaying out his fingers. One finds the pulse-point on my neck. I swallow hard, and suddenly the humor is gone. I turn in, and Jack closes his eyes, sliding his hand up to my shoulder and down my back. He pulls me toward him. I reach forward, hand landing on his hip, and I slip my fingers under the hem of his shirt.

He lets out a soft moan when I find his scar. I carefully let my fingers dance over it, then move them up to the curve in his side. Everything about him is hardness and muscle, and the desire to feel every inch of him is burning so hot I might combust. I bring my head in, resting my forehead against his. His lips are just inches from mine, and I want so badly for him to kiss me.

Then he suddenly lets go, angling his body away. “Nora,” he starts. “We can’t.”

I swallow hard and nod, not able to speak. The heat is still burning inside, but the letdown is just as intense.

“You’re my sister’s friend,” he goes on, rubbing the back of his neck. He leans forward, shaking his head at himself. “I don’t want to take advantage of you.”

“I won’t let you do anything I don’t want you to do.”

“You’re sixteen.”

His words hurt, and embarrassment floods through me, making me feel like a stupid little girl. “I’m well aware how old I am, thank you very much.”

Jack’s jaw tenses and he falls back, letting out a deep sigh.

“I’m gonna go back to Veronica’s room.” I pull the covers back and swing my legs over the bed.

“Nora, wait.”

I turn back around, bare feet hovering over the floor.

“It’s not that I don’t want to,” he says, deep voice barely louder than a whisper. “It’s because I do. But we can’t.” His brow furrows and he looks away. “Please don’t…don’t make it harder for me.”

“I won’t. Can we be friends?”

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

I get back into his bed, and Charlie gets in between us. We both pet him, and an episode and a half later, I drift to sleep. At some point, Jack must have turned the TV off and Charlie moved to the foot of the bed because it’s dark when I’m startled awake. It takes me a moment to remember where I am. I mentally check things off: I’m not at home. I’m not at Becca’s. I’m not at the Kellers’. I’m at Veronica’s, but I’m in her brother’s room.

I’m in his bed.

With him.

And right now he’s having a nightmare, twitching in his sleep. It’s two-thirty in the morning, and soft moonlight spills through the windows around us, illuminating his face just enough to see his jaw tense and his brows push together.

“Jack,” I whisper. “You’re having a nightmare. Wake up.” I put my hand on his arm and he jerks awake, blinking in the dark. “Jack?”

“Nora?”

“Yeah, it’s me. I think you were having a bad dream.”

“I think so too.” He sits up and his hand subconsciously goes to the scar on his side. I apprehensively reach forward and put my hand over his. Jack slips his fingers between mine and lays back down.

Are the nightmares why Jack doesn’t sleep much? I turn on my side, intending to ask him, but stop when I find him with his eyes closed. I move closer, and the heat from his body comforts me. He puts an arm around me, nestling his face against my neck. I don’t feel displaced laying here with Jack. It’s the most at home I’ve felt since I was ripped from mine.

“Goodnight, Jack,” I whisper.

“Goodnight, Nora.”