Hannah did manage to work her magic because it was Daniel who pulled up outside Olivia's house to pick me up. I was still sobbing heavily as I climbed in. Olivia and I had clung to each other saying goodbye, as though we were the last two people in a lifeboat.

"Hey, now," Daniel said, putting his arm around me and drawing me to him.

I let him hug me for a moment and then said, "Not here; I don't want Olivia to see me sitting here crying with you."

Our goodbye had been bad enough and I thought if she looked out the window and saw me sitting with Daniel in pieces, she would feel even worse than she already did.

"How about we go into town for ice-cream and we can talk," Daniel said.

"I'm not hungry and I don't want anyone to see me like this," I said.

"We can go to the drive- thru," Daniel said.

Without waiting for an answer, Daniel had started driving off. He gestured to the dashboard compartment on my side.

"There's tissues in there."

The ones I were using were already soggy, so I rifled around in the compartment for tissues and then blew my nose.

"Why are you taking me for ice-cream? Aren't you mad at me for leaving school?" I asked through my tears. To be honest, I was surprised he wasn't under strict orders to get me home pronto so I could be yelled at.

"Hannah told me what happened. I'm not mad at you," Daniel said.

"At least someone doesn't hate me," I said.

"No one hates you; you know better than that," Daniel said, sternly.

"I left again, without permission," I said.

"We'll talk properly when we stop," Daniel said.

My head was really hurting from all the crying, so I wound down the window to get some fresh air.

I put my head back and stared out the window as we ambled along. The air blowing on my face from outside was making me sleepy and I closed my eyes.

"Don't fall asleep," Daniel warned, but I was so wiped out from the morning's events that I couldn't help it. I didn't fall full on asleep, but I definitely dozed in and out, only really coming to when I felt Daniel shake me. I realised we were parked in the drive thru of an ice cream- parlour. I didn't recognise it. It certainly wasn't 'The Scoop' in Murphys where we usually went.

"What do you want?" Daniel asked me.

"Nothing; I'm not hungry," I said.

Daniel ignored me and ordered one scoop of Cookies and Cream, my favourite flavour in a cone, and one of chocolate, I presumed for him as I didn't care for chocolate ice cream much.

When he handed it to me, I said, "I told you I'm not hungry."

"Everybody's hungry for ice-cream," Daniel said. "Go on, it'll help with your headache."

"How d'you know I've got one?" I asked.

"Crying hard like you've been doing gives people headaches," Daniel said matter-of-factly.

Daniel paid for the ice cream and then drove us to the ice-cream parlor's car park. He licked his ice cream cone and I reluctantly had a taste of mine.

"Where are we?" I said, looking around us.

"Just some place in Sonora. I thought it would be better than going somewhere we could be spotted. By Mrs Gleeson, for example," Daniel said, making a face. He licked his ice-cream again.

"Thanks, Daniel," I whispered.

I put my head back against the headrest and took a few bites of my ice cream. Daniel was right; it was helping my headache to feel less intense.

"So what's going on with you?" Daniel asked me, shutting off the motor.

I didn't pretend to not know what he was talking about, not when I could see how much he was trying to help me. So I told him about what Guthrie had told me in the morning and how all I could think about was seeing Olivia.

"And it's a good thing I did because she's moving away."

"You could have waited and gone and seen her after school; she'd still have been here," Daniel pointed out, not unkindly.

"I felt like I had to see her then!" I said.

My ice-cream was starting to melt and I didn't feel like eating anymore.

I held it out to Daniel.

"I don't want anymore."

"You're not five, Heidi," Daniel said. He nodded to a trash can in front of us. "Go throw it away if you really don't want it."

I've always been taught not to waste food- starving children and all that- but I really couldn't eat anymore and I didn't want sticky hands while it melted so I hopped out the truck to throw it away.

"Foolhardy, that's what you are," Daniel said, the moment I had climbed back into the truck. It seemed like his mood had changed a bit although his tone wasn't scolding. More like straight down the line.

I sighed heavily.

"I can't help it, Daniel," I whined.

"That's a cop out," Daniel said. He licked the last part of his ice-cream and starting biting into the cone.

"Daniel!"

"Want to know how I know? Coz I was exactly like you at your age. Always acting first and thinking later. And I'd always use the excuse that I couldn't help it, but you know what? That was just a way of not wanting to take responsibility for my actions."

"I do take responsibility!" I protested.

"How?"

"Well… I called Molly didn't I? And I asked her to call home so the family wouldn't worry."

"Yea, and it's good you didn't let us all worry about where you were, but you could have called home yourself," Daniel pointed out. He had finished his ice cream by now.

I wasn't particularly enjoying the way this conversation was going. I'd thought Daniel would be more sympathetic.

"But I knew that I'd get yelled at! Or told that I had to go back to school!"

"So you let Molly do the talking for you because you wanted to do what you wanted to do- right?"

"I guess so," I said, reluctantly.

"Sounds like trying to avoid taking responsibility to me."

I was silent while I processed what Daniel was saying.

"I guess. I've never thought of it that way before," I said, quietly.

"How mad are the guys?" I asked although I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer.

"I won't sugarcoat it; Adam's pretty pissed off with you, so you'll need to play it carefully. But I also think he gets how much of a big deal Olivia leaving is, so there's that."

"And Brian?"

"Brian's not at home. He's gone up into the mountains for a few days. Said he needed to get his head straight."

"Oh no… what about Starr?"

"We'll take care of her; Crane's gonna stay at the house until he gets back and I am too."

Selfishly, I was relieved that I wouldn't have to face both my oldest brothers although Brian's absence would put pressure on everyone. Still, he was clearly in no state to parent so him leaving to 'get his head straight' as Daniel put it was no bad thing.

I shut my eyes and put my head back against the headrest.

"C'mere," Daniel said. He pulled me to him and this time I let him hug me properly.

After a little while, he kissed the top of my head and said, ""Ready to go home and face the music?"

"No!" I said, my voice muffled from his shirt.

"Look, Heidi, I can't promise you Adam's not gonna be mad, but I think it'll go a long way on your part if you don't try to make excuses. Go find him the moment we get home. Tell him you understand what you did was rash and that you're going to think things through better in the future. Don't try to justify your actions. Adam hates that."

"I'm not sorry, though," I said.

"Well, for pete's sake, don't tell him that!" Daniel said, sounding exasperated. I sneaked a look up at him and he looked exasperated too.

"I´m sorry if I made anyone worry, but I´m not sorry about seeing Olivia."

And that was the god´s honest truth.

"I get that. There´s been plenty times I´ve not been sorry for something I´ve done. But leave that last part out when you speak to Adam," Daniel said. "And take responsibility for what you did."

He pulled back.

"Come on, trouble, we need to get home. They´ll be wondering where we got to."

Daniel started up the motor and pulled out of the ice cream parlor car park. We didn´t talk anymore on the way home. I was tired and lost in thought and Daniel didn´t try to engage me anymore.

But as we were pulling up at the house, I said, "Thanks, Daniel, for rescuing me- again. You're always here for me when I need you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

An expression I couldn't quite place flashed across Daniel's face- he looked uncomfortable for a moment, but then he smiled at me.

"I'll always be here for you, wherever we are."

/

I knew I should do what Daniel had suggested- go and find Adam immediately when we got home and apologise, take responsibility, smooth things over, but I didn't have the energy. He´d given me good advice though.

No one was in the house, neither Hannah nor Starr, which was odd because both our vehicles were still in the driveway.

I got myself a tall glass of cold water and then went up to my room, taking my backpack with me. I sat down on the end of my bed and pulled out the photographs Olivia had given me. Then I lay down on my bed and just looked at them, one by one, remembering and crying. I knew that Olivia was just moving away, but the pain inside made me feel like I was dying. I cried and cried in way I hadn't done since much earlier than year.

I was lying on my side with my back to the door, curled up in the foetal position and I guess I was crying too hard to hear anyone come upstairs and into my room, because I was surprised when I felt a hand on my waist and a voice say, "Heidi, baby?"

I twisted my upper body towards the sound of the voice. Adam was sitting at the edge of my bed. He didn't look mad at all; more like worried. I knew I didn't deserve it at that moment, but all I wanted was a hug from him.

"Adam," I said, turning around properly and launching myself into him.

I almost knocked him off the bed, but he caught me up. I curled up into a little ball and he wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tightly and made shushing noises.

"Olivia's moving away," I wailed into him.

"I know, honey," Adam said. He stroked my hair back soothingly.

"It hurts so much!"

"I know, baby, I know."

Adam's been comforting me my whole life, so he knows all the things I like when I'm sad. He stroked my back and my hair and rocked me a bit like I was little again, and it was just what I needed and wanted.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I cried at one point, confused as to why he was being so sympathetic.

"Just because I'm mad at your behavior doesn't mean I don't love you, Heidi. I know how much Olivia means to you. You'd better believe we'll be dealin' with your latest escapade later but right now, I think you need a cuddle."

That sounded both lovely and ominous at the same time. But I was so grateful that he was just giving me the time to grieve my loss. Even if he would be 'dealing with my latest escapade later' as he put it.