I answered and pressed the phone between my cheek and my shoulder blade as I got my change and grabbed the groceries.

"Hey Zo. What's up?" I asked, waving my thanks to a driver that allowed me to cross the street to get to my car.

"Where are you?" Zo's voice crackled through the phone, and I searched for my car. Shit, I couldn't remember where I parked. I stood there, pressing the alarm button until I heard the annoyingly loud sound of my alarm going off.

I smiled awkwardly at the couple people who stared, and then answered Zo's question as I got into the car and turned my alarm off. "I just got done at the market. Why?" I clicked on my seatbelt and turned the radio down, so that I could hear Zo's voice.

The grocery store was surrounded by swaying trees and there was a cliff next to the left side of the store that overlooked the ocean.

I could remember going there as a child.

It had been summer, the summer after Mom disappeared, in fact. The waves crashed up against my tiny feet, and I remember giggling like mad. People went on with their lives around us: playing volleyball, Frisbee, or surfing. Dad had to save me when I sat down and one of the waves nearly carried me out to sea. The air tasted like salt, and the seagulls drifted in the wind above my head.

Zo's voice broke through my little trip down memory lane, and I pulled out of the market to head back home. "Come pick me up. I got an offer to tell you about." I could hear Ryan and Cole arguing in the background, and my brows furrowed.

"Are you babysitting?" I pressed the phone to my ear and turned down Zo's street; she lived about two minutes away from the market.

Zo abruptly hung up, and I guessed that she had to deal with Cole and Ryan. I was pulling down her street anyway.

Zo's family lived in a one story house that was way too small for a family of four. Zo's mom was the only parent in their life; her dad left when he learned of the twins. Zo had been an accident, and when their father learned of her mother being pregnant again, he snapped. He tried to get rid of the pregnancy, and pushed Zo's mom down a flight of stairs. It was a miracle she and the twins survived.

The yard was more taken care of than the actual house was; her mom was sick often and left Zo in charge most of the time. The white paint was peeling off the house, and the front door didn't like to open. Most of the windows didn't open either. However, the grass was as healthy as ever and there were fresh flowers along the sidewalk leading up to the house.

I didn't bother knocking. Zo and I had an unwritten code that stated we didn't have to. My home was hers, and vice versa.

I pressed my fingertips to her doorframe and pushed myself forward, cautiously entering the house. Her mother tended to be rather frightened of burglary and didn't hold back her swings.

Books littered the floors, as did a couple of bright colored clothes – obviously Zo's. There was a lone lamp on in the corner of the living room to the left, and a ceiling fan whirred dangerously fast on its loose pedestal. I feared it would fall, so I passed through as quickly as possible to Zo's room. So far, so good. I hadn't gotten punched yet.

"Who the-?" A body crashed into mine, and I screamed as I got slammed into the wall. Zo's mom had one hand pressed against my shoulder, keeping me in place, while the other was coiled and ready to break my nose. I flashed doe eyes at her, trembling, but as soon as she recognized me she lowered her fist and loosened her grip.

"I am so sorry Alea, dear. I thought you were here to murder me." Zo's mom laughed nervously and rubbed her arms. Today she looked particularly sickly; her hair was in a stringy blond bun, and her star colored eyes weren't shining so bright. She also looked as if she had just gotten done throwing up. Her skin was pale and there was a line of sweat on her brow.

"Don't exert yourself Amy," I said, using her first name and leading her towards her bedroom, which was next to Zo's. "I'm fine, but you need some sleep." I led her into the bedroom and tucked her into bed; she didn't complain nor was it weird that her daughter's best friend was caring for her; I had been doing it ever since I met Zo many years ago.

"Thank you, Alea. I really must go see a doctor. If only we could afford it. Maybe if I got a job…" Zo's mom seemed to be mumbling more to herself than to me so I ignored her. I grabbed the empty glass that was sitting on her bedside table and headed to the kitchen. Surprisingly it looked clean. It seemed as if Zo had cleaned up after everyone. Speaking of Zo…

I filled the glass with water, avoided a couple books, and set it back on the bedside table. There were no windows in Amy's room, so it was quite dark. I could only see the silhouette of her body and the faint motion of her blanket as she breathed.

"Amy?" I asked quietly, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep. "Do you know where Zo is?" I held my breath, but when she snored I rolled my eyes. Typical.

I shut her door quietly behind me, finding the quiet house odd, but when I heard voices in the backyard I strayed towards them, figuring it was the twins.

The backyard was just a small square of grass, with a chain linked fence keeping the stray dogs out. Zo and her family lived in the worst possible neighborhood; there was a shooting at least once or twice a week.

Zo was pushing her brothers on the rusty old swing set, her unnatural colored hair pulled back in a high ponytail. Ryan and Cole were identical, and since their mom couldn't afford haircuts and they didn't trust their older sister with a pair of scissors, they kept their sandy hair long. Ryan's was pulled back in a ponytail today, and his smile was large as he went higher and higher up into the sky.

"I'm going higher than you, Cole!" Ryan yelled, pumping his long legs as hard as he could.

"Shut up! You're taller than me!" Cole retaliated.

"Am not!"

"Am too!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Shut up! You guys are the exact same height, so stop your bickering!" and then when she noticed me, "Oh, hey Al. Mom okay?" She eyed me purposefully, and I understood.

"Yeah, Amy's great. She's taking a nap right now." I flashed Zo a look when relief spread across her face. My fingers were still pressed against the metal frame of the screen door, and I shut it and trailed up to Zo.

"Ready to go? Where are we going, anyway? You haven't told me anything." I let the annoying whine sneak into my voice, something I knew Zo hated very much.

Zo rolled her eyes and glared at me. "Ryan, Cole. You're in charge of Mom when I'm gone. Alea and I are going into town for a little shopping, alright?" Ryan and Cole's groans told they weren't OK with it, but Zo ignored them and led me around to the front through the fence. "We really are going into town. I'll talk to you about it on the way."

We piled into my truck and stopped by my house to let my dad know what was going on and to drop off the groceries before they got disgusting. Dad hugged the both of us and told us to be careful, being the typical dad.

Then we started heading towards the direction of the city. The trees slowly turned into buildings, as we got closer to town. The city was bubbling with life, as it would on a Saturday afternoon. I let Zo drive, since I didn't feel like driving and I trusted her driving skills enough to let her drive my truck. She had a country station turned on, and Carrie Underwood's voice carried through the speakers in that sweet voice of hers. I pressed my cheek against the closed window, my eyes shut. I wonder what Killian was doing right now. I wondered if he even thought of me when he disappeared for days on end. Killian was a mysterious man and, girlfriend or not, would not care to share those secrets.

"Killian still at that gig?" Zo peered over at me, clicking her blinker and moving into the fast lane of the highway as we entered the city. I didn't like being in the city much. There was too much pollution and the skyscrapers made me claustrophobic. "It's strange that he disappears for so long and only when he is with his band. You don't suppose he's cheating?" Zo's eyes widened and she kept glancing at me.

"Zo, shut up. He's not cheating." I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. So I pressed it from my mind, willing to deal with it later. "He just likes to get away. Maybe it's an Irish thing. I don't want to talk about it." It must have been the way I said it, because Zo didn't say anything else about Killian. I was worried, sure, but Killian would not cheat. He just wasn't the type. Besides, last time we saw each other he disappeared in a bit of a rush.

"So, any new boy toys?" I waggled my eyebrows at Zo and playfully pushed her shoulder, a small smile dazzling my lips. I just wanted to get the subject off of Killian without falling into an awkward silence.

"Actually…I do." Zo's cheeks blossomed a cherry red, and she glanced over at me with a small smile gracing her lips.

"Do you remember Derrick Zeppler? He was in our AP psych class." It took me a moment, but then his face appeared in my mind. He was one of the star athletes of something or other, and didn't usually go for girls like Zo. His bleach blond hair curled around his ears and his baby blue eyes only captured the attention of those like Alison. His surfer body if not anything else.

"No way. Really?" I eyed her with suspicion. I wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. Yeah, Zo was exceptionally gorgeous and I had envied her every time she got a boyfriend until Killian came along, but someone like Derrick just didn't happen with Zo.

"Dude, totally serious. He approached me outside Hot Topic when we were out shopping about a week ago." Her cheeks lit up again, and I suddenly remembered. They had gone to the mall because they both had money to blow and Zo had to get some bigger gauges but I had wanted to go get something to eat so we had agreed to meet at the food court. When she came back she was acting weird and giggly. I understood why now.

"So are you guys just messing around, or actually a thing? Tell me everything," I said, smirking foolishly. In truth, it wasn't that exciting. Zo had a new boy like every week, and her longest relationship was three months. She just liked to start fresh again and again. I didn't blame her; Killian was a unique one. Most of the guys in Bangor High were assholes.

Zo kept her eyes on the road, but her mouth was moving quicker than a cheetah chasing after its prey. I nodded and asked questions to keep her going, but in all honestly her talking about Derrick made me want Killian more than ever.

I think she was concentrating on her story so hard that she didn't see the man step onto the street in front of her. We were spinning before either of us could scream, and when we came to a halt all I could think about was how much dad was going to kill me if that truck was damaged and that it was a miracle we didn't flip. Zo had burst into tears, probably from shock, and I just sat there numbly.

"We just hit someone. What kind of idiot steps into oncoming traffic?" I rambled on to myself, trying to keep that horrible panic from taking over. If it did it would be the end of me.

Someone opened Zo's side of the door and pulled her out, and then did the same with me. I looked down to make sure I didn't get impaled with anything, and then shakily looked up at the person that pulled us out of the truck. I squealed and tried to run, but the man grabbed my arm and rooted me in place. The same man that had been in my house the night Killian left for his gig. It was the same man that just got hit by my truck.

"Ma'am? Is everything alright?" His voice had a strange accent, like a mix between English and Scottish but prettier.

I looked up at him, trying to shake off the shock that was threatening to consume my limbs, and then got very close to his face as red hot anger flashed across my eyes. "Am I alright? You just walked in front of my truck. If there are damages, I swear you better pay them," I spat, shaking my fist in anger.

The man's eyes looked from the truck, to me, and then Zo, and then me again before he spoke. "Ma'am, what are you talking about? I was merely standing on the side here waiting for a ride into town, and you pulled over. But you have this dazed look on your face, so I was concerned about your wellbeing."

I let my head tilt to the side, confusion eminent on my face. "No…we hit you. I saw it. Zo saw it." I shook my head, refusing to believe the truth. Zo was standing at the hood of the car, a stunned look on her face. The man turned to her and smiled softly.

"You were just going to give me a ride, right?" He said to Zo, and she nodded, looking over at me, baffled.

"I told you that I felt bad for him and was going to give him a ride into town. Didn't you hear me?" Zo laughed and shook her finger at me. "You really need to stop daydreaming about Killian missy."

The man's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Killian, and it made me uneasy. However, he didn't say anything so I grumbled and climbed into the car, scooting to the middle. Zo climbed back into the driver's seat, and the man sat next to me, a little too close for comfort.

I noticed that no one had stopped to make sure that we were OK and I shook my head. What just happened? I didn't dwell on it too long, because it was making me sick to my stomach, and we were nearing town anyway.

"What are we going into town for again? I don't believe you told me." I swiped at Zo, smiling as she swerved slightly on purpose, a smile present on her face too.

"I've decided we got to kick off the summer by having a bonfire. And since you live on the biggest land, thanks for your ancestors or something, I thought maybe we could do it on your land." Zo's voice had a nervous note to it, as if she were afraid I was going to say no.

"Zo, you know how my dad feels about fire…" I started, peering sideways at Adrian. In all honesty, my dad didn't care as long as we didn't catch the woods on fire and he wasn't on duty. I just didn't want Mr. Creepy Man sitting on my right side getting any ideas.

Zo, being the natural blonde she was, did not catch on to anything I was attempting. "You're dad never cared before. Please? We want to have it on June 21. Alea Raye, just say yes!" I felt Adrian's body stiffen, and it left a weird feeling in the pit of my gut. It was a feeling that I didn't like. However, I didn't want to disappoint my friend.

"Fine," I said, whistling through my nose, "But why June 21?" Adrian perked up, and I knew he was listening intently because of the fact that he was holding his breath. I looked at him, and he smiled peevishly, winking at me before looking at Zo.

We were in the city now, and I interrupted Zo before she could speak, changing my mind. I didn't want to know the answer with Adrian in the truck. "Where do you want to be let off? Zo and I have errands to run." I looked over at Zo, raising an eyebrow and then held my breath, hoping he would just go away.

"I'll be let off here, thank you. I would hope that I would be invited to your bonfire." His smile was seductive, and my voice was shaky when I spoke again.

"No."

"No?" Disappointment flashed across his face, and he had his fingers wrapped around the door handle as Zo pulled into the parking lot near the outdoor mall. "What if I told you I had…matters to discuss with Killian?" My expression must have set something off, because he grinned, and I noticed his canines were a bit pointier than the norm. "Glad I have your acceptance. I'll give you my number so that you can text me your address. Even if you don't," he was inches from my face when he said this, and then he was gone and out of the car, peering at me through the window, "I'll just get your address from Killian and show up anyway." He gave me a knowing look and I knew he wasn't kidding.

"Um…okay," I stumbled over my words and looked over at Zo, who was staring at me with that weird smile of hers. I was going to get hammered with questions later, I knew that look anywhere. Hell, everyone knew the famous Zo look. It was a look that gave her whatever she wanted.

When I looked back outside, Adrian was gone. He really had a knack for doing that. I knew he was the one that had been in my house that one night, and the thought of it sent shivers down my spine. When I looked down, I saw a seven digit phone number etched across my skin in ink. How did that get there?

"Let's go, yeah?" I mumbled, scooting over and pushing the door open, climbing out. The wind was cool against my warm skin, and I silently wished for winter. I was like that; I wanted winter in the summer and summer in the winter, which is the main reason I loved autumn and spring the most.

"So, he was a hottie…how do you manage to do it? Please, share." Zo clipped my side with her hip, smiling softly. I gave her a smoldering look, and she laughed, patting my shoulder, as if that would lessen the glare. "Oh come on, you can't try and tell me you don't know him. He knew Killian!"

"He broke into my house," I said quietly, peering down at my feet. I looked back up at Zo, who was staring at me suspiciously, as if she didn't know whether or not to believe me.

"Anyway," I said, deciding to change the subject before questions arose that I could not answer. "What are we doing here, anyway?"