Dez stopped rubbing the crust out of his eye and let his arm fall to his side. He stared at Austin and Ally and his mouth hung open.

"What's wrong with my sister?" Dez asked, his voice cracking.

His eyes felt weird because of the tears threatening to spill, and his chest felt tight.

"Mr. Dawson told Austin and Ally not to tell you that Didi isn't safe," he heard Trish say beside him.

"Ally, Austin, tell me," Dez said, raising his voice. "Please!"

Ally stared down at her hands. She had them folded on top of the blanket on her lap and her back was pressed against their headboard. Her hair wasn't nearly as messy as Austin's but it was enough to cover her face as she bowed her head.

"It's important to all of your safety if some information is kept confidential," Ally said, firmly but still not looking up from her slender fingers.

Austin's sorrowful big brown eyes locked with Dez's teary blue ones. The redhead looked so betrayed staring at his caretakers.

"Man…Dez, I…" Austin started and stopped.

Closing his eyes, Austin pulled his fingers through his rats' nest of blond hair.

"Didi is," he started, but Mr. Dawson ran into the room behind Trish and Dez and finished Austin's sentence.

"Fine!" Mr. Dawson said, gripping the doorframe and grinning.

"What?" Austin and Ally said at the same time.

Trish puffed her out her cheeks in frustration, glared at the man, and said, "Stop lying to us. I know something is going on. Tell him."

Mr. Dawson stepped between Trish and Dez and clasped them on the shoulders.

"I just got confirmation that Didi Wade is safe again. Her captors were found a few hours ago and Didi and Jay have been relocated to a remote safe-house where an incident like this won't happen again," Mr. Dawson explained.

Dez gasped and took a step back from the man as tears ran down his flushed cheeks.

"My sister was kidnapped! And you guys didn't tell me! You are supposed to be keeping us safe! My family is supposed to be safe!"

"Dude," Austin said softly from his spot beside Ally.

"Dez," Ally added, finally looking up at him.

"I can't do this," Dez said, holding up his hands and running out of the bedroom.

Everyone gaped at the door for a moment before Mr. Dawson looked down at Trish.

He gently patted her shoulder and said, "She's safe. This will not happen again."

Trish swallowed the lump in her throat and said through clenched teeth, "It better not."

She stormed out of the room, but not before taking another look at Austin and Ally. Ally's eyes were glossy and Austin's shoulders were slumped, but their fingers were tightly interlaced on Ally's lap.

Dez sprawled out on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. Orange light from the setting sun streamed into the room.

Not long ago, Dez wondered what Trish did all alone for all of those hours when she would hide away in her guest room. He hiding himself was not something he had imagined. He had been looking forward to spending more time with his new friends and learning about them. Austin and Ally, the cool farmer spies that babysat pigs and played exotic instruments. Or the jerks who didn't tell him his little sister had been kidnapped. He and Trish had faced those lunatics that blew up his house and tried to kill him on the plane; how can he rest knowing his sister was with them?

"Can I come in?"

Dez sat up at the sound of Ally's voice from the other side of the closed bedroom door. He stared at the door with his lips tightly shut. He crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his eyes to the window as the door was gently opened.

"Please," Ally said, peeking her head around the door.

He shrugged his shoulders but refused to look at her as she quietly stepped in. She stood at the foot of his bed for a moment, holding a bowl of sliced fruits.

"You haven't eaten all day, and I know you love fruit," Ally said, lifting the bowl.

"You don't know anything about me," Dez said, watching a moth flutter by outside.

"I know you love fruit. Mainly because you've said almost every day since you've been here, 'I love fruit' and 'Can I touch that?'" Ally said.

"And you always say no," Dez said, turning his head to her.

"You don't know how to use a table saw."

"Fair enough. But I'm still not happy with you."

Ally placed the bowl on his bed and said, "I know. And I understand. But don't be mad at Austin. He wanted to tell you as soon as he knew about your sister, but I wouldn't let him. It was my fault."

Dez's hardened look soften when Ally closed the door behind her. He blew air out his nostrils and fell back against the mattress.

Is this what it's like to be angry all the time? Trish must be exhausted, Dez thought.

"I can't believe she was the only one being honest with me," Dez said aloud. "I didn't believe she was being honest."

His door was flung open and he lifted his head to see who was coming into his room.

"I figured she would bring you food," Trish said, kicking the door shut behind her.

She plopped down on the bed and put the bowl in her lap. Dez sat up again and crossed his legs.

"That's why I didn't bring you any food even though you've been holed up in this room all day," Trish said. She munched on an apple slice and added, "I'm going to eat your snack, though."

Dez took the collar of his shirt and tried to wipe the dried snot and tears from his face with the inside fabric. He flattened his hair with hands and licked his chapped lips.

"Keep being their friend," Trish said, holding out an orange slice to him.

He took the slice and held it in his hand, saying "I'm confused by your actions but I'm too hungry and sleepy to think."

"And your excuse for not thinking the rest of the time?"

"That seems more like you," Dez said, biting into the orange slice.

He chewed and reached into the bowl for more.

"Why should I be their friend? They lied to me."

"I'm not saying hang onto their every word, and I still think we should both be on our guard. But I saw them when you ran out this morning. They never meant to hurt you. Ugh, it's so annoying; they've been moping around all day. When I had my tantrums, all you dips did were joke and eat chicken without me!"

Trish bit off a piece of cantaloupe and said between chews, "I get it; you're the favorite, whatever. It was stupid for them to keep that big of a secret from you about your sister, obviously. And we can't tolerate that crap. But I think you should let Austin and Ally back in. It will make this miserable 'vacation' more tolerable. Believe me. Sulking in your bedroom sucks."

Dez swallowed his apple pieces and blinked at Trish. He watched her pick through the bowl until she found another slice of cantaloupe. Her hair was pulled back neatly, and she had on her usual amount of makeup, which was never too much. Dez noticed this is the calmest Trish has looked since she's been at the Moon's.

"Why do you make sense, and why do you look happy?" Dez asked.

"One, I always make sense, Freckles. Two, Didi is okay. I was stressed out all night. It was awful." She put the bowl in his lap and added, "Three, I am far from happy. But things could be worse. The thing with Didi proves it, and I'm glad she's safe again. Now, I'm just going to lay low and coast by, like in class."

Dez chuckled and wrapped his hands around the bowl. Before Trish could react, Dez put the bowl to the side, reached across the bed, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Thanks for coming to me about Didi," Dez said, his chin resting on Trish's soft shoulder.

He squeezed her tight and tucked his nose into her sweet smelling curls. He felt her tense beneath him, so he leaned back but still held his arms around her.

"I am so sorry I didn't believe you," Dez said, gazing into her eyes. "We have to stop doing this, though. We get mad at each other, bring up the past, fight, and pretend to make up. We have to trust each other."

"I trust you," Trish murmured. She cleared her throat and said, "Besides you were the one who didn't believe me. Don't make that mistake again. Remember, we have to be on our guard and watch our own backs. The only ones we really know are ourselves."

Dez nodded and said, "Okie dokie. This is a new start for us. We're no longer Dez and Trish, bad blood neighbors from Miami Beach, but Dez and Trish, friends stuck in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah," Trish said, "One more thing." She pushed his arms away and stood up from the bed, saying, "Do not crush on me."

"What," Dez yelped. "I do not have a crush on you."

Trish rolled her eyes and flicked her hand, saying, "You hit on me all the time, Freckles. You just hugged me right now for like twenty minutes. It's uncomfortable. Get yourself under control."

"I do not!" Dez huffed, crossing his arms and watching the girl walk out the door.

"Don't do it, Dez," Trish called over her shoulder. "And go talk to your lame friends before I choke on all of the depression in this stupid house."