Sameen sped down the worn road towards their railroad car clubhouse, Bear racing alongside her. She had been awake since five am and the sun was now beginning to set, but she was too wound up to be tired. She growled and stopped pedaling, letting her bike cruise down the bumpy road.

She couldn't believe Root would kiss Claire like that. Sameen looked around at the empty lots around her. Did Root like Claire? When Sameen had told Root about Tomas, Root had said that they weren't dating. Maybe that had changed.

Sameen sighed and started pedaling again, slowly drifting down the road. She breathed in the late August air, still warm, but not as skin-melting as it had been. Sameen couldn't blame Root for moving on. She hadn't exactly tried to keep their friendship alive.

She'd also been kissing Tomas for the past few months. Sameen glanced down at Bear and saw him panting. She lightly squeezed her brakes, slowing down so he could rest at the slower pace. She'd decided to spend the night at their clubhouse to get some space and clear her head.

Her house felt so empty, even when the boys were being loud. She'd spent more time in her room the past week then she has in months, just staring at her ceiling, at the star chart Root had made her last Christmas.

Sameen glanced down into the basket attached to the front her bike and looked at the dark green blanket she'd put there when she left her house. When she'd ran into Root at the arcade a few days ago, Root had said she was too busy to talk.

Sameen scoffed. 'Too busy.' Yeah right. She was just throwing Sameen's words back in her face. Root was never too busy to talk to Sameen. They were best friends. Sameen remembered again that she had pushed Root away and given her every reason to think she didn't want to be friends. She'd been pushing her away for months.

She picked up the pace again, looking at the sunset. The yellow and blue spreading across the sky like a bruise. She'd seen prettier sunsets. Sameen turned right abruptly, Bear barking as he tried to keep up with her.

"Sorry, Bear," Sameen apologized. "I wasn't paying attention."

Even if Sameen had been pushing Root away, it was Root who ended the friendship. Sameen rolled her eyes. She hadn't thought a boyfriend would come between then. She frowned. She knew she was lying to herself. She'd started dating Tomas just to distance herself from Root, maybe help herself forget her feelings.

Feelings. Sameen scoffed. She didn't have feelings, not like that. She didn't connect to people. Except for Root. Root managed to get under her skin and drive her crazy. Root's smile, Root's voice, Root's skin and…Root's tears.

Sameen huffed as she rolled passed another empty wheat field. She knew she was the one causing Root pain. Until she saw Root crying, she'd managed to convince herself that Root was doing fine, that she didn't miss Sameen, that Sameen didn't miss her. Now…Now she had to admit that she was hurting her. The thought made her stomach clench and made her want to punch something.

Sameen noticed a stand on the side of the road up ahead. Who would set up out here? Sameen had never seen another soul out this way before. When she got closer, she saw a sign that read 'Claire's Candy and Carvings.'

This must be where Root met Claire and got the wolf statue she'd given Sameen. Sameen clenched her hands around her brakes and hopped off her bike, letting it clatter to the ground behind her. She stomped over to Claire, Bear at her heels.

Sameen stopped next to Claire, breathing angrily, hands balled into fists. She waited for a minute, but Claire didn't look up from her book.

"Hello?" Sameen demanded, raising her arms.

Claire glanced up from her book, looked Sameen over, and returned to reading. "Root's friend, right?"

"Root's best friend," Sameen clarified. "Remember that."

Claire shrugged, turning a page. "I heard you and Root weren't friends anymore."

"You heard wrong," Sameen growled. She shoved her finger in Claire's face. "You need to stay away from her."

Claire finally turned her attention to Sameen, closing her book. "Root can do whatever she wants. You're not her mother…or her girlfriend."

Sameen lunged forward, grabbing the front of Claire's shirt and yanking her close. "You don't know anything about our relationship."

"I know that I'm tired of listening to Root complain about how you broke her heart," Claire said, unaffected by Sameen's gruffness. "Just apologize to her so she stops being so sad. I befriended her for science, not for tears."

Sameen ground her teeth at the mention of Root crying. So, she thought, Tuesday at school wasn't the only time Root had gotten upset. Sameen felt like throwing up. Her attempt to protect Root was backfiring and causing her pain.

"Um," Claire raised her eyebrows, "If you're not going to hit me, can you let me go?"

Sameen dropped her hands, stepping away. She turned on her heels and walked back to her bike. Clearly, Claire was going to offer nothing of substance. Sameen wasn't going to waste her time.

"Hey," Claire called as Sameen walked her bike to the stand, "Do you guys have some, like, secret hideout around here? Why do you come out here?"

Sameen smiled, smug. However close Root and Claire had gotten, Root hadn't shown her their secret clubhouse.

"Nope," Sameen said, popping the 'p.' "Sorry."

"Whatever," Claire said, sounding skeptical. She reached out to turn on an electric lantern that sat on her table. "Look, we're both friends with Root, so we should at least try to get along."

Sameen pursed her lips. If she was going to get Root back, maybe she should try and make nice with Claire. She probably wasn't as infuriating as she seemed right now. Sameen nodded sharply.

"Fine. I'm sorry for grabbing you."

"Why don't you take some fudge?" Claire offered, gesturing to the table.

Sameen wrinkled her nose. "I don't like fudge. It's too sweet."

Claire rolled her eyes. "For Root, dumbass. As a gift."

Sameen raised her eyebrows. She hadn't thought about giving Root a present as part of her apology. Girls liked gifts, right?

"OK," Sameen said, reading the names of the flavors, "I'll take…Pralines and Cream and…Chocolate Peanut Butter. I think Root would like those; She's into that sticky sweet crap."

"Thanks?" Claire chuckled dryly. She put a few squares of each flavor in a box and handed it across the table to Sameen. "Go get 'em, Tiger."

"Never say that ever again," Sameen ordered her, dropping the box into her basket and throwing her leg over her bike. She looked down and spotted Bear lying down by Claire's sign. "Come on, Bear. Let's go."

Bear jumped up and Sameen started pedaling. She waved over her shoulder to Claire as she rode of the end of the concrete and started pedaling along the grass path.

She hadn't expected to get advice from Claire, much less find herself willing to take it, but when Sameen thought about what she wanted the answer was Root. She missed their talks and their late-night swims. The way Root always had something to say.

The silence had been killing her. Before Root, Sameen had thrived in silence. She hadn't liked it when anyone talked to her or tried to get her to talk to them. Sometimes, her own thoughts drove her crazy, but Root…Root's voice was like a melody that soothed and excited her at the same time.

Sameen rolled her eyes as she stepped off her bike, carrying it onto the train tracks. She got back on and rolled along towards their train car. She must really be in bad shape if she was describing anything as a 'melody.' That's the sort of nonsense Root would latch onto.

Sameen smiled as she pedaled, their train coming into view, glowing a rusty red in the last of the sunlight. Root would love it if Sameen told her she thought Root was a melody. Maybe Sameen could paint her a picture. Something personal that Root would love. She sighed. Apparently, she'd decided to apologize to Root.

She slowed to a stop in front of their clubhouse and stepped off her bike, picking it up and leaning it against the wheels of their train. She knelt to pick up Bear and moved to the open door.

"Bear," she commanded. "Jump."

Bear jumped from her arms up into the train, his nails clacking against the metal floor. Sameen looked to her bike and realized she had forgotten a lantern or anything she could use as a light. So much for exploring tonight.

Sameen dug into her pants pocket and pulled out a pen and a few coins. She jogged over to the track and spread the coins out on the metal beam. Root would like them.

She turned and walked to her bike, picking up the box of fudge. She pulled the cap off the pen with her teeth and quickly scribbled 'For Root' on the box. She tossed the box onto the train and dropped her pen into the basket.

Sameen was finally starting to feel tired. The long day was catching up to her and, with the sun gone, she was starting to drag. She put her arms on the edge of the train and groaned as she hauled herself inside. They really needed to build some stairs.

She looked around at the personal touches Root had added. There were glow-in-the-dark stars stuck around the walls and a large comforter spread on the floor. Sameen spotted a cooler in the corner and headed for it. Bear danced around her feet and she nudged him way, bending down to pull the lid off. It was full of snacks, goldfish and apples and cookies.

Sameen smiled and shut the cooler, pushing Bear's nose away.

"No," she scolded him, "this is Root's stuff."

Bear woofed softly, but bounced over to the blanket and laid down. Sameen followed him, dropping to the floor and spreading out. She yawned loudly, trying to decide if she wanted to get the blanket from her bike.

Sameen had to admit to herself that the prospect of spending the rest of her life with Root was terrifying. She'd never really thought about her future before; it hadn't seemed worth it. She didn't make friends. She didn't get excited about future goals. She couldn't see herself marrying anyone.

Sameen was not going to fall in love with Root. At least not in the way Root probably wanted. Maybe...Maybe Sameen didn't have to commit to forever right now. Maybe she could commit to 'as long as she could.' Maybe Root would be satisfied with a 'while this lasts.'

The feelings that Root stirred in her made her feel small, like a child. She didn't know what to do with herself, with whatever was happening inside her. She just knew that right now, and for as far into the future as she could imagine, she wanted to be close to Root. She wanted to make Root happy.

Maybe that could be enough.

000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Sameen drifted awake, sucking air in through her nose. She became aware in small steps. Her foot was cold, but the rest of her was not. She was covered with something warm and soft. There was light coming from somewhere.

Sameen opened her eyes, sitting up. She ran a hand over her face, trying to orient herself. She blinked a few times and looked around.

Someone had been in the train since she'd been asleep. There was a lantern sitting on top of the cooler, it's orange light casting an illuminating glow into the space. She pulled her legs up and realized her shoes were off and the green blanket had been put on her.

It must have been Root, Sameen thought. No one else knew about their place. She looked to where she'd thrown the box of fudge later, but it was gone. Sameen smiled softly, glad that Root had found that. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.

She opened her message with Root, frowning when she saw they hadn't texted each other in almost a month. Her thumbs hovered over the keys, hesitating. Finally, she just typed out her message.

/Are you going to watch the game in the park tomorrow night?/

Sameen dropped her phone, not expecting a quick reply. It was almost four am. She wondered when Root had come by. She laid down again, reaching her arm out to pet Bear. The blankets shifted as he rearranged himself to put his head on her stomach. Her phone buzzed loudly on the metal floor.

/Yes./

Sameen swallowed and typed out her next message.

/Can we talk then?/

/Yes./