"You sure you're good to walk? We could wait a little longer," Trent asked as they stepped out the back door and made their way across the backyard towards Candy's and Stan's place.

"I'm good. We've got an umbrella and the rain's stopped for now. Even if it starts up again, it's a warm day and I don't mind getting wet," Melody replied.

"Cool. Now I gotta check on Candy and Claire, see how they're doing."

"Bea was right, you seriously are, like, a super caretaker."

"Apparently," he replied.

He still felt a little buzzed and was reluctant to get behind the wheel. He led Melody through the gate and up to the back door, where he knocked on it. After a moment it opened and Candy appeared. She looked...relaxed, wearing a fluffy bathrobe, her hair up in a towel.

"Hi," she said, losing the relaxed look and gaining an awkward one. "Are you okay? Is everyone okay? I checked with Ann a few hours ago…"

"Everyone's totally fine, Candy," he replied. "Are you okay? Is Claire?"

"Yeah, she's up in her room, relaxing. I'm just watching some TV...I'm sorry about last night. I really didn't realize I'd put too much in," she said.

"Honestly it's fine, Candy. No one's mad or even annoyed. Really it was a lot of fun," Trent replied.

"I just feel bad, but I'm really glad everyone's okay and had a good time," she replied.

Trent could sense there was something else. She did seem guilty but she also seemed...he wasn't sure. Awkward, just a little off whenever she spoke directly to him.

"Well, uh, we're gonna walk up to their peirogi place. I just wanted to make sure everyone's good," he said.

"I appreciate it," she replied. She looked like she was torn between wanting to say more and wanting the conversation to be over.

"Well, uh...I'll see you later. If you have anything you want to talk about you've got my number," he said.

"I do. Have fun," Candy said, offering an at least somewhat convincing smile.

He and Melody left after that, heading out from behind the house and onto the street, where they started to walk into town.

"Is it just me or was she acting kinda weird?" Trent asked after a few moments.

"Hmm? Um...a little, yeah," Melody replied.

"...okay, I'm not trying to be weird, but now you're acting a little weird," he said.

"I, um...I guess now I'm feeling more uncomfortable with the…" She looked around. "The thing that I asked you to do with me. I'm worried it might've freaked you out, but you're too polite to let me know, and you don't want anything to do with me now, but you're still spending time with me because you're-"

"Okay, okay, Melody," he said, stopping and taking her hand, "just...calm down. None of that is happening. That is one hundred percent in your head. I'm not upset, or offended, or grossed out, or freaked out by what you asked me to do. I still feel exactly the same about you as I always have and I'm really glad to be spending time with you."

She looked at him awkwardly for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "Okay...I guess I believe you."

"You guess?" he replied as they started walking again.

She laughed. "I mean...you've got three girlfriends. I feel like in order to do that you either need to be a master truth teller or a master liar, and both of those things basically look exactly the same. If that makes sense?"

"It does, actually." Trent was silent for a little bit as he considered it. "Hmm, that's a tough one."

"I'm sorry. I pretty much believe that you're telling the truth, it's just insecurity talking. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I imagine you've had a lot of people lie to you to try and get your money or get in your pants. I'd be distrustful after that. Hmm...okay, I've got something that might help. But I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

"I won't," she replied. "I'm also really curious to hear what it might be."

"All right, here goes: I don't need you, Melody, but I do want you...and I mean that as kindly as possible."

She was silent. He waited. They kept walking. Finally, she nodded. "You're right," she said, "that does actually make sense. You don't need me. You are clearly in love with and being loved by your three girlfriends. You're clearly a successful writer, so you aren't with me for my money. If it was just about sex...I don't think you'd go this far just to get more sex, given what you've gotten out of me already. I mean, I'd be a little more suspicious if you didn't have your girlfriends around, especially Bea, but-"

"Wait, why Bea specifically?" he asked.

"Bea really has a strong 'watch out for women' streak in her. And a real 'no fucking bullshit' streak, too. And besides the fact that she wouldn't be with you if you were a con artist, I feel like she would somehow let me know."

"Yeah, that's true. It's also definitely true of Mae and Ann," Trent replied.

"Exactly. You're right, I'm being ridiculous."

"Hey, come on, I didn't say ridiculous."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say-you get what I mean though. I'm agreeing with you. I'm being insecure and I should just...enjoy myself."

"Yes, that," he said.

She giggled. "Oh my God, my dad would lose his mind if he found out I was down here getting fucking stoned and drilled by a guy with three other girlfriends."

"Just your dad?"

"Well, my mom would too, but she'd...understand a little more. My mom used to party." She paused, seemed to consider. "Okay, so, my mom is a trophy wife, but not, like, in a bad way? I mean, my mom and my dad actually do love each other, but she pretty much asked to a stay at home mom and a trophy wife and not work, and my dad agreed. Then my mom went through some phases. I mean at first she kinda just partied, went on vacations, you know, stuff like that. Then she had me and then my brother and went hardcore into mom mode. After like a decade of that she started getting into new hobbies and that's definitely picked up now that we're, you know, grown and can mostly take care of ourselves."

She paused and rolled her eyes. "Well, I can. My brother, less so. Hopefully he'll stop being a dipshit at some point. But, anyway, yeah. Now she mostly exercises and paints. She sort of relaxed back into chill out mode the past year or so. And that's why she'd understand. Mostly she just agrees with whatever my dad says." She paused again. "Is this weird, me talking about my parents? I know that you hate your family…"

"No, it's fine," he replied. "I'm glad when people get along with their families. I just hope I never see mine ever again."

"Okay, that's good. Sometimes I'm like kinda weird about not really knowing if I'm sticking my foot in my mouth."

"Not everyone's great at reading the room. Here we are."

"Nice, like a real tunnel...you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little distracted," Trent muttered as he stared at Fat Pocket Pawn. Or really beside it.

"Why? You see another girl you've gone to bed with?" she asked.

He chuckled. "No, uh, just...this is where it happened. Where Gregg and I got jumped and then I got saved by my worst enemy." He hesitated. "Okay that's overstating it, I can't really claim he's my worst enemy, but yeah, I was saved by someone who hates me...Jesus I hope he doesn't see me with you."

"Why?" she asked as they headed down into tunnel.

Trent laughed. "Um...so like, our initial dispute was over Bea. He wouldn't stop hitting on her and things finally turned violent between me and Mae, and him."

"Mae? Well...yeah I could see it. She's so small but she's so fierce, too."

"She straight fucking decked him. But, uh, after that...he more or less found me fucking his sister."

Melody's eyes went wide and she snorted. "Holy fuck, for real?"

"Yeah, I can't remember if I told you but his sister is Claire."

"Dude...oh my God."

"Yeah, it gets worse. He knows I'm dating more than one woman because he knows about Mae, and then he saw me walking around with Molly. And then later when Tabby came down to visit, he totally randomly started hitting on her in public, only to then discover that she was presently my sex friend."

"Okay...wow. Yeah, I...mmm, that'd really wreck my shit. If I saw some bitch I hated who took the dude I was after, and then I found out she'd also fucked my brother, and then she'd taken another dude I was after...and he was the one who saved you?"

"Yeah."

"That...has got to be a complicated relationship."

"Yep. Mostly we avoid each other. Let's get some food."

"Yes," she agreed.

They walked over and bought some peirogi and pretzels and sodas, and the man who ran it grinned and greeted Trent like an old friend. From there, they took a seat and waited for their food. Melody kept looking around.

"This is so cool," she said.

"Is it?" Trent asked.

"Yeah! You don't think underground stuff is cool?"

"I mean yeah, that's fair. Underground stuff is super cool. I love the Metro games."

Their food came then, and they spent a little bit eating before continuing.

"So what do you want to do?" Trent asked.

"What, like...in my life, or…?" Melody replied.

He chuckled. "I meant like today."

"Oh." She laughed awkwardly. "Um, I'd like to see the town. You must know all the cool places by now."

"Well...I mean maybe. More like I know all the places that are significant to us," he said.

"I mean that makes it cool. Show me your guys's sights. I think you're amazing and I want to know your life."

"It's...really not that impressive," he replied.

"If you say so."

"So like, I'd never see things like this if I didn't hang out with you," Melody said as she looked around in something like wonder at the derelict Food Donkey.

"You know you say that like it's a good thing but...I mean is it really that impressive? You don't have to stroke my ego," he replied.

"I'm not," she said, focusing on him again. "Trust me, Trent. I like you, okay? A lot. I've caught feelings. But I do not stroke egos." She hesitated. "Well, for the most part. But that's not what I'm doing. You don't think this place is cool?"

"I mean yeah, it's just...you have to see more exciting and interesting places."

"I like this. I mean, there's something cool about abandoned places, right? What do they call it? Liminal spaces?"

"Oh yeah, I think I've heard of that on the internet. It's like...what is it? Transitory places? Like hotel hallways or airports. Stephen King has a killer book about that kind of thing...sorta. It goes off in a really bizarre but cool direction. It's called The Langoliers...maybe we could watch it. They also made a movie about it and it was a fantastic adaptation."

"I'd love to. Stephen King is one of those authors I always hear about but I've never actually read, even though I should...maybe you could give me a list? Or at least a place to start."

"Definitely," he agreed.

"I'd appreciate-oh my God!" she cried, leaping back, startled.

"What!? What is it?" Trent asked as he ran over.

"A rat!"

"Oh."

He saw the dark little furry thing go scurrying away, disappearing into one of the aisles.

"Sorry," she murmured, "it just startled me. I actually think rats are adorable. Oh wow there's more. Like...a lot more. What the hell?"

"Town had a rat problem last year," he replied, "I think they all ended up hanging out here."

"Oh, it's like their own place," she murmured.

"Yep. Mae's too. She loves the rats and sometimes she comes here and just chills, watching the rats." He looked around. "We should probably start heading back into town now."

"Any particular reason?" she asked, following him as he headed for the exit.

"I'm admittedly getting paranoid after getting threatened so many times," Trent replied.

"Oh right, you got jumped by those assholes. But, wait, how many times? You said that one guy also threatened you…"

"Yeah. Well, attacked. He full on attacked. Twice. And then there was the guy at your party."

"Oh right…"

"And there was another guy at a different party who was hitting on Jen and she didn't want anything to do with him. And then there was Ann's ex-husband…"

"Trent! How many times-jeez! Okay, yeah, I'd be paranoid, too. We can head back."

They left the abandoned Food Donkey and started walking back into Possum Springs.