Chapter 2

"Renee! What did you do to Jess now?" Marcus appeared in the bedroom doorway, wearing the cartoon pajamas.

"It's not her fault, Marc." Jessica's eyes were rimmed red, a few tears sliding down her cheeks. "I forgot about Ren's leg and bought her high heels."

"I spent forever tracking down her size. I went to so many stores."

Right on cue, Marcus raised his voice.

"Renee! Jess was just being nice. She didn't do it on purpose."

"Stop snapping at her every chance you get."

Jessica stood beside him, dabbing at her tears, clutching the edge of his sleeve, her voice breaking. "Marc, don't blame Ren. It's all my fault. I'll just take them back."

"No." Marcus glared at me, eyes full of disappointment.

"You can't keep using your injured leg as an excuse to lash out at people."

I couldn't hold it in anymore. "Do you even remember how my leg got injured?"

"Ren, that was my fault, and I'll make it up to you."

Marcus froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, and his tone softened.

"But Jess is innocent. You can't take this out on her. Just take the gift. You've wanted these heels forever, haven't you? Try them on. I'll hold you up. I promise you won't get hurt."

That same old promise. The last time I'd heard it was when Jessica talked me into going hiking.

"Marc, Ren just sits at home all day. That's so boring. Let's take her hiking! She can't skip out on everything just because of a little pain."

Jessica clung to Marcus's arm, batting her eyes.

Marcus could never resist her helpless act. He turned to me. "Come on, Ren. We'll go to Stone Ridge tomorrow. The trails are easy. I'll support you the whole way, and if it gets to be too much, we'll turn around."

I believed him.

At Stone Ridge, Marcus supported me all the way to the halfway point before Jessica spoke up.

"Marc, you've been holding Ren this whole time. You must be exhausted. Take a break. I'll take over."

Marcus gave in to her insistence.

At first, he kept a close eye on us, afraid we might stumble.

But seeing how carefully Jessica held on to me, he gradually relaxed.

We'd barely taken two more steps when Jessica's grip suddenly loosened.

I crashed to the ground. A bolt of agony shot from my foot through my entire body.

Marcus rushed over in a panic. When he saw that I was in too much pain to speak, he lifted me onto his back and started downhill.

Then Jessica wailed behind us.

"Marc! I think I twisted my ankle!"

Marcus hesitated, then set me down.

"Ren, rest here. I'll carry Jess down and get her checked out, then I'll come back for you."

He hoisted Jessica onto his back and took off down the trail.

Then he left me alone on the hillside, baking in the sun and drowning in pain.

In the end, a passing hiker carried me down the mountain, and I took a cab to the hospital.

That time, Jessica's ankle had nothing but a tiny scrape. My fracture, on the other hand, had gotten significantly worse.

I pulled myself back to the present and raised my hand. Jessica's eyes visibly brightened as she held out the shoebox toward me.

Marcus exhaled with relief.

But the instant my fingers touched the box, I swatted it aside.

The force wasn't much, but it was enough to send Jessica toppling sideways.

She fell straight toward the space heater.

Jessica's scream split the room.

"Renee!" Marcus's shout came at almost the same instant.

He rushed to her side and pulled her to the sink to run cold water over the burn.

Only a small patch of skin on the back of her hand had been burned, yet Marcus looked more frantic than he had the day I was hit by a car.

When he finally looked back and saw me standing there, his face twisted with rage.

"What are you standing there for? Go buy burn cream!"

I looked out the window at the falling snow and said nothing.

That day, I'd gone out in weather just like this, alone, on crutches, to buy things for them.

He seemed to remember that too, and tried a different approach.

"The pharmacy's right across the street. Quick there and back. Nothing's going to happen. Why won't you go? You're not exactly in a position to take care of Jess right now anyway."

He threw the words at me without looking, his eyes never leaving Jessica for a second.

A person too unwell to manage basic tasks at home was apparently well enough to hobble through a snowstorm to buy medicine.