Chapter 2

He blinked. "I always crank the AC all the way down when I'm in the car. Juno was worried I'd catch a cold, so she insisted on buying me this blanket."

Once, I rode in her car with a low fever. My lips had gone pale from the cold, and I begged her to turn the AC up a little. She kept her eyes on the road and said coldly, "Just get used to the cold air. Don't be such a baby."

I reached for the blanket, but Juno suddenly grabbed Brent's wrist.

"Keep it for yourself. If you give it to him, what are you going to use?"

Brent pouted. "I'm not even cold."

"Be good. If you catch a chill, your stomach will act up in the middle of the night and keep me awake again. He can put on a jacket. Don't worry about him."

I lowered my hand and dug my fingertips into my palm until it stung.

Then, as if performing a magic trick, Juno pulled a huge bag of snacks from the center console. Every single one was Brent's favorite flavor.

Brent let out a delighted cheer, grabbed a chip, and held it to Juno's lips.

"This new flavor is so good. Juno, try it."

Juno was a serious neat freak who hated the smell of food in her car. Once, when my blood sugar dropped, I ate a single saltine in the passenger seat. Her face darkened, and she pulled over and made me get out and clean every crumb off the floor mat before she let me back in.

Now she tilted her head slightly, opened her mouth, and took the chip straight from Brent's fingers.

"Mm, that's good."

The car pulled into the Starfall Park parking lot. The line at the entrance stretched far into the distance.

Brent was wearing shoes with 3-inch lifts. After standing for only 10 minutes, he started frowning.

"Juno, my ankles are so sore."

Juno immediately turned to me.

"Cooper, hold our place in line. Brent's feet hurt, so I'm taking him to sit in the shade. Call us when you get to the front."

I did not move.

Months of staying up late to study had done serious damage to my lower back.

"My back hurts."

A flash of impatience crossed Juno's eyes.

"You can sit in the library all day without a problem, but standing for a little while hurts your back?"

She sighed and looked at me as if I were a child throwing a tantrum.

"Stop using your back as an excuse. Brent's wearing lifts, and you're in sneakers. Would it kill you to wait in line for him?"

She ignored me after that, took Brent's hand, and led him to a bench beneath the trees. She crouched down, rested his ankle on her knee, and gently massaged it.

Sweat slid down my forehead and into my eyes, making them sting.

Half an hour later, my mouth was dry from standing in line. I texted Juno.

[Can you buy me a bottle of water?]

The chat stayed silent for 2 minutes. Then my screen lit up.

[No.]

[Brent's stomach is sensitive today. If he sees you drinking ice water, he'll want some too.]

[Just wait until we get inside.]

My fingers trembled uncontrollably.

Just then, a little girl standing ahead of me turned around and held out a bottle of ice-cold water.

"Mister, you don't look so good. Have some water."

I forced a smile.

"Thank you."

Even a complete stranger could show me kindness.

After another 40 minutes, I finally reached the front of the line.

[We're up. Come on over.]

1 minute passed.

Then another.

Juno still did not reply.

The ticket checker impatiently waved me forward. I called her. The phone rang for a long time before she finally answered.

"Hello?"

"We're at the front. Where are you guys?"

There was a pause.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Brent's stomach hurts, so he can't go on most of the thrill rides. We decided it wasn't worth it, so we refunded the tickets. We're already at the aquarium."

She hung up.

Everyone around me was smiling and laughing with friends and family.

I was the only one standing there alone, drenched in sweat, with my back screaming in pain.

I opened my email and accepted the offer from Port Delford. I had wanted to take the grad school entrance exam so I could stay in this city and remain by Juno's side. There was no reason to do that anymore.

I turned around and took a cab home alone.