Kayne's POV

After Heather left with Max, I stay at the kitchen table absent-mindedly finishing the anatomy pre-lab worksheet. I can't stop thinking about everything that I learned about Heather. Besides the fact that I shared so much with her.

Telling Heather about my past was easier than I thought. I suppose I have Liza to thank for that. She encouraged me to tell the same stories to her over and over about my mother, so I would never forget the good moments. When remembering her, it was hard not to focus on my mom's bad decisions leading to her death.

After repeating the stories to Liza, it became easier to tell them. I think that's why it was so easy to open up to Heather. Although Heather also makes it easy to trust her with my past. She continually allows herself to be so vulnerable in front of me, I feel that I can be comfortable and vulnerable, too.

One thing that I realized from our conversation was that my feelings for her are real. They're more than the friendship I swore to limit myself to. I don't know how I'll be able to hide them. I haven't proven to be the best undercover agent in a normal situation. I'm only hanging on by the string that is Heather.

I wish I could call Liza to get her opinion on the situation. Although serious about police work, Liza also encourages following the way a heart leads.

She's like my badass fairy godmother.

I retreat to my bedroom and sit on the edge of the bed. In my nightstand, I find a light-blue envelope. Liza, knowing that I couldn't make any unnecessary contact with my past while undercover, wrote me a letter. She gave it to me after our last dinner at her house.

I've already read it ten times. The first five during the first week after Heather forced her way into my investigation. For the eleventh time, I read through Liza's letter:

Dear Kayne,

First, I want to say that I'll miss seeing you around. I've gotten used to you living nearby enough to have a drink after work on the tough days. You have a lot of tough days ahead of you, so when you miss me and want to talk, think of me and drink...responsibly. I'll be doing the same.

Your past has led you to be untrusting of most people, an attribute you've had to work through to develop new relationships. However, it has also given you the ability to see who is trustworthy and who is not.

Always go with your gut.

You don't have to be perfect from the start. Make mistakes. Hard work always pays off.

A last piece of advice I want you to take with you, know your goal. You are doing this for a reason. You know what it is.

Little by little, you're going to make this world a better place. Don't ever forget that.

Can't wait for you to come home, so I can kick your butt again.

Love,

Liza

For good measure, I re-read the words again, longing for a friend. One that I didn't have unclear and dangerous feelings for.

I lay back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking until a knock on my door brings me back to reality. I stroll through the cabin to the living room where I can see the white-haired top of Alice's head.

I open the door and let Alice enter.

"So, what's going on with Heather?"

"I wish I knew."

"I meant with the investigation, dummy," Alice says, fake-punching my forearm and making me laugh. "Although I feel more clued into the two of you than I do to the investigation."

"Well, I like her. She told me a lot about her past today. I was able to open up to her about myself, too. I've never been able to do that with anyone so easily."

"That's an important feature to find in a friend," Alice says. I stare down at my hands. "Although, you're implying that you feel more than friendship."

"I've never liked someone like this before. I'm comfortable with her, but she's also gorgeous. She is kind of seeing a guy at school, though. I can't deny that it's made me feel sick to my stomach to see them together."

"Sounds like someone is getting a visit from a certain green monster." Alice's eyes light up at the suggestions.

"You're probably right. I just have never had a girlfriend before. The most I've done is flirted and made out with a couple of girls. Some guys from the old precinct and I would go out for drinks after shift. The few girls I met on those nights were nice, but those flirtations never left the four walls of the bar."

"Sounds like you need some action. You and me both, brother." Alice laughs before saying, "Well, Heather is a nice girl. If you don't mind me saying, I think you two have more than your mommy issues in common."

I shake my head at Alice, who is snickering at her bad joke.

"Heather told me about the situation with her mom."

"Yes, she told me about that a few weeks back."

"Do you know everything and you're just waiting for me to get clued in?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, then who is leading the Idaho drug ring?" I laugh with Alice. We sit in silence for a few minutes until Alice speaks up.

"I think something is amiss with Heather's mom," Alice says.

"I know. It doesn't make any sense. I guess that it just goes to show that you don't know people," I reply.

"I think it's more than that, Kayne. A woman doesn't just up and leave her husband and not stay in contact with her daughter. She hasn't spoken a word to Heather since she disappeared. If she isn't dead, then there's something wrong."

What Alice said made a lot of sense. I have no idea how to work with that information, though.

Alice pats my knee, "Well, dearie, I'm going to head on off to bed. Let me know if you want to talk again. Other than my great humor, I can be quite insightful."

Alice leaves the cabin, and I get ready for bed. Before I lay down, I grab the picture of my mom and place it on my nightstand. I look at it, thinking of mom and that damn train puzzle until I fall asleep.

~*~

For some reason, I press snooze one too many times the next morning and wind up late for school. By the time I wake up, I only have time to throw on black jeans and a grey button-up shirt paired with my white converse. The shirt is slightly more wrinkled than I would have liked, but it will have to do for the day.

The first class in rotation today is Anatomy. We are doing a dissection lab. When I get to the classroom, I pull out my pre-lab assignment and wait patiently for the teacher, who is thankfully also running a bit late.

It seems that everyone is already seated. I see Ali and Laurie in the back giggling over something on Laurie's phone. I grabbed the first seat I see at an empty workstation.

I mind my own business by doodling in my notebook when Ali sits down beside me. I look over at her and then turn away, feeling like I will never escape her.

"Hey, Kayne! How are you this morning?" Her chipper voice sends a chill of annoyance down my spine.

"I'm just fine, Abbi," I deadpan.

Ali seems slightly hurt. "Do you really not know my name, or are you just messing with me because you like me?" Ali asks, her mischievous grin returning.

I scoff. "It's not because I like you."

"I haven't been able to figure you out, Kayne." Ali curiously tilts her head.

"Nothing to figure out, really."

Ali puts a hand on my shoulder and says, "You're a mystery to me. I'm going to figure you out, Kayne. Then you'll be wanting to figure me out." She trails her fingers down my arm seductively. I raise my eyebrows at her.

Her eyes hold a dangerous desire that makes me take an involuntary gulp. I know that she's just a moody teenager, but she can be a bit scary.

We are interrupted by Mrs. Luther. "Lab day, everyone!" Booting up the projector, she passes around the lab worksheets. We give our pre-lab sheets to the student at the end of the row.

"Your lab partner will be the person to your left." I sigh, dejected. Of course, my lab partner is going to be Ali. We are supposed to dissect a sheep's heart today, and I'm about ready to offer mine up for her to tear apart, so I don't have to deal with her today.

I go grab the tray with the dissection tools and place them at our workstation. The teacher passes out the hearts that are in plastic bags with a preservative liquid inside. I hand Ali a pair of gloves and then put my own on.

Before we take the sheep's heart out of the bag, we sketch rendering of the ventral surface on our lab worksheets.

"Are you ready?" I ask Ali. She nods her head, and I pull the heart out of the bag. I examine the heart and then pass it to Ali. She squeezes it in her hand.

"Kayne, go long," she says, gesturing as if she's going to throw the heart like a football.

"Please put down the sheep heart. Let's get this over with as quickly and painlessly as possible."

"Dude, you need to chill. Relax a little bit. You're 18, but that doesn't mean you have to act like a full-blown grownup," Ali says.

I find truth in her statement. Well, apart from the fact that I'm 18. But I am undercover as a high schooler, so I need to stop being so uptight and start acting like one.

"Alright, then." I grab the heart from her and set it down on the counter. I pick up the scalpel and make a cut according to the instructions. We then sketch the new view of the heart.

"You know, I really don't know anything about you. Heather is so tight-lipped. It's cruel for her to try to keep you all to herself. I mean, she has Fletcher now." My jaw tightens when she reminds me of this. "Why don't we play 20 questions to get to know each other better?"

I'm about to deliver a sarcastic comment, but I look at Ali's face, and I'm reminded of her words to relax.

After a quick mental discussion with myself, I concede. "Sure."

"Great! I'll start. Of the people in this room, who do you most want to make out with?" Ali starts.

"Hard pass." I immediately regret my decision to play along with this game.

"Okay. We can start simpler. Do you watch TV?"

"Some."

"What do you watch?"

"That counts as two questions, you know," I say.

"Whatever, just answer it."

"I like to watch sitcom shows. My favorite is The Office." My answer makes me think back to lying on the floor with Heather and watching the show until she fell asleep. Ali clears her throat, clearly waiting for me to ask a question.

"What about you?" I say. I cut down the middle of the heart so that we have a full view of the left and right atriums and ventricles.

"I like drama shows like Riverdale and Gossip Girl."

I would have never guessed. She doesn't seem like that type of person at all.

It's a good thing that I decided not to say anything sarcastic, because I'm sure that wouldn't have gone over well.

"Do you play any sports?" Ali says when I don't respond to her answer. I'm busy trying to find the bicuspid and tricuspid valves.

"No. I am a runner, though. I know enough about football, soccer, and basketball to play pickup games, but I've never played organized sports." Ali grabs a probe and starts pressing it into different parts of the heart.

"I'm on the cheerleading squad if it wasn't obvious." She says, referring to the jacket she's wearing with the school's logo and the words Cheerleading Captain on the right lapel.

"Yeah, I noticed that. What do you do out here for fun other than party?" I ask.

"Well, sometimes we all go hiking. Most of the guys golf on the weekends. Patrick is never able to hang out with Laurie until Saturday nights. Patrick and some guys from the next county over golf while their fathers golf together. They don't want to be associated with the old folks.

After sketching the last view of the heart, we put the remains of the heart on the tray with the dissection instruments. Wordlessly, we clean our workstation and then pack our lab papers away to write the lab report later.

"Great work today, class," Mrs. Luther says just as the bell rings.

I grab my backpack and rush out of the class before Ali can follow me. I look back, and she is walking with Laurie.

~*~

On Saturday morning, I wake up early to do some yard work for Alice. I want to get it done as quickly as possible because I have plans for the rest of the day.

Heather told me about the date that Fletcher has planned. He's taking her to the street fair. I just don't trust that guy. Ever since the first day I saw him getting close to Heather, I felt the need to protect her. He was smoking weed at the party and talking about knowing dealers, so I'm convinced he's involved.

I'm going to use the tracker on Heather's phone to just monitor the situation. I'm not going to interfere unless I need to.

I feel like a total creeper. I pick a plain black t-shirt and my black jeans paired with my navy Los Angeles Chargers baseball cap. Liza gave me the hat one year for Christmas after her husband, and I watched every Chargers game that NFL season.

Right before noon, I tell Alice that I'll be back later and crank up my motorcycle to take into town. I'm enjoying the wind's feel as I speed up around the backroad curves.

Knowing Heather's location is going to be essential to stay unnoticed. I want to get an initial view of her and Fletcher in person while tracking them on my phone. This will ensure that I don't accidentally run into her.

When I get there, I track her phone to a cafe. When I get there, I see her and Fletcher sitting outside and chatting. It looks like they're having a good time.

I go into the ice cream shop across the street. I buy a cone with two scoops of mint chocolate chip to eat on while I watch them out the front window.

They're sitting beside each other instead of across the table from each other. I have to say the guy must be trying hard because Heather can't stop laughing at what he's saying. Every once in awhile, he seems to say something that makes her blush, and then he leans in for a kiss.

Their drinks come out, and they sip on them, continuing the laughing and occasional kisses.

Honestly, I don't find him that funny or charming. I don't know what Heather sees in him. I mean, I get that he's probably not like her ex, which is an obvious upgrade. Though it doesn't take a rocket scientist to not be a toxic boyfriend.

As they finish their drinks, Fletcher puts a hand on her knee. I watch closely as he gradually moves it higher up her thigh as they talk. Heather doesn't seem to be aware of his actions. I'm so transfixed on the sight that I don't realize I've crushed my ice cream cone until the sticky concoction is running down my wrist.

I head back to the ice cream counter and grab a stack of napkins to clean off my hand. When I get back to the window, they've disappeared from the restaurant.

I pull out my phone to track their movements. They're heading down the sidewalk towards the bustle of vendors. I exit the ice cream shop and walk through the crowded street in their direction. Finally, I catch sight of them and maintain my distance so that I can't be seen.

They bob in and out of vendor's tents, sometimes they're browsing, and other times they come out with food items. It's pretty cool that they're eating their way through the fair instead of eating a full meal at a restaurant beforehand. Kudos to Fletcher for the date idea, although he needs to take someone like Ali out instead, mainly because it will keep her off my back.

I'm distracted by the smell of melted butter and wander into a tent with a variety of popcorn flavors. It's a local brand that Alice keeps in the house as a snack, so I browse through for a couple of bags to take home to her.

Unfortunately, this distraction left my right flank exposed. I cringe when I hear a voice saying my name with curiosity.

"Kayne, what are you doing here?" I spin around to see Heather, holding Fletcher's hand.

Shit.

(A/N) Thank you for reading! 

Tell me what you eat at a street fair/fall festival in the comments below. 

My favorite food I've eaten at a street fair was in Greenwich in London. I had some German sausage (like what Heather has) and potato wedges. I then managed to fall asleep in a park from a full stomach and a Dramamine that I took to not be seasick on the boat ride.