Huan spotted Devin talking to Trechial and that girl Maylee over by the back door. Always had that silly smile when he was with her. The kid wore his heart on his sleeve when it came down to Jewel. Huan shook his head.

He locked eyes with Trechial and Maylee, giving them a curt nod, which earned him a bashful wave. On cue, his son looked up to see who she was looking at, and Huan cocked a brow and threw a faint nod at the cooler by the tables.

The poor girl had no idea that she was living with a sadistic predator with enough power to keep him from ever seeing prison time. And neither did Diana. Huan never liked Charlie. He was less than a man in his eyesight. Instead of providing for his family as a man ought to, he weaseled his way onto another man's property and now lived rent and bill-free. And to top it off, he'd made several attempts to get Diana to take the house out of Trechial's name and to put it in his. It would pain him to watch his friend's hard work fall into the hands of a wicked man like Charlie. Thankfully, Ashton made sure to leave his mini fortune to his daughter in which majority of it she couldn't touch until she graduated college.

Devin confided in Huan a few months ago about some things he noticed going on around the Winter's home, such as Charlie's relentless pursuit in keeping Jewel at home going so far as to make up fairytale lies resulting in her being grounded for weeks. He also caught him parked outside of Trechial's school a couple of times smoking cigarettes. He almost stopped to confront Charlie but thought better of it because Charlie was in uniform. Who knew what he would've done had Huan gotten out of the car to confront him. His disdain for them grew each day.

Huan grabbed a cold brew out of the cooler and two Pineapple Fanta drinks, handing them to Devin.

"I need to speak to you later. In the meantime, keep an eye on Jewel."

Devin nodded, thinking, I'll never let her out of my sight.

Devin watched his dad make his way over to Charlie.

Trechial dipped her head in his view. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, smiling at her.

"Liar. I won't press you because it's your birthday, be thankful." She rocked back and forward on her heels.

He shoved his hands into his jeans to repress the strong urge to hug her, to just wrap around her and protect her.

"Speaking of, where's my present, Mini?"

She stopped rocking, a playful sneer forming as she looked up to the sky then down at her feet. "I don't know. You never told me what you wanted." She shrugged.

He stepped to her and leaned his face near hers. She leaned back, pressing a hand over her heart in shock.

Devin skimmed the crowd. Their parents were immersed in conversations with other adults, so he grabbed the tip of her ponytail and slowly tugged it until her neck was exposed and she was looking up at the sky.

"If you don't have my gift by tonight, I will destroy every boy band poster on your wall. I will shred every last Teen Bop and J-14 magazine that I find and will find along the course of our teen life. Got it?"

Trechial gasped, "You wouldn't, Tae."

He let out a short humorless laugh, releasing her and tugging a loose strand of hair that dangled in her face. "Oh, but I would."

She gulped hard, stepping back.

Maylee popped the top on her glass bottle of Sprite. "He wouldn't do that, girl," she said. She took a swallow of the soda and looked from Trechial to Devin, a hint of mischievous laughter on her lips.

He cocked his head, staring at the girl who glared back at him in Nautica jean shorts and a cotton candy collar shirt. He remembered all the toys he destroyed of hers every time she was mean to him.

He smiled at her.

"Yes, he would," Trechial said. "He drowned my Strawberry Shortcake doll in dishwater, popped her head off, and alley-ooped it in the trashcan. The dweeb threw my California raisin figurines in the toilet and referred to them after that as the California turds. You were and are a monster, Devin Liao."

He took a small bow. "Some of my best work, if I must say so myself."

She stomped a foot down into the ground. "I don't think you're going to make it to another birthday."

Trechial cracked her knuckles and gave chase after him. He jogged backward dodging her flying arms until he tripped over the orange extension cord from the bouncy house and fell flat on his back. She pointed at him, doubling over in laughter before pushing him down onto the ground when he sought to get up.

"You're a jerk, birthday boy," she said, giving him playful punches in his arms.

He laughed, rolling from shoulder to shoulder, attempting to block her punches. "You're the one who didn't get your supposed best friend a birthday gift."

"Oh, I'm going to give you a birthday gift, alright." She wrestled with him to keep him down. "It's called birthday licks. How old are you? 14?"She issued a lick to each shoulder, not realizing that the way they were right at this moment was all the gift he needed.

***

The sky held no sign of light. The moon and stars resided behind dark clouds, and the smell of rain loomed in the air.

Devin leaned against the house next to Trechial's window around ten o'clock. Noisy crickets and the occasional glow of a firefly kept him company in the dark while he waited for her to make a grand entrance. Soon, the raising of her window drew his attention, and he backed away a bit. She popped a bare calf out the window then dipped her head from beneath.

"Here, hold this," she whispered, handing him a small blue gift bag, then swung her other leg out and hopped onto the ground. She sported a long white shirt with a bunch of white guys on it, and her hair was tied up with a yellow bandana. How long was she going to carry around a useless crush on guys who could not sing and she would never meet?

"Did you have fun today?" She walked past him.

"It was a'ight." He followed her over to the tire swing and averted his gaze to the fence when she looped a leg around the tire, exposing her thigh. No matter how good of friends they were, he was still a boy with thoughts that centered around one thing when provoked. But sometimes, he didn't need anything to provoke him.

"Push me," she ordered in a childish voice.

He set down the bag and grabbed the tire on both sides, bringing it back a couple of steps then lunged it forward, stepping to the side as she flew forward. She threw her head back and while he couldn't see her smile, he could feel it all around him. He stepped back in and grabbed the tire and repeated the push after it slowed a bit, once again moving to the side. The rope rubbed against the tree branch, creating a subtle noise.

"Are you sure the branch is strong enough to hold you? You're not eight anymore." He only said that in hopes that she would choose to get up.

She threw an arm in the air and leaned back further. "It'll be fine."

"Okay, but I'm bolting if you fall and crack your behind. I was never here."

Soft laughter filled the air. "Yeah, yeah."

Eventually, the tire slowed down and came to a stop, allowing her to climb down. She grabbed the gift bag and handed it to him.

He peeked inside. "What is this?"

She muffled his hair. "It's a gift, Einstein."

He took out a box, the darkness preventing him from inspecting its contents. "What is this? I can't exactly tell 'cause it's pitch black out."

"It's cologne." She squeezed her bandana, shying away from him before walking toward the house with him in tow. "I thought of you when I smelled it."

She spun around, coming face to face with his chest. Her head slowly anchored back. His heart paused, his gaze finding its way to her mouth.

The night inflated around him, pushing him to her, the silence prying at him to lean in a little. A little closer. Closer.

Her scent––he knew it anywhere. Had memorized it last year and could recognize it with his eyes closed in a sea of people.

But in the darkness, it was only him. Only her.

Closer.

"I––" She stammered for words in a whisper before his lips could claim its real birthday gift.

"I––I can't, Tae." She snatched the bandana off her head and shuffled her hair on one side in a frenzy.

A wry smile formed on him, disappointment swelling inside of him. He grabbed her wrist and brought her manic hand to her side. A moment he was desperate for, a moment he wanted to share with her, was shattered into a million pieces. It was his fault. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel uncomfortable around him. The weight of her rejection crushed him.

"I'm sorry." He held up the bag and gave it a shake. "Thanks for the gift. I'll see you later."
She nodded, and he turned away from her leaving for the exit.

"Hey, Tae?" She called out in a low voice.

He paused at the gate, turning to her.

"Let's draw a line right now to never get romantically involved. I don't want to ever lose my best friend just because something didn't work out."

The words cut through him, and he felt like he was bleeding but was too numb to feel the true significance of what she said. The plea in her voice set a heavy weight on him.

Ms. Kathy's porch light flipped on, revealing Trechial's fear-stricken face, tears shimmered in her eyes. She clutched the fabric where her heart was.

He simply shook his head. "Trechial, I can't draw a straight line with a ruler. But no matter what happens, you'll always be my number one girl."

He pushed through the gate and left her behind.

For now, he'd just have to push through the night. One night at a time.