"Cutting it a little close, Matthews." Brian made a point of looking at his watch as Maura exited the lobby bathroom, pulling her ponytail over the strap of the uniform's visor. She suppressed an eye-roll and said nothing. It didn't take much for Brian to act like a raging jerk, and the last thing she wanted was to encourage him.

"Leave her alone," Leanne said from behind the counter. "She's the best employee here and you know it."

Brian's ears went red. "A little respect, please?"

"You want my respect? You have to earn it."

Brian strode across the lobby and leaned over the glass display case. He tapped his cheek and Leanne obligingly leaned forward and kissed it. "Gross. Don't make me vomit," Maura said as she took her place next to her best friend.

Brian straightened and said to Leanne. "I need to speak with you later. In private."

Leanne grinned. "Oooh. Am I in trouble?"

The corner of Brian's mouth lifted. "Maybe."

"Why do you do that?" Maura asked Leanne as Brian walked away and she started a fresh batch of popcorn.

"Do what?"

"Act like a ditz whenever he's around?"

"Meow," Leanne said, flashing her nails in front of Maura's face. "I told you, I'm just having fun. And half the fun is playing the part. You should try it sometime."

"Act like a ditz?" Maura said with derision. "No, thank you."

"No," Leanne corrected. "I meant you should try having a little fun."

Maura pinched her mouth shut and Leanne turned away. The hour she had spent with Luke after school had left her with a blooming headache that was beginning to throb behind her eyelids. If she didn't need the cash so bad, she would have called in sick and gone home and crawled into bed. Gas and car insurance wouldn't pay for themselves, however, and she was pretty sure her car was long overdue for yet another breakdown. Besides, she tried to help her mom out with the bills whenever she could, whether it was paying for a cart of groceries or making sure the electricity didn't get cut off or making sure that she—

"Ow!" Preoccupied with her thoughts, Maura burned the edge of her wrist on the hot popcorn popper.

"Are you all right?" Leanne grabbed a clean cloth from under the sink and drenched it with cold water. "Here. Put this on it."

Maura took the cloth and draped it around her wrist. "Thanks. It's nothing. It surprised me more than it hurt."

"We should fill out an accident report," Brian said.

Maura groaned, not in the mood. "We don't need to fill out an accident report. I said it's nothing."

"But it's company policy," he argued.

"But I'm not hurt," Maura insisted. "Hence, there's no reason to fill out an accident report."

"Yeah, Brian," Leanne chimed. "Stop harassing the girl."

"I'm not harassing anyone. I'm just saying˗˗"

"Don't you have other things to do?" Leanne interrupted. She waved her hand dismissively in his direction, shooing him away. "Leave us alone. We have important stuff to talk about."

Brian split a confused look between them but turned and stalked off. Maura laughed. "You really have him wrapped around your little finger."

"Trust me, that's the best place to have him." Leanne leaned against the counter and sighed. "Brian is a great kisser, but he is such a dimwit. By the way, if he comes over here later and asks me to help him check the theaters, we're not really checking theaters."

"I figured that out a long time ago," Maura said with an exaggerated shudder.

"You're just jealous."

"Truly, I am not."

Soon enough, customers began to trickle in and they got to work. Several hours later, one of those customers was Evelyn. Maura scanned the lobby for Luke, but his sister was alone.

"Back so soon?" Maura said when Evelyn approached the counter.

"I like movies."

"What can I get you?"

Evelyn eyed the candy under the glass. "I'll take one of those," she said, pointing to a package of red licorice strips. "And a small soda."

Maura placed the candy on the counter and began filling the cup. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes," Evelyn said. "I want you to ask my brother out on a date."

Maura laughed as she topped the soda with a lid and pushed it across the counter to Evelyn. "You're hilarious."

"I'm also serious."

Maura shook her head. "Why would I ask your brother out on a date?"

"I told you, he likes you. He's just too shy to admit it. Ergo, you have to make the first move."

"And I told you I'm not interested. Ergo, I won't be asking him out."

"You say you aren't interested, but maybe you're just refusing to admit that you are."

Maura glanced at the growing line behind Evelyn. People were starting to get impatient. "Even if I were interested," she said, "which I am not, I don't exactly have time to date. My life these days consists of school and work."

"Maybe that's your problem," Evelyn said. Maura opened her mouth, but before she had a chance to respond, the girl placed a wad of bills on the counter. "I don't want to hold up the line. Keep the change," she said, and then hurried off.

"What was that all about?" Leanne asked once the line of customers had finally cleared.

"Nothing," Maura said, which seemed far easier than telling the truth.

Maura couldn't seem to get Evelyn off her mind for the duration of her shift, though. It didn't make sense that Luke was interested in her. For the past year, guys had made a point to avoid her and her drama. It's not as though she'd been popular to begin with, but she'd withdrawn even further after her father disappeared. All the events in her life could be separated into before and after. Until her father returned home, or they received word about what had happened to him, she would carry the weight of uncertainty. A part of her would always be stuck in the past. Guys weren't exactly attracted to girls with baggage.

After her shift was over, Maura and Leanne walked out to the parking lot together. They talked for a few minutes before hugging and waving goodbye, and then Maura watched Leanne pull away, her stereo booming so loudly that even Maura's car windows resonated with bass. When she inserted her key in the ignition and turned, nothing happened.

"No," she groaned. She withdrew the key, counted to ten, and took a deep breath before trying again. Nothing happened. "Of course you would do this to me now, you stupid piece of˗˗"

Maura powered on her cell and debated calling her mom, but it was late. By the time her mother drove across town to pick her up, it would be well after eleven, and she didn't particularly want to sit in her car in a dark and almost empty parking lot for that long. Besides, her mother had probably just returned home from work herself and was no doubt exhausted. Brian was still inside the theater. She could ask him to give her a ride home, but that option was even less appealing than sitting there alone. She checked the time again. If she hurried, she could catch the bus.

Grabbing her cell and backpack, Maura got out of her car and took off at a jog towards the nearest stop, which was in the parking lot of the adjacent grocery store. Although it was mid-spring and warm enough during the day, the nights were still cool. There was a brisk wind, and Maura was wearing nothing but her thin uniform. She shivered, hugging her arms around herself.

She'd been waiting at the stop for a few minutes when a car pulled up, idling in place. The passenger window rolled down. "Need a lift?"

Maura stared at Evelyn, her face pale in the moonlight. "Are you stalking me?"

Evelyn laughed as she held up a plastic bag bearing the grocery store's logo. "My mom asked me to pick up a few things on my way home."

"Oh," Maura said, feeling silly. "I'm waiting for the bus."

"I can see that. That's why I asked if you would like a ride."

"Are you even old enough to have a license?"

"I'm driving, aren't I?"

Maura considered the offer. "I think I'll take the bus."

Evelyn pressed her lips together. "You know, the polite thing would be to accept the ride. It's okay to let people be nice to you."

"I don't have a problem with people being nice to me," Maura said irritably.

"Really? You're the one stonewalling me at every turn. I want to be your friend."

The bus rounded the corner at the end of the road and she saw the expectant look on Evelyn's face. With a sigh, Maura rose from the bench and got in the car, pushing aside the bags of eggs, bread, and bananas taking up space on the floor.

"Take the highway down the hill and turn left on Green Street. And if you don't mind, I'd prefer not to talk. It's late, and I'm tired."

"Duly noted."

They drove in silence for the first few minutes, with only the sound of tires on asphalt. Though Maura had said no small talk, the relentless quiet was almost unbearable. To make matters worse, Evelyn was a horrible driver. She drove too fast, swerving from one lane to another and causing drivers to blare their horns as she flew by them. Maura gripped the door handle and sank into the seat, hoping no cops were lurking in the median.

"How in the world did you pass your driving test?" Maura said. She yelped as her side of the car came within inches of the guardrail. Beyond that lay a sharp precipice and the dark waters of the lake below.

Evelyn laughed as she took a wild left on Green Street. "Don't worry. I promise to get you home."

"In one piece?" Maura said, her voice pitching up as they narrowly missed the curb. Feeling slightly ill, she squeezed her eyes shut. "Stay on this road for the next five miles. And try not to hit a deer. They're everywhere this time of year."

They made it to Maura's house without incident, though. Evelyn pulled into the driveway and mashed on the brakes, sending them both rocking forward in their seats. "I love driving!" Evelyn squealed.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Maura said.

"Hopefully Luke won't notice that his car is missing."

"Wait, this is Luke's car?"

Evelyn dimpled. "I don't have a license. Hence, no car."

"I knew it!" Maura exclaimed. "My faith in the DMV has been restored."

"Hey. I got you home, didn't I?"

Maura pushed open the door and got out. "Thanks for not killing me, Evelyn. See you later."

"Wait. You're not going to invite me in?"

"It's late."

"It's not that late." Evelyn switched off the car and got out, skipping toward the front door before Maura could refuse. "Come on. You can introduce me to your parents."

"Parent singular," Maura said, too tired to argue. "My dad is gone."

"Dead?"

Maura flinched at her bluntness as she inserted her house key into the lock. "Not dead. Just . . . gone."

They found her mother sitting at the kitchen table sipping a mug of tea and flipping through the mail. She looked up at the sound of their entrance and did a double-take, running a self-conscious hand over her hair. "Oh. Hello."

"Hi," Evelyn said brightly, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet.

"Mom, this is Evelyn." She saw her mother glance at the clock and quickly added, "She gave me a ride home from work. My car broke down."

"Again?" her mother said, the corners of her mouth turning down. "What's wrong with it this time?"

Maura's shoulders rose and fell. "I dunno. It wouldn't start."

"We'll have to call a tow truck in the morning, I suppose," her mother said, though Maura could see how the thought of spending money they didn't have weighed on her.

"I'll take care of it," Maura said. "Don't worry."

Her mother just shook her head and took another sip of tea. Then she gathered the mail into a neat stack and stood. "We'll figure it out in the morning. I'm heading to bed now. Dinner is in the oven. Nice to meet you, Evelyn."

"Nice to meet you, too."

While Evelyn sat in one of the chairs, Maura opened the oven and took out a plate covered with foil. Her mother had reheated leftovers of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans. Maura grabbed two forks and placed the food in the middle of the table. "Hungry? I'm starving."

"What is this?" Evelyn asked, poking suspiciously at the slab of meat with her fork.

"Haven't you ever had meatloaf?"

Evelyn shook her head. "Never."

"Are you a vegetarian? I can make you something else to eat."

"No, no." Evelyn took a dainty bite of meat, chewing thoughtfully. "Not bad, though I prefer chocolate cake."

Maura laughed. "Doesn't everyone?"

"Luke prefers brownies."

"Awesome."

"Just letting you know," Evelyn said as she tried a bite of mashed potatoes. "In case you ever want to make him a batch."

"You aren't very subtle, you know."

Evelyn grinned. "So I've been told."

Maura still couldn't understand why Evelyn was so interested in hooking her up with her brother, but she no longer cared. As strange as Evelyn was, she was starting to grow on Maura.

"We have a chocolate cake mix," Maura said, feeling less tired and suddenly inspired.

Evelyn raised a brow. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"If you're thinking that I'm suggesting we make a chocolate cake," Maura said, "Then you'd be right."

"I like the way you think," Evelyn said.

It was just a cheap box of cake mix that had been sitting on the pantry shelf since before her dad disappeared. Her dad liked chocolate cake, and she had bought it for his birthday. She was going to make it for him as a surprise, but then he had to go and disappear. Maura wished every day that she would come home one day and find her dad sitting in his favorite chair reading a book as he so often did, but so far, that wish hadn't come true. It probably never would.

By the time they had finished dinner and eaten cake, it was close to one in the morning. "I'm going to be dead tomorrow," Maura said. She should have been studying, but it was nice to have someone to talk to. Leanne was her best friend, but the only time they got to see each other these days was when they were at work. And soon Leanne would be gone. At least Evelyn was available.

"I should go," Evelyn said at last, collecting the dirty dishes from the table and placing them in the sink.

"Here, let me send some cake home with you. My mom and I won't be able to eat it all." She placed several slices on a paper plate and shrouded the entire package in plastic wrap. "You can share it with Luke if you want. Tell him I promise I didn't poison it."

"I'm sure he'll love it," Evelyn said, accepting the bundle.

Standing on the front porch, Maura watched Evelyn pull out of the driveway and speed away, narrowly missing the neighbor's garbage cans that had been set out at the end of their driveway. Back inside the house, she turned off the lights and trudged upstairs to get ready for bed. She was used to staying up late, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she usually fell right asleep. Tonight, however, her mind raced with thoughts of Luke and their unfinished English project. They had spent a total of two afternoons working on it, and they were nowhere close to being done. Perhaps she hadn't been fair to him, though. He'd been at their school barely a month. Worse, he'd come toward the end of the year when they were close to graduating. That had to be difficult. Maybe she could be a little bit more understanding.

"Chocolate cake for breakfast?" Maura teased, startling her mother at the kitchen table the next morning. Her mother jumped in her chair and put a hand to her mouth as though to hide the evidence.

"I know, I know," her mother replied. "I am totally blowing my diet."

"You don't need to be on a diet, Mom. You look great."

Her mother shrugged and shoved another bite into her mouth. "You seem especially perky this morning."

Maura reached for a bowl and a box of cereal. "Do I?"

"You do. Who's the guy?"

The cereal came rushing out of the box, overflowing onto the counter. "There is no guy, Mom."

Her mother rose from her chair and dropped her dish into the sink. She squeezed Maura's shoulder. "If you say so."

*****

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