Page 55 of No Place Left to Hide

I sit up in my chair, suddenly alert. “In the lake?”

He laughs so hard I think he’s actually going to fall into the water. “No, dummy. The hammock.”

I watch as he stumbles toward the dock, dragging his blanket behind him, and then veers right, along the shore. His silhouette getssmaller and smaller as he makes his way to the other side of the yard where a hammock is strung between two massive trees on the water’s edge. He flops onto it, and the ropes pull tight, flipping him feet over ass. He lands in a heap on the ground beneath it, tangled in the blanket. His laugh carries across the lake.

I get up to make sure the stupid idiot didn’t hurt himself, but Jena holds out her hands to stop me. “Don’t worry. I got it. You guys stay where you are.”

“Please be careful,” I call after her. “The last thing I need is for someone to trip into the water tonight. It’s cold as hell.”

Jena waves me off and runs across the lawn after her maybe-boyfriend, and I sink back into the chair, watching her unwind the blanket from his knees. A minute or so later Felix stands, and Jena holds the hammock for him so he can lie down. Once he’s settled, she stays with him.

Maybe they just needed some privacy to talk things out, and it’ll be smoothed over by the time school starts. It would be nice to focus on starting the year with a bang, rather than with their relationship drama.

Felix lets out another laugh that rattles the night.

Dylan smiles and gestures toward the hammock. “What did I tell you? They’re going to be fine.”

I tuck my blanket tighter around my lap. “Yeah, unless he’s so trashed he doesn’t remember making up with her in the morning.”

“Ah, that’s…a good point. I’ll remind him tomorrow.”

I smile, transfixed by the firelight reflected in his eyes. “You’re a good friend.”

He holds my stare for a few seconds, then clears his throat. “So are you.”

It feels different between us now that we’re sitting here alone. I tryto think back to the last time we had a private conversation, and I don’t think we ever have. It’s always been us chatting in class or in the parking lot—surrounded by other people. I wonder if he notices that too.

The silence stretches, and his leg starts bouncing.

Is he nervous?

“You’re not really what I expected,” Dylan says, out of the blue.

“What do you mean?”

His knee bounces faster. “I don’t know. You’re…just…different. Not what I expected.”

“You do realize we’ve known each other for years,” I joke.

“Yeah, but how much have we really talked? We hung out a lot when me and Claire first started dating, but you were always a little removed, separate somehow. I think tonight is the most we’ve talked, ever.”

My hands tighten on the armrests. Of course I kept my distance. My best friend started dating my dream guy, and I had to watch her rub it in my face every day. And after Claire left Waldorf, Dylan stopped hanging out with our friend group. He was only there forher.

“I guess there wasn’t much of an opportunity. I’m glad for tonight though.”

“Minus the bloody nose.”

“Definitely could have done without that.” I smile. “I’m curious now, though, what did you think of me before tonight?”

His knee keeps bouncing until he looks over at me. He grimaces. “It’s going to sound bad, but I don’t mean it to. I thought you’d be more self-involved. All night you’ve been worried about other people: who’s having fun at the party, protecting your friends from Claire’s drama, sticking up for Jena, wishing the best for her and Felix, having compassion for Claire even after she hit you. I never thought you were a badperson, but you always seemed so focused on your goals—and they’re lofty ones. It’s impressive to see you carrying all this thought for other people on top of what has to be a stressful amount of life stuff too.”

I roll this around in my mind, trying to decide if he’s saying he’s impressed I have a soul or that he didn’t expect me to be a nice person because I’m ambitious. I don’t particularly like either option. And I don’t know where this is coming from. When have I not checked in with my people or pretended to care when I needed to?

“Thank you? I think?”

His frown deepens. “Did that sound like I’m surprised you’re a nice person?”

“Little bit.”

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