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“Don’t fuck around with Shila, not if you aren’t willin’ to stick around Jolie will not only have your balls, but irl works her ass off for the Inn, and it’s hard to find people like her,” Rage states, sitting beside et this show on the road The rest of the club went back to Texas That wasn’t in the cards for me The entire time I’ve been here, Shila hasn’t murmured tords to ot to change, and soon

“Thinkin’ you and Jolie don’t know Shila as well as you think you do” I take o for the Zippo I’ve carried around for alarette

“You’re shittin’ oin’ joke that I’ll never settle down All the brothers that have always say I’ll find the one ill stop me in my tracks

“Nope” I don’t say nothin’ else That conversation is for Shila and me

“You tellin’for straws

“Not that either You and Jolie good to go alone? I’ve got shit to do” I inhale the nicotine, needing the way it burns s with every deep breath

“Yeah, sure Remember what I told you Don’t fuck this up” I slide off my matte black Harley Street Glide

“Can’t fuck up so out, like noroin’ ninety e keeps up with her, I have no idea Just glad he’s fuckin’ happy Before he found Jolie, that er bottled up inside, we never knehen or if he’d blow

“I thought you were cos her shoulders Even though I want so badly to confront Shila and figure out where her head is at, that’s not how to play things out with her It’s ti in the Shadoatching and waiting for the right time to make my move

2

SHILA

I took three ti my way up to Bennett’s room The moment his door opened with a turn of my key, I was assaulted bywith the smell of Marlboro Reds It would turn most people off, but it re I had not to lie down in the bed that’s ruht in a million years the only man I ever loved would walk back into h the years is suddenly overwhelether seems to evaporate beforesadness is clawing at the edges of my anxiety

“God,” I breathe out I count to sixty, twice, before I gethis bed before picking up the trash lying on the dresser—discarded cigarette boxes that showa few other things that lie discarded, so I put the he keeps on the chair in the corner h it, but even I’m not that much of a fool

A piece of me wonders if he even reot who I was Not that I could blah when the Sheriff showed up at ly or in the back of his cop car It was devastating, the look that told me he’d take me with him I kneould be suicide for both of us if I did So, I watched as he put his hands in his pockets, nodded atin the beat-up old Chevrolet truck he worked so hard for during the summer to buy It wasn’t a whole lot to look at, but it was his, and I was proud of hioal Not even his foster parents could take that from him

I finish cleaning his room It doesn’t take any ti back the e to claw their way out I replace his dirty toith fresh ones, wipe down the counter, clean the toilet before I tackle the floors I don’t kno Jolie enjoys doing the cleaning like she does Soh I suppose soe therapist It’s not for everyone, and fro on your body Newsflash—that’s already happened to my body, many times over