I blinked at him, then turned my back. "Let me get some clothes then we can go." "Okay," he said, rising. "I'll just check if everything is locked again. I'll meet you in the truck." "Fine." I pulled out a fresh nightshirt in my closet, underwear, a sundress and squished it all in my backpack. My eyes zoomed in on Cameron's dark blue sweater. It was too hot to wear it outside now, but I remembered that moment in my car a long time ago when he helped me put it on. "Right arm," he'd said, his voice rough. "Left." And I had uncharacteristically followed his directions because I was so drawn to him. It felt like we were in our own world. Then when I had his sweater on just the way he wanted, he'd moved back and growled, "If you're trying to get out of this deal by freezing me to death..." A chuckle came out as I stroked the arm of his sweater. I never returned it to him. He'd been so clever blackmailing me over that motorcycle. All because he wanted to be with me. Wasn't that precious? Wasn't that something to protect at all costs? When I finally climbed in the truck with Dylan, I was smiling. The memory had lifted my mood. "What're you smiling about?" Dylan asked. "Should I be nervous?" "Why?" I narrowed my eyes at him playfully. "What'd you do?" "Nuthin'." "There's always something with you." "Aw, Kar. Don't be like that." But he grinned. "So are we really not telling Dad? About what happened to your place?" I looked out the window, watched the pedestrians on the sidewalk. Some of them were jogging, walking their dog or just walking back home. Back to the place where hopefully someone waited for them, someone who looked forward to the sound of their footsteps when they entered through the door. Someone who'd give them a welcome home smile. "Don't tell Dad. He'll just worry more. He's already heartbroken about Andrew." "Seriously what's wrong with Sour Face? I don't know if you noticed, but he'd drive by the shop once in a while. You're always in the office so you don't see him, but Dad and I do at the bay. It's creepy." "Really? He's just probably jealous, pissed off that the shop is doing well without him. He shouldn't be driving anyway. He's always drunk." Dylan shrugged, done with the topic. I kept my smile to myself. Before he'd be ranting about it, but now I could see that he was learning to accept that he had no control of other people in his life and what they say or do. "Hey, Kar, can you text Cameron and ask if it's okay if I bring his truck in and check his brakes? They feel a little squishy." I felt the truck stop and go, stop and go as Dylan tapped the brakes gently, before he stopped at the sign. "Is it bad? We can still drive it?" "Yeah, don't worry. I'll check them when we get back," he said. "Dad should be home by now. Since you're sleeping over again, can you, um, order pizza?" He batted his lashes at me. "Please? Double pepperoni and salami?" "Fine, fine! Eyes on the road!" "Psyched! I'm taking the perimeter so we can get home faster. Can you, uh, call now so pizza'd be there by the time we get home?" "You're not the boss of m—" "Shit. Shit! Kar." My eyes whipped to Dylan's face, heart slamming in my chest when I saw the horror on his face. "Dylan, what the fuck is wrong?" "The b-brakes! The brakes don't work!" His foot kept slamming on the brakes, but nothing was happening. He was going a hundred twenty in the perimeter. Fear froze my limbs, made them cold, but only for a second. I needed to protect him. "Calm down, Dylan." I drove this road all the time on the way to The Yard. This was usually a busy section, but since it was the weekend there were barely any vehicles on the road. Still, if we kept driving, we were going to hit the city soon. "Step on the e-brake. Now!" "It's not...it's not working." Fuck. I could hear the continuous loud thump as his foot kept stepping on the brakes. "Dylan, listen to me." He was breathing hard and loud, his eyes filling with tears. He wiped them away with the back of his hand, swallowed hard and nodded. "There's going to be an opening soon. Take it," I said calmly, even though I felt nothing but calm. "Drive through the fence, to the fields." I swallowed my heart back down. When cold sweat trickled down the side of my face, I swiped it angrily. Nothing would take away my brother from me. I wouldn't let anything hurt him. "You got this, Dylan. Are you listening to me? You got this. Do it now! Now!" I saw his eyes widened with terror, his arms straining as he maneuvered the truck off the road. When we hit the fence, the truck drove through it, but didn't slow down. I bit the side of my cheek so hard that I tasted blood, gripped the sides of my seat as the combination of speed and rough terrain shook the truck like a boat in a raging sea. I held my breath, shutting my eyes closed as the truck lost its traction. I raised my arms to protect the side of my head, but the force threw me against my right side, making me want to heave. I flattened my palm on the window to stop the impact, crying out in pain as it slipped, bending my wrist. But still the truck kept going. "Slow down! Holy shit, Dylan, don't step on the gas." "I'm not! I swear I'm not!" he cried out. "Omigod, it's not slowing down, Kara." I heard the tears and the fear choking him. It all happened in a flash, but I remembered a lot of things. How Dylan turned his head toward me with both his hands gripping the wheel, how his eyes filled with fright and panic. How he called my name like he was a little child again and looking for me. And how through the window on his side I could see the tree kept getting closer and closer. My ears rang, but it sounded like I was underwater, the long and sharp sound fading to nothing as I saw the window on Dylan's side explode into a thousand pieces. I saw Dylan closed his eyes, his body floating in the air for a second. I screamed and screamed until my throat hurt, but I couldn't hear anything. I smelled something burning. Heard the soft patter of rain. And then the lights went out.