30

THE SILENCE STRETCHES OUT LIKE a rubber band between Mick and me. The pressure is mounting to the point of being unbearable, but he seems untouched by it. The only sounds in the room are the beeps from the heart monitor over Mick’s bed, and it’s back to counting out a normal rhythm.

I lie there staring at the ceiling, my mind rushing from memory to thought to memory and back again, a thousand miles an hour. Everything is a jumble and I have no idea where to go from here. Do I talk about our date? The weather? Colin? Teagan and Rebel? The court case? The price of tea in China? The eternal question of what exactly it is that the fox says? Because I’m pretty sure it’s not ‘a-hee a-hee a-HEE’.

Mick saves me from trying to figure it out by talking first. “Your family is awesome.”

I look over to see if he’s joking, but he has an easy smile on his face. “Are you serious? They’re insane.”

“They’re fun.”

“Mick. My brother just tried to light your bed on fire.” “Nah, he was just playing.”

“Kee