I turned to run.

Then I didn’t turn to run.

I just stood there. In the middle of the road.

He walked over.

He said, “Hey.”

I said, “Hey.”

He said, “You were missing.”

I said, “How did you know?”

He said, “Grant.”

We both looked over at them still hugging.

Then I said, “Your mom’s boyfriend is Grant?”

And he said, “Yes.”

I said, “Oh.”

He said, “They fight a lot.”

I said, “They do?”

He said, “Yeah.”

And I thought about when Grant got mad and me and Bart holding hands and lying there and how scary Grant could get and how Bart’s mom loved him because they were kissing even though he got mad and I felt sad for Bart right then.

He said, “Are you okay?”

I looked at him.

Bit my lip.

Then I said, “You turned us in.”

“I know.”

“Why? Why did you do that?”

He dug his shoe into the pavement. Looked at the ground and said, “I got scared. You sent me that email and when I saw it, I just, I got scared.” He paused. Looked at me. “What if something bad happened to you? What if, what if you tried to get a ride with someone or went on the bus and you got murdered. Or you got hurt or lost or you know, something bad?”

My heart beat fast and hard and I felt like I might cry.

“I didn’t want to do it but,” he said. “But, I just, I wanted you to be okay. I wanted you to have help.”

I nodded, the tears welling.

“I could have done it,” I said.

And he said, “I know. I know you could’ve but I just, something inside me, like I can’t explain, something in me told me I should call. That it was the right thing to do.”

I kept nodding, wiping my eyes.

He kept going. “When I saw you at the pool and I was so worried you would never talk to me again. I was worried and then you came and you were, you were, you were you. Like you just forgave me. I couldn’t believe it. There’s no one like you, Olivia. No one. Not anywhere.”

I wiped my eyes. “What do you mean?”

“What do I mean? I mean you’re just so good.”

I laughed. “No I’m not.”

But he didn’t laugh.

He went on. “I have all kinds of crap problems with school and my parents and I’m always grounded and I lied to you. I’m not an FBI agent even though I should be. P.S. I lie about a lot of things and I was getting in all this trouble and when I met you, it was bad. It was so bad. Like I don’t have a phone and I’m not allowed on the computer hardly ever and my mom makes me go to aerobics with her. I have to go.”

“So it’s not for training?”

He shrugged. “It is really good exercise. Anyway, everything was so bad and the worst part is Grant. I kept wondering why my mom would date him. He seems so boring and weird.”

I laughed. “He mostly is weird.”

“I just want my mom to be happy and she’s always dating these dumb losers. I just want her to find someone who will love her.”

I nodded.

“I didn’t think he was good for her and she said I didn’t know what I was talking about so then I decided I’d show her. I’d get evidence.”

“So you came to Sunny Pines.”

“Yep,” he said. “And I met you.”

I smiled.

“And I found out he is what I thought but also he loves her and also, maybe there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Sometimes there’s nothing you can do about it.”

He laughed. Then he got quiet. “I want to tell you something,” he said.

“What?” He looked serious and my heart started up again. What was he going to say?

“I,” he paused. “I . . . I made you a pie.”

“A pie?”

“I knew you’d come. I knew it. And I wanted to give you something special. So I made it.”

I laughed.

Then he said, “I thought we could eat the pie on top of my house and we could watch the sunset and I would say I’m sorry that I lied to you about Grant and I’m sorry that your dad is a butthead and that I’m so glad you’re my best friend.”

His best friend.

His best friend.

His best friend.

“It’s apple brown sugar and caramel on top.”

I laughed more now.

And he said, “It’s better than McDonald’s.”