Burn for Burn

WE’RE SITTING OUT ON THE DOCK BY MY BOAT. MARY is quiet again. She hasn’t said a word since I finally managed to get her into my car. She just cries every few minutes. I sit next to her and pick broken glass out from the sole of my boot.

Around midnight I get a text. It’s Lillia. Where are you?

I text back that we’re at my boat and for her to get over here ASAP. I have no idea what to do with Mary. Is she having a breakdown? Should I take her to a hospital or something? She’s not hurt or cut anywhere, but the look in her eyes, it scares me.

Twenty minutes later Lillia comes running down the dock. She’s breathless. I stand up. “How is he?”

Lillia bursts into tears. “He’s in the ICU.” She sits down and hugs her knees. Her hair is falling out of its bun. “How did everything get so messed up?”

I look away. “It was my fault. I thought we took out enough votes.”

Mary wipes her nose on her arm.

Tonelessly she says, “I gave the drugs to Reeve. I’m the one who took homecoming away from Rennie. I’m right at the center of everything.”

“Don’t worry,” I interject. “No one’s going to suspect you of anything.”

Lillia’s staring out at the water. “I don’t even know what to think right now. Reeve might be freaking paralyzed, you guys.”

Mary makes a small noise.

“He’s not paralyzed,” I say, as confident as I can. “Trust me, Lil.”

“You didn’t see him. You don’t know.” She shakes her head, tears running down her cheeks. “I should go home. I’m sure my mom’s waiting for me.”

I almost say, Wait. Shouldn’t we get our stories straight first? But then Mary finally speaks.

“This is all my fault,” she says.

Lillia sighs and shakes her head again. Wiping her face, she says, “It wasn’t your fault.”

Mary’s shivering, curled up in a ball. “It was,” she says, looking up at me. “I know it was.”

I fish my lighter out of my purse and light up. Inhaling deeply, I say, “It was all of us.” I take another drag. I let the smoke seep through my body. “I just hope we get away with it.”