A Little Bit Pyro

27: Autopilot Disaster

CHAPTER 27: Autopilot Disaster

Once when we were in ninth grade, a few months after my mom bought Kenz that stupid bracelet, I called her an ADHD nag. She'd been on my nerves lately. It was only the beginning of her Ref-make-over strategy. She threw one of her friends at me, and I crashed and burned. In my mind, the blame for my smarting ego lied squarely upon her shoulders.

ADHD nag.

She deserved it. She still does. Did. Nevermind. The point is that she was always in my business. She was always calling, texting, visiting. Talking constantly, about everything, about nothing.

But after I said called her a nag, Kenz just stared at me with her mouth hanging open. That was mean, she said at the time. She actually teared up and went home without saying another word. I didn't understand why she was freaking out about a harmless insult like that, especially since Ajay said worse things to her on a daily basis. And she never cried about that. She said it's because Ajay is kind of stupid, and mean. I still don't understand why that makes it worse for me to say stuff than when he does.

This is what I'm thinking about when the Escalade screeches to a stop perpendicular to the sidewalk I'm on.

"Ref, stop!" Millie shouts when I make a path through the gravel around the Escalade, only deviating course for as long as it takes to get past it. "Please Ref, just wait. I know this is...hard...but..."

She doesn't seem to know what to say. Her footsteps pitter patter after me. I will have to run to avoid her, but I don't have enough control of my body to do that right now. It's all I can do to point myself in the direction I need to go and shuffle my feet forward.

Suddenly she's in front of me, attempting to block my path back to Kenzie. The wind whips her dark hair with pink and lime green streaks around her face. Another day I might have stopped to admire the sight, but right now it just reminds me that while she was busy styling her hair, Kenz was murdered. I move to the side, to go around her but she steps in front of me again, planting her feet on the ground and her hands on my chest.

"Listen to me, Ref. I'm sorry." Her voice breaks, making her sound even more convincing. Her dark rimmed eyes are big, pleading, heartbroken, and I understand why they sent her instead of Anton, or especially Landon. "Kenz was...was one of a kind. It's horrible what happened. But you have to realize there was nothing you could have done to help her."

Except I could have. I should have been there, been their target instead of Kenz. But I wasn't there. Within the last twenty-four hours I've become responsible for two human deaths. Because when I lit up that warehouse, I killed Kenz just as surely as I did that other guy who got barbequed inside it.

I swipe Millie's hands off of my chest and sidestep again, but she mirrors me.

"Just stop for two seconds and talk to me. Please."

But I don't want to talk, especially if its about Kenzie. Just last night Millie said if I wanted to be with her I couldn't keep Kenz as a friend. It doesn't seem right for Millie to think she has the right to mourn Kenz's death. Or even talk about her. I glare at her, and sidestep her once gain. This time she doesn't try to stop me, she just snaps her gaping mouth shut.

Ten steps later I hear her footsteps again, rushing after me. I almost yell at her to leave me alone when she falls in next to me and I notice it's not Millie. It's Jade. She doesn't make any attempt to stop me so I ignore her, scurrying alongside me to keep pace with my now brisk stride. She doesn't make a peep until we get to the southbound on-ramp and I stick my thumb out.

"Where you going?"

"Home."

My eyes remain fixed on the oncoming traffic hoping for someone kind enough to stop for a teenage guy of questionable character, and an emo looking girl. Dark hair does a lot for Jade in the looks department though, even if she is angry about not being a blond anymore. Her green eyes pretty much glow against the backdrop of her black hair and eye makeup.