"Wakey wakey," Greg said.
Nolan groaned and threw his pillow over his face. What time was it? Definitely not eleven, that was for sure.
"Nolan."
He pulled the pillow away and scowled across the room. Greg leaned against the doorway, eyes alight with amusement. "What?" he demanded.
"You have to get up," Greg said. "We're leaving in thirty minutes."
"What? Why?"
"We're picking up Caleb and Sam up from church."
He groaned and fell back in bed, throwing his covers over his head. His presence wasn't even required—it wasn't like two people could drive the car, and, even if they could, Nolan didn't have his permit, let alone his license. Greg was just doing this to irritate him.
"I'm not going," he said.
"Yeah, you are." Greg clapped his hands. "Let's go."
Nolan grumbled out a sigh and forced himself into a sitting position. He glanced at Greg's retreating back. He was tempted to go back to sleep, but when the door closed, he dragged himself out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans and a T-shirt from his bureau.
He was actually able to brush his hair and teeth today. However, he still didn't have time for more than a breakfast bar. He chewed on it glumly in the passenger seat as Greg pulled out of the parking lot and started down the road.
"How's your breakfast?" Greg asked.
"Mm."
"Mm?"
"Mm."
"Alright then. How late did you stay up?"
Nolan glanced at the clock. 10:15. "Four," he said.
"Dude."
"What?"
"Don't 'what' me. Go to bed earlier, you dingus."
"Dingus. Really?"
Greg laughed, and the conversation lulled. Nolan watched trees go by while Greg tapped his hands against the steering wheel to the beat of a pop song playing on the radio. He missed his bed.
He finished off his breakfast bar and tossed the wrapper in the cup holder, which already had some mail set inside. His eyebrows creased. The envelopes were upside down, but he could still see the letters of two words, bold and red: L, E.
FINAL NOTICE.
Nolan's jaw locked. He could grab it. Rip it open so Greg would have to talk about it.
What was it for? Electric? Oil? Insurance?
He wanted to help. Why wouldn't Greg just let him help?
He looked up, ready to confront Greg, but—a sign moseyed by. Welcome to Ann Arbor.
He went rigid. What the actual hell? "This is why you dragged me out here?" he hissed.
"What?"
"You should have just left me at home."
Greg bit his lip. "Nolan..."
He shook his head, refusing to say anymore. Was Greg serious? He hadn't stepped foot in Ann Arbor since the move, and he hadn't planned on ever returning. As they drove through the city, he was reminded why—each familiar street, building, tree—sent a painful pang rippling from his chest, through his body.
There was the intersection where he and Chris made a video about walking the streets at three am.
There was the mom-and-pop grocery store he and his family shopped at a million times, ever since he was little.
He scoured the streets, searching for and dreading to see people he recognized. No one, thank god.
He closed his eyes and shoved his head back on the headrest. But it wasn't safe this way, either, because now all he could see was his mom on the floor. Her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Greg said.
Nolan worked his jaw.
"I honestly didn't even think," Greg continued. "I just wanted to get you out of the house."
He opened his eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Yeah."
Greg sighed, and their conversation fell. Neither spoke until they'd pulled into an expansive parking lot belonging to a vast white building. "Score," Greg said. He slid into a spot at the back. It was the only one available. He pulled the key from the ignition and unbuckled. "Let's go."
"I'm not going in."
"It's almost ninety degrees. You're not waiting in the car."
Nolan wanted to dig in his heels, but the ignition had only been off for thirty seconds, and already the stuffiness was bordering on unbearable. He unbuckled.
An elderly man greeted them at the door. "Hello," he said, propping the door open so they could enter. They thanked him softly and shuffled inside. "I'm sorry to say that service is almost over."
"We're actually here to pick up our brother and his friend," Greg explained.
"Oh? Who's your brother? Maybe I know him."
As Greg and the elderly man chatted, Nolan shoved his hands in his pockets and scanned the area. They were in what looked like a lobby of a cozy hotel, with a greeting desk to their left, couches lining one wall, wooden doors lining the other. Ahead, stairs led the way to a landing and a pair of barn doors.
Distant laughter erupted, coming from the hallway adjacent to the stairs. It melded in with the muffled voice of a preaching pastor. His eyebrows creased. Wait a minute. Was that...Mr. Sison?
Great. Maybe he could explain why God—if the guy even existed—had murdered his parents.
"Alright, everybody, get out of here and go love somebody!"
The doors at the top of the stairs opened and the lobby flooded with churchgoers. Nolan pressed close to the greeting desk, inwardly wincing with each brush of fabric and accidental nudge. There were way too many people in one place.
"Greg!"
Caleb emerged from the swarm. Nolan sagged with relief as he took in Caleb's dirty-blond hair and smiling blue eyes. Finally. Now they could leave.
Sam appeared seconds later, two crafts in her hands. "Caleb gave me his," she explained. "Look at it!"
She flashed a drawing of a man in a colorful robe.
"That's so great," Greg said. "Nice job, Caleb."
"And this is mine!"
She flashed hers—the man with the colorful robe was back, but, next to him, she'd drawn a dark-skinned girl with curly brown hair. Were those raised fists? "I'm his bodyguard," she said, pointing to the girl. "He has dumb brothers."
Greg chuckled. "Amazing."
"We ready to go?" Nolan asked.
"I want you to meet my teachers first!" Caleb said.
"Okay," Greg said, much to Nolan's dismay. He tried to communicate his irritation with his eyes, but Greg either didn't notice or had decided to ignore him. He was leaning toward the latter.
Caleb and Sam grabbed Greg's hands and towed him through the crowd. Nolan followed, murmuring soft apologies and excuse mes to everyone he walked past.
They were led up the stairs, into the sanctuary. For the briefest of moments, Nolan was actually glad they'd been dragged away. The sanctuary—an absurdly expansive space, with three rows of pews, all leading up to a large stage—was nearly empty, save a group of people on stage and a few straggling minglers. But when Caleb pointed at a group of teens at the front left of the room, Nolan froze.
"Nolan, what are you doing?"
He blinked. Greg, Caleb, and Sam had almost reached the cluster of teens. He started forward.
"Hey, Caleb!" Nora said as they approached. She spotted Nolan, and her eyes widened. "Oh, Nolan," she said. "Hey."
"Hey," he said. He shifted on his feet and looked away, toward the stage. It was bad enough that her picnic table was across from his, a constant reminder of his guilt over his rejection and her disappointment. Now he had to see her in public, too?
Caleb's mouth dropped. "You know my brother?" he asked. "Whoa."
"We all do." It was Andy, next to Max and the redheaded girl he recognized from their picnic table.
"No way!"
"Way," Nora said with a laugh. She ruffled his hair. "Are you guys going to the barbecue?"
"What barbecue?" Greg asked.
"Willow, the pastor's daughter, is coming home from college, so they're throwing a barbecue to celebrate," she explained. "The whole church was invited."
Caleb and Sam turned to Greg, pleading. Nolan, for the first time, was thankful Greg had to go to work. At least this time the rejection wouldn't be his fault.
"Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun," Greg said, "but I have to work."
"Aw," Caleb and Sam whined.
"They could hitch a ride with me," Andy offered.
No.
"We're not going straight to Ashfield," the redheaded girl murmured. She smiled timidly at Greg before turning back to Andy. "Remember?"
Ashfield.
"Nate will be cool with it. Hey, Nate!"
By the stage, Mr. Sison turned. "What do you want?" he asked, laughter in his voice.
Nolan blinked. So, it was Mr. Sison he'd heard. Why were there so many people here that he knew?
"Come here!"
Mr. Sison excused himself from the woman he was speaking to and ambled over. "Nolan!" he said. "Nice to see you."
"Do you know everyone?" Caleb asked.
"Hey, Mr. Sison," Nolan said, ignoring Caleb and giving his teacher a polite smile. When would this end? He really missed his bed.
"Oh, call me Nathan."
He nodded. He probably wouldn't ever call him Nathan.
"So, what's up?"
"Would you be cool with some extras coming to the airport with us?" Andy asked.
"Oh, I dunno, all of the attention might go straight to Willow's head," Mr. Sison drawled.
"Maybe throwing a barbecue in her honor wasn't the best of ideas, then," Max said.
Mr. Sison laughed. He looked at Caleb and Sam. "I assume you two are the stowaways?"
They nodded feverishly.
"I'm sure we can squeeze you in."
"Thank you guys so much," Greg said. He raked a hand through his dirty-blond hair. "You're sure you don't mind?"
"Of course! They're absolute delights. Right, guys?"
Caleb and Sam beamed.
"Awesome." Greg smiled. "I hate to ask this of you, but would it be okay if Nolan tagged along, too?"
Nolan's eyes snapped over to Greg. "What?"
"I told Sam's parents he would keep an eye on her, and I wouldn't want to go back on my word," he continued as though Nolan hadn't spoken.
"Of course," Mr. Sison said.
Nolan forced a smile. Greg was so dead.
He winced. Against his will, he envisioned the space where Greg stood as empty. Someday, his brother would be gone.
He blinked, hard. Enough.
"This'll be so fun," Nora said after Greg said goodbye and headed out. Nolan stared after him, his stomach in knots.
"Hell yeah," Andy said.
"Swear jar," Nora, Erin, and Max chorused.
There was something so strange about someone swearing in a church, and yet oddly refreshing.
Mr. Sison chuckled. "Okay, let's get out of here."
Mr. Sison had room for two more in his van and Andy could fit four others beside himself in his Jeep. It was decided that Nora, Nolan, Sam, and Caleb would ride with Andy, and Max and Erin would nab a ride with Mr. Sison.
Nolan slid into the backseat of the Jeep and buckled his seat. While it was small, there was some relief in having been selected to ride in Andy's car. Mr. Sison may have been one of his favorite teachers, but that didn't mean the idea of riding in a car with him wasn't awkward.
"Let's go get Sison," Andy said.
"Yes!" Nora squealed.
Andy put the Jeep into Drive and peeled out of the parking lot.
"Whoa!" Caleb and Sam shouted. They giggled.
Nolan looked out the window.