Travis keeps glancing at his phone, which worries me because he's driving. Messages keep coming in, but every time he reaches to check them, I slap his hand away. I'm not about to let him get us into a wreck. Everyone in Norton Valley has already seen the repercussions of bad decisions leading to wrecks.

"What's wrong, Travis?" I peer over the seat to glance at his phone, but it shuts off. I don't want to overstep by turning it back on, but my curiosity has reached its limit.

He shakes his head, reaching over to turn it to silent. "It's nothing, Em. Just Tay."

At the mention of his name, my curiosity vanishes. According to Jackson and Travis, the last time they spoke, it didn't go well. I don't know the details, but there's an inkling feeling that it might be about me. But I don't want to be that girl. The one that plants herself in a group of friends and rips them apart from the inside. That girl is cheap and vicious. The exact opposite of me.

Travis must have seen the look on my face because he sighs and runs a hand over his face. "He wants to apologize to Jackson and me. He told me to come over after practice, but I didn't want to. Besides, I already had plans with you. And I know he's trying to do better, but I can't deal with him right now. I love the guy, but..."

"It's too much at once?" I offer, glancing at my smudged makeup in the mirror before using a napkin to fix it. I know what that's like. Returning to school after a huge change isn't exactly a walk in the park. And maybe it's wrong to equate losing weight to losing your brother and your sight, but at least I knew a little. Travis only sees it from the outside.

He hesitates for a moment. "Yeah. That sounds about right."

He doesn't talk for the rest of the ride to his mom's house, but he never keeps his eyes off his phone for more than a few seconds. I contemplate asking him to tell me the way so I could drive, but he's probably too proud to admit he needs me to take over. It doesn't help that Tay's messages are relentless. Will the guy ever let up?

Come to think of it, probably not.

I sigh and lean my head against the window. We've reached the more expensive-looking area of town, Pine Hills. It's covered in large, fancy houses surrounded by a ring of pine trees. Houses that are vastly different than mine. Many are large. Much larger than the three-bedroom one my mom and dad bought when I was young. It's hard to believe that this many people live in Norton Valley and have enough money for such expensive housing.

By the time we get to the Blake residence, I'm not sure how much longer I can handle the silence. Thankfully, the view of Travis's house occupies me. It's normal. So out of place with the surrounding houses.

"Your house isn't..." Travis will probably think I'm ignorant for thinking he has a large house. Of course, he doesn't. Mayor Blake, if I remember right, said in her campaign that she enjoys the small luxuries of life. Apparently, a normal house qualifies as a small luxury.

"Big?" He smiles as he pulls into the driveway. "Yeah, no. My dad is the one with the big house. Not my mom."

"I see that. Not that there's anything wrong with a normal house," I add quickly. I shake my head. "Let's just get inside. Is she home?"

He shrugs. "How should I know? She could very well be at the city hall."

Why are we here if he isn't sure she's even here? I have to get everything ready for the fundraiser, and without the permit, I'd have to find somewhere else. Tay's attitude is getting increasingly intense since everyone found out about the surgery problem, and I'm not waiting for it to get worse. If we can get this done sooner rather than later, maybe he'll have a better chance at a full recovery.

"I'm joking, Emori."

"Let's just go in." I shake my head and bite back my annoyance.

As I get out of the truck, I feel Travis's eyes on me as I stomp up the walkway to the front door. Just as I reach the porch, his truck door slams shut before he appears at my side.

"Mom, I'm home," he calls as he hangs his keys on the hook beside the door. When no one answers, he calls, "Are you home?"

A pan falls in the kitchen, followed by a loud, unladylike curse. Whoever it is, doesn't seem to be having a great day. Her string of curses includes more words than I thought existed - most of them probably aren't even English.

"Monica?" Travis steps into the kitchen. A dark-skinned woman is there, on her hands and knees with paper towels.

"Sorry." She shakes her head as she wipes sauce off the floor. She's maybe in her mid-fifties. It seems difficult for her to be on the hard tile floor.

Travis kneels down and gently took the paper towels from Monica. "Here, let me help." I'm not sure what to do, so I stand to the side. "You're getting way too old for this, you know that, Miss Monica?"

She smacks his arm as he helps her up. The crow's feet along her eyes fan out as she smiles. Despite my original examination, she doesn't look as old as I originally thought. Her blue eyes sparkle as she looks up at Travis, and only a few wrinkles mark her face. "Am not. I may be getting up there in years but I am not old."

He shrugs and chuckles as he lets go of her arms. "Where's Mom?"

"I think she's in her office." She blows a strand of graying brown hair out of her face and points down the hall. "She might have left while I was cleaning the bathroom, but I believe she is still in there."

I follow Travis's line of sight down the hall. Something to my left makes a sound, and I jump. "What the heck was that?"

"What was what?" Travis looks behind me in confusion. Then his face softens into a laugh as he picks up a mass of fur. "Oh, you mean Daisy."

"Who?" The mass of fur doesn't move as he brings it over. Is it dead? Or is he one of those weird people who have their pets stuffed when it passes away?

"My cat. Her name is Daisy."

At the second mention of her name, the cat lifts her head and meows. The patterns running down her back are a muddy brown that runs together like tiger stripes. The rest of her is adorned in gray and white splotches, and her green eyes focus on me with almost predatory interest.

"Oh." I walk up to them, and Travis dumps her into my arms before sauntering down the hall. Her nails dig into my chest as I begin walking, and I pet her to soothe her. "Nice kitty."

"She's here, Em. Come on." Travis waves me over.

I scowl at him. Can't he see I'm doing my best? If I move any faster, Daisy will probably skin me alive.

"Mayor Blake?" I step into the office and try to put Daisy down as I wait for her to answer. But the cat won't budge.

She looks up from her desk, her hair pulled up into a petite black bun. Her makeup is pristine as usual, but her desk is a mass of papers and writing utensils. It's a wonder she can find anything.

"Hello, Emori. Travis says you have an event you need a permit for?" She smiles as she flicks her pen back and forth between her fingers.

"Yes, actually." I finally manage to wrestle Daisy off me and hand her to Travis. "I'm sure that as I close friend of Mrs. Perez, you know of the... surgical troubles."

She nods, waiting for me to continue. The way she looks at me is pure business-like, and her intense gaze makes me shrink into myself.

"I came up with a fundraiser that I think can help raise the money for it. It's not very costly. I just need a gazebo permit from you and then I've gotta ask a few more people to help."

"We aren't telling Tay and his parents until after, either." Travis steps forward and rests a hand on my shoulder. "They wouldn't let us do it if they knew about it."

She nods and writes something on her notepad. "I think it's an amazing idea. I'll get the permit written up and everything, and I'll personally pay the fee for you. I'll email your mom an electronic permit."

"Thank you so much!" I fight the urge to crush her in a hug.

Travis leads me back through his house to the front door. Daisy is perched on the back of the couch, her tail swishing behind her as she watches me leave. I shudder and step outside to walk to Travis's truck.

My phone buzzes and the screen lights up with Asa's name on an Instagram notification. A follow request. I accept it and my eyebrows shoot up when I immediately get a message from him. "Heard from Lottie that you're planning a fundraiser for Tay. How's that going?"

That blab-mouth. Hopefully, she doesn't end up telling her family.

"I just got the permit I need from the mayor. I'm going home to email a few more people and make some posters." I hit send just as I reach the truck.

As Travis drives me home, I scan through Asa's Instagram. Most of his posts are of him at concerts over the summer and at parties with his friends. My heart does a backflip when I scroll up to his most recent post. He's in a swimsuit, and in the background are Tonie, Angel, and a few other people I don't recognize. But that isn't what caught my eye. No, Asa is the main focus.

He isn't exactly as well-built or wide-shouldered as Tay or Travis, but despite how thin he looks at first sight, each muscle in his torso is lean and defined.

"Stalking someone's Insta, hey?" Travis remarks as he pulls into my driveway.

I turn the phone away from him. "Absolutely not." I quickly add a "see you later" as I jump out of his truck, face burning.

My phone buzzes again in my hand with another message from Asa. "Can I help?"