Too exasperated to be embarrassed about being caught talking to herself, Lacey blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. “I don’t know.” The temptation to just let it all out almost swept her away. Jake’s voice reeled her back in.
“Well, are you okay?” he asked.
The question evoked a new dilemma, that of lie or truth, reality or perception. The need to know the truth won out, and Lacey held up her hand and revealed the book of matches. “No, I’m really not okay,” she countered.
Jake stood there and didn’t flinch.
“Why do you have matches in your pants pocket?” she nearly yelled.
“Because me and some kids were trying to burn a message on the tables in the courtyard at school,” he yelled back defiantly. “What did you think I had them for?” his question more an accusation than an
