Stupid rich girl thinks she owns this school because her daddy's a hotshot lawyer with a mansion on the outskirts of town. Is what Declan Coffey would have said about Kyleigh Hayes if he wasn't too busy staring down the principal. The back window of the room framed Principal Moses's bearded face well, but the lighting from behind made him look very ominous.

"Care to explain why Ms. Hayes said you were stalking her?" he asked. "We take things like that very seriously in this school."

Declan sighed. "I wasn't stalking her." Next year, he would hopefully be at college and not have to worry about things like this. High school was so overrated.

"She said you came up to her and her friends with a digital camera and started taking pictures."

"That's not what happened." Self-consciously, Declan looked down at his neck, where he still had a camera hung. "I'm a nature photographer--well, at least, I want to be one. I was taking pictures of the budding trees in the forest. I didn't even notice the girls were there until they started yelling at me."

Leave it to Kyleigh to pull something like this. She had most of the students fooled with her looks (admittedly she was very hot) but not Declan. For almost as long as he could remember, she had been a spoiled brat--making fun of peoples' lunches, talking back to teachers, threatening to sue people who bothered her. In second grade, he had made the mistake of calling her that to her face, and since that day she had made it her mission to make his life as difficult as possible. This latest stunt was on brand, but that didn't mean it didn't bother him.

Principal Moses pondered this. "You're a good kid, Mr. Coffey. I believe you--and we both know Ms. Hayes can be a handful. But stalking complaints aren't something I can take lightly. I'll write this one off, but repeated complaints will have to go on your official transcript, which will diminish your chances of getting into college."

Declan nodded briskly--he didn't want to risk his chances of college. "Yes, sir. You don't have to tell me twice. I promise I'll stay away from Kyleigh Hayes for the rest of the year." He had been exposed to her for long enough. Hopefully avoiding her would be good for everyone's mental health.

He had no idea how difficult it would be to keep that promise.

By this point, Declan had the instructions memorized for the Fox River Design College application. A portfolio must consist of up to five photographs along with a brief description (100 words) of how you created each one. For nature/wildlife photographers, at least one photo must show a wild animal in its natural habitat. Consideration will be given to the effort put into each piece. Remember, this is a chance for you to show off your best and hardest work!

He had plenty pictures of flowers, birds, squirrels, and trees, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. He would be competing with kids who traveled the world and took pictures of leopards and elephants, so he needed something truly extraordinary. A rare animal, something impressive and endangered.

Hence the Thornton's warbler, a beautiful yellow bird that only lived in a few forests in the world. If Awesomebirdlover1000 on the internet was to be trusted, there was one living in the forest somewhere near this town. If he found it, he would definitely get into Fox River. There, professional photography wasn't a mere fantasy for people to laugh at. It was a creative pathway, a pursuit for dreamers who genuinely believed in the power of art to change the world. And it was the place he wanted to go more than anywhere else.

So far, despite plenty of research on the warbler, he hadn't seen any evidence that it existed. Still, he spent lots of time wandering the outskirts of town in the afternoons and evenings when it was supposed to be the most active, hoping he would stumble upon it.

He stepped over a log, looking around. It was almost golden hour, the best time for photography, so he snapped a few quick shots of the redbud trees glowing in the afternoon sun. He was about to go around and get a different angle when he heard it: birdsong.

Trilllllllla treeee! Trillllla treeeee! Just like the recordings he had listened to online.

Declan froze and cocked his head, hoping the bird would sing again and it wasn't a figment of his imagination. Finally, he heard the song coming from deeper into the woods. Slowly and deliberately, he followed its call.

Trilllllla treeeee! The birdsong seemed to never get closer. Declan saw an interesting-looking spiderweb, but he couldn't take a photo now. He had to pursue his mission.

There it was! Just like in the pictures online, the Thornton's warbler sat on a stone grooming its feathers. It must have been a male, because it was beautifully, almost ostentatiously colored. Its body was vibrantly blue, and the golden crest on its head seemed to glow with sunlight. He knelt down in the trees, selecting the right lens for the job.

Just as he lined up the shot, the bird hopped off the stone and flew farther away. Declan cursed under his breath and began following it into the forest.

He couldn't follow very far, though. A fence blocked his way--barbed wire marked with red and white signs. No Trespassing. Property of Finley Hayes, Esq.

Great. If there was one thing all the articles about the Thornton's warbler agreed on, it was that it didn't leave its nest very often in the springtime. If the warbler's nest was on the other side of that barbed wire, Declan had only one way to get his perfect shot and apply for his dream school.

He had to convince Kyleigh to let him into her backyard.

Declan scrolled through Fox River social media that night until his eyes burned. The application was due on April 12th, which had seemed like a lot of time at first--but now it felt oppressively soon. Surely he could find the Thornton's warbler again in that time. There had to be a backup plan that didn't involve talking to his nemesis. Maybe he could find another way around the fence.

Except if he did that without getting permission, he wouldn't be a fake stalker. He would be a real stalker. Then he wouldn't be any closer to college.

Instagram showed him pictures of field trips the photography students were taking: sea turtles in tropical blue water, macaws in the jungle, close-ups of brightly colored constrictor snakes. Self-consciously, he looked at the picture he had taken of the redbud trees in the evening sun. Sure, it was beautiful, but it wasn't exactly a standout compared to the exotic landscapes and animals on the screen. He went to sleep dreaming of what he would do when he saw the warbler again. How he would frame it. What shutter speed and aperture he would use. Its feathers were so yellow and blue, a natural contrast that made it one of the most photogenic birds he'd ever seen.

He woke up groggily, barely managing to stagger out of bed for school. His mom had left a plate of corn muffins on the counter for him, and he ate one with butter before he headed out the door. The walk to school was familiar, but today, his thoughts raced.

He couldn't exactly walk up to Kyleigh and ask to go into her massive backyard to photograph a bird. She would just call him crazy. At the same time, though, he couldn't be too subtle about it or nothing would ever happen.

Too soon, he stood at the front entrance of school. Ironically, Kyleigh showed up at the exact same time he did. She pulled up in her car with a group of her friends: Meena, Val, and Dottie something-or-other, the resident drama queens of Wildwood High. All four girls wore crop tops and way too much makeup on their faces, but her outfit was definitely the craziest--floppy hat, pink bell bottoms, white lace-up shoes. She and her friends took turns checking each other's makeup, paying no attention to the fact that they were blocking the road. Then the other three walked inside, leaving Kyleigh to park the car.

Declan loitered by the door, waiting for Kyleigh to finish parking so he could talk to her. Meena shot a deprecating glance at him as she walked by, something like who is this loser standing here for no reason? Maybe he did look a little weird.

Eventually she showed up, bright blonde hair waving under the big floppy white hat. She looked like a melting cowgirl. As she walked by, she shot him a cursory glance, similar to Meena's, but more curious than superior.

"Hey," Declan said.

She paused. "What?" Not an evil what. Just an annoyed, rushed what.

"I just think it's not cool to tell on me to the principal for nothing," he said. "I wasn't trying to stalk you and your friends, just take pictures of the plants in the forest." Great job there. Definitely the best way to quickly make friends with somebody was to call them out on their bratty nonsense.

She considered it for a moment. "Well, I'm sorry," she answered briskly. "You should be more careful about where you point that camera. People might get the wrong idea. Is that all?"

Why had he thought this was a good idea? He needed a backup plan fast--talking to Kyleigh was getting him nowhere. "Yeah," he said. "That's all."

It was an awkward end to the conversation, especially considering the fact that they had class in rooms next to each other, so they had to walk down the hall next to each other for the next few minutes. His hand accidentally brushed her arm on the way through a doorway, and he quickly retracted it. Didn't want to get any of those bratty rich girl cooties on him--or that gross stinky perfume and lotion.

Still, though... this was the first time he had ever heard her apologize for one of her schemes. Maybe, deep down, there was more to Kyleigh Hayes than he knew. But it had to be very deep down.

Declan stared at the whiteboard in the physics classroom, hoping he was reading it wrong. Of course, he and Kyleigh were lab partners. Of course they were lab partners, despite the fact that he had literally promised to stay away from her for the rest of the year. This whole "pre-assigned random lab partners" thing they were trying this year was a real headache. He was surprised he'd made it through the first semester without being forced to interact with her.

He flashed back to last time he had been lab partners with Kyleigh, back in seventh grade. It was a disaster. They had measured pH of water using bright color-changing liquid. She had refused to do any of the work, stating that "it might get on my shirt." So he had to do everything by himself while she sat on the side and scrolled on her phone, which led to all the measurements being wrong.

His friends Kim and Joss, who had been assigned as partners, looked at him with pity before heading off to their workstation. He nodded and twirled his finger next to his head, the universal sign for crazy. They disappeared into the far corner of the room, giggling.

At least today's lab was something he knew a lot about: lenses. It involved shooting beams of light through differently shaped lenses and finding the point where they came into focus. He figured he could knock it out in twenty minutes, with or without help from Kyleigh, so he began setting the equipment up.

She showed up three minutes late, having exchanged her floppy hat for a set of different-colored hair clips. She didn't acknowledge Declan's existence at first, just picked up the instruction book and started thumbing through it. He sighed and got ready for another awkward non-interaction. At least it was better than a hostile interaction. "What are we doing first?" she asked matter-of-factly after a few moments.

He was too surprised to say anything for a moment. "Probably go in order of convexity," he said at last, matching her flat tone.

They went through the motions of the first measurement quietly, adjusting the lens until it focused to a single point of light on the wall. Looking at the light, Declan was reminded of yesterday evening: the warbler's beautiful feathers in the evening sun, disappearing behind a wall of barbed wire--and with it, his chances of a college career. She was his chance to get another look at that bird, and he refused to blow it.

"Hey," he said to Kyleigh, wrinkling his nose at her perfume, "how was your day?"

A veritable record scratch. She froze and locked eyes on him. "Why are you asking me that? I thought you hated me."

"Not really," he said, semi-truthfully. He only hated her because she was so hateable. It was justified.

She picked up another lens and checked her reflection in it before slotting it into the lab machine. "It was a pretty good day," she answered. "Hung out with my friends, did some homework, tried out a new makeup brand, all that. Now let's get back to the lab."

The second measurement took even longer than the first due to both of their stubborn refusal to exchange words. By the end of it, the point on the wall was still a bit blurry, but he figured it was close enough for full credit. He closed his eyes and thought about getting a scholarship to Fox River, finally meeting other photography students there who saw the world the same way he did--as a work of art waiting to be captured. It started with the warbler. It started with Kyleigh.

"Hey--" he said.

She cut him off before he could even ask another question. "What? Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden?"

"Fine," he snapped. "Be that way. I guess I was wrong for trying to be nice to a psychopath like you."

Kyleigh side-eyed him as she twirled a pencil between her fingers. "That's a little rich coming from a nerd like you," she growled. "You really think I'm a psychopath?"

"Yes!" The answer exploded out of him faster than he could rein it in. "Because you are one! You're a brat, you don't care about other peoples' feelings, you think you can do whatever you want just because your dad's rich, and you've been trying to make my life miserable for the past ten years!"

Instantly, Declan knew he had gone too far. He wished he could put the rant back in his mouth, but just like normal vomit, word vomit was impossible to swallow back up. Kyleigh flinched and shrank away as though she had been hit, then went back to writing in the workbook, very deliberately keeping her eyes away from him. He silently cursed. He was never going to find that bird again before the deadline, not after that misstep.

For the next fifteen minutes, as they tried to set up the third lens, they didn't even look at each other. Nothing they tried would make the light on the wall come into focus, no amount of pushing or pulling or even rotating. Declan was supposed to be good at this, and the longer it took, the more frustrated he got at his own inability. He was considering giving up and faking a set of measurements when he heard Kyleigh speak up.

"Take a break and come back to it later?" she offered exasperatedly.

"Yeah," he groaned. He sat down on the floor next to the table. A moment later, he heard her sit down next to him on his right. Ignoring her, he kept his attention directly on the wall to his left, which had the periodic table printed on it. Rhenium. Osmium. Stupid spoiled rich girls. Beautiful, elusive songbirds.

"Declan." Kyleigh's voice was softer, almost apologetic. That was new.

He still didn't turn to look at her, but he shifted his focus toward her. "What?"

She sighed. "I haven't been trying to make your life miserable. I barely know you, and all you ever do is shoot passive-aggressive vibes at me. The stalking report was a misunderstanding. Sure, I was mad that you called me a spoiled brat in second grade, and I played some mean pranks on you when we were twelve, but that was middle school. People change."

Now Declan was pretty sure he was living in an alternate universe. He finally turned to look at Kyleigh, who had her arms wrapped around her knees as she leaned back against the table leg. Yes, she really had just admitted she was wrong.

"I'm sorry for being passive-aggressive," he said. "And for calling you a psychopath."

"I'm sorry for assuming the worst of you," she answered with a small smile. She stood up, poofy pants swishing around her legs. "Now are you ready to finish this lab, or what?"

He clambered up to his feet next to her and looked with a fresh set of eyes down at the lens. The concave lens. Which was supposed to be convex. He laughed out loud, recognizing the irony of the situation. "All this time, we've had it backwards."

He turned it around, and she quickly adjusted it to a tiny dot of light. He measured the distance as she wrote it down. Lab was officially over, and for once, Declan didn't find the experience of being near Kyleigh blood-curdling.

"Hey," he said as they left the lab, "maybe we can get reintroduced now that we don't hate each other? Like, hang out, see who we actually are under all the defensiveness and prickles."

She chuckled. "You know, you're not so bad when you're not lurking in the woods. Sure, me and my friends go to game night at the Riverfront Canteen on Sundays. Stop by sometime." Then she disappeared again down the hallway, rejoining the drama queens with a smile--a group of brightly colored, chattery macaws flocking around the halls and looking down on everyone.

As soon as they were gone, Declan gave a little fist pump. His plans for the college application were all coming together. He and Kyleigh still weren't friends, but it didn't seem impossible anymore that they could be.

After lab, Joss texted. No shot you were chatting with the Bitch Queen without killing each other.

Declan laughed. Yeah, it wasn't so bad, he texted back.

Dude! You know she's just biding her time to stab you in the back. Sure, that was what he would usually have thought. But today had felt different than all those other times. She had told him people change, and he wanted to believe it.

He composed a hasty response. No, this time she's not using me. I'm using her. As quickly as possible, he explained the situation with his college application, the warbler, and his plan to get a closer picture by making friends with Kyleigh. She won't even know what hit her. Promise.

He could almost see Joss raising his eyebrows. You're still trying to get into that photography school?

He remembered the first conversation he had told his friends about Fox River, about this time last year. They hadn't laughed him off, but they hadn't encouraged it either. He remembered their serious, hard expressions, telling him that Fox River rejected thousands of applications a year, telling him that photographers didn't make any money anyway. Reminding him that even if he did get in, he would need scholarships to go at all.

Yeah, he said.

And you think this one bird will make you stand out from all those others? Joss asked.

Yeah. Part of their criteria is based on how much effort you put into finding the animal. This bird is super rare.

To Declan's surprise, Joss answered with a laughing emote. Then another. Don't you think this is a little too much effort, even for their standards? he asked.

He paused. That thought hadn't crossed his mind at all, but now that he pondered it, it was a bit of a complicated plan. Surely there was another way he could find an endangered animal in the wild. Or another way he could lure the Thornton's warbler out of its nest on the Hayes property. Or even another way he could get onto the Hayes property itself--maybe by talking to Mr. Hayes, or getting hired to clean the house.

But then he remembered talking to Kyleigh during lab--probably the first time he had ever really talked to her, despite going to the same school for their whole lives. He felt like a load of stress had lifted off his shoulders after that conversation. She had smiled, not a sadistic smile, but a genuine one. There was still a lot of stress there from ten years of animosity, but the more they got to know each other for real, the more they could both relax and feel better. At that moment, he realized that the college application plan might not be the only reason he wanted to be her friend.

No, he texted. This plan is perfect and has no flaws.

He actually went to the Riverfront Canteen that weekend.

He hadn't been sure until that morning if he would do it or not. On the one hand: Board games. On the other: Drama queens. But when he arrived, he found the small bar crowded and inviting. He had to drive around the block to even find a place to park.

Inside, it was brightly lit and smelled like beer cheese and air freshener. The back wall, behind the bar, had books stacked against it instead of alcohol bottles. People of all ages sat at tables and booths, playing board and card games. The chatter and banter were loud but not overpowering. He ordered a pretzel and a Coke, then went to find Kyleigh.

He passed by a group of schoolkids trading Pokemon cards and a pair of middle-aged ladies playing chess before finding her and her friends sitting at a booth in the back. They were just finishing up a game of Uno when he walked up and waved.

Val punched Dottie in the arm lightly. "He actually came," she chortled. "Pay up."

Kyleigh snorted with laughter, a very undignified sound. Then she motioned for Declan to sit down. "Don't mind them," she said. "But honestly, I wasn't expecting you to show up either."

He put his pretzel down and sat at the very end of the booth, deliberately distant from the girls. "So," he said, feeling uncomfortably like a mouse in a field of cats, "what are we playing?"

"So glad you asked!" Dottie pointed to a big box. "Now that we've got five people, we can set up Wingspan. Kyleigh's been asking to play this for weeks."

Declan's breath caught. It was a game about... photographing birds? Did they somehow know?

"What's the matter?" Meena asked, seeing the look on his face. "Scared of losing? Put that pride aside, we're all going to lose to Kyleigh anyway."

Kyleigh smirked at her friends. "Admitting defeat early, I see."

"Nah," said Dottie. "Maybe defeat for you."

The game was difficult to learn and play, but Declan found the card art beautiful. The girls chatted with each other about their plans for summer break. He didn't join in at any point. He didn't want to face the fact that he would probably be working all summer, trying to save enough money for community college while also finding photography gigs on the side. Meanwhile, Kyleigh was going to London with her dad.

He tried to tell himself he was staying focused on the game, but really, he was just focused on his own thoughts. That's why he was so surprised when, halfway through the game, she spoke to him. "Nice kestrel."

"What?" He looked at the bird he had just played: American kestrel. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. It's a great bird. But you probably don't want to play it at this stage in the game."

"Why?" he asked. She gave an explanation he didn't really understand, talking about probability and resources, but he found himself nodding in agreement.

"You play this often?" he asked incredulously at the end. "You really know your stuff."

"Nah, not really. I just like this kind of stuff: strategy, luck, risk. It comes naturally."

"Ah." Declan studied the kestrel card: its delicate barred wings and striped chest, its big black eye that seemed to glint with a predatory light as though it were alive. Dainty and dangerous. "I just like the pretty birds on the cards."

She nodded. "That too. Of course."

At the end of the night, when they counted up points, she had a dozen more points than he did in second place. Apparently she wasn't just the stupid rich girl he had always assumed she was.

She gloated to her friends, who laughed. Then they all headed out to her car, leaving Declan alone. He decided he was coming back next week--right after he learned enough Wingspan strategy to beat Kyleigh.

For the next few days, Declan didn't see Kyleigh much. But for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about their brief conversation at the Riverfront Canteen. He'd said maybe four things to her, but that was four more (non-insult) things than he'd probably said over the past four years. Who knew it felt so good to not be despised?

He brought his camera to school every day, even when it wasn't the day of photography class, thinking of Fox River and the application. He hoped inspiration would strike him at some point, maybe during lunch break, but no great shots ever revealed themselves. Between classes, he read some of his favorite wildlife photographers' blog posts. One of them worked for National Geographic, and he was currently on a trip in Bhutan capturing pictures of the snow leopard population. Photos of the majestic cats accompanied stories explaining how there were only a few thousand of them left, the words and the pictures working together to tell a story more impactful than either alone. That was what he wanted to do. Take pictures that made a difference. Show people the true beauty of the world around them. Inspire them to help save it.

That Thursday, after school, he hiked a few miles out on the riverside trail to try and find birds in the local state forest. Unfortunately for his one free afternoon, the sky was cloudy and cast a flat light on everything, making it near-impossible to get good shots of anything. Still, he enjoyed walking through the woods, seeing the bright, vivid greens of budding oak leaves and smelling the sharp scent of pine. The occasional bird or squirrel skittered through the treetops, bringing a smile to his face.

The river looked muddier than normal, although maybe it was just the light. A family of mallards floated down the water, a mom and dad and their ducklings. He thought they looked scrawnier than usual, and he hoped there was enough food growing out here.

As he walked further, the wind picked up, blowing last fall's dead leaves away into the river. He shivered, wishing he'd worn a heavier jacket than his soft blue hoodie. The smell of pine grew stronger, mixing with something else mossy, damp, and overpowering. Already dark, the clouds grew even darker, shading the forest like twilight had come early.

Declan weighed his options. It was almost three miles back to town, and he didn't want to walk an hour in the rain. But there was a parking lot off a side trail, much closer, and he was pretty sure it had a small shelter. Better than nothing, at least.

The rain came on fast, turning from a few drops to a torrent within a few minutes. Declan put his camera back inside his case and stuck it beneath his hoodie, clutching it close to his chest and praying it wouldn't get wet. Water soaked through his hair and dripped down into his face. He felt it permeating through the fabric of his clothes, so he hunched over more. By the time he reached the little picnic shelter, he felt like a drowned rat.

He checked his camera before anything else. It was okay. He breathed a massive sigh of relief, then zipped it carefully back inside its case. His hands were still wet, and he didn't want to accidentally damage it.

A single car sat in the parking lot outside, its windshield soaked beneath a curtain of silver-white rain. The headlights were dormant, but he stared at the sedan anyway, trying to make out if anyone was inside.

After a minute, a figure in a yellow rain poncho came running down the trail, holding a set of car keys out in front of her. The car's headlights blazed to life. Declan figured this was his one chance to escape the rainstorm, so he took it as his cue to step out of the shelter and flag them down.

"Please," he started, "can you drive me back to Wildwood? I know I'm a strange kid in the woods, and you don't know me, but I promise--"

"Declan?"

The girl took off her poncho hood to reveal the blonde hair and electric blue eyes of none other than Kyleigh Hayes.

Well, that was unexpected.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pointing the car keys at him like a sword.

"I could ask you the same question, didn't think you were--" Declan cut himself off before he could make a jab about how she was too prissy to walk out in nature. Not the right time for that. "But I won't, because I really need your help. I walked out here by myself, and I need a ride back home."

"And you didn't think to check the weather schedule?" she asked, somewhat incredulously. "Fine. Fine. I guess I won't let you drown out here, because I'm a good person."

"You? A good person?" he laughed as he got in the car. In the past, he would have said that with a sarcastic, condescending tone. But now, it was more lighthearted--still sarcastic, but playfully teasing, like a friend would.

Kyleigh just sighed and stared ahead, turning the windshield wipers on and watching them swish across the glass at incredible speed. The radio came on, too: a girl singing over a bubbly pop beat. Declan recognized the song as one of the most popular songs from the previous summer. She turned it off immediately, leaving only the sound of rain pounding on the car roof.

He rubbed his hands together, trying to dry them off. This was a nice car, and he hated to get it wet. "Look," he said, "I didn't mean to give you an existential crisis or anything. I thought we were trying to be friends. And before you ask, no, I didn't stalk you here."

"I wasn't going to ask that, but now the thought's in my head." She laughed and rubbed her thumb across the steering wheel. "It's just, I've been thinking a lot about that kind of thing lately. Am I really a good person?" He was about to say something--he wasn't sure what--but she just kept talking, so he listened. "My dad's a corporate lawyer--I've seen him argue for all kinds of scummy business practices in court. I always thought I would be great at following in his footsteps, but lately I've been wondering if I should go to pre-law school at all. I just don't think I could do it, you know?"

"Do what?" He thought about the game they'd played last weekend. "You're pretty good at logical thinking. You could probably make a million dollars out of law school." And most of that would be from nepotism, but that wasn't his point.

"I don't think I could defend something I know is wrong." She slumped against the car seat behind her. "I'd rather... I don't know."

"I get it," Declan said. "You want to make a real difference in the world, even if you're not sure exactly how to do it." He thought about his own dream of design school, which seemed so impossible. "Been there."

"That's different," she muttered. "You've been so sure of yourself for all these years. All you've ever wanted to do is the thing you're great at."

He felt the camera case, wet against his chest. Kyleigh had just said he was great at photography. A warm feeling welled up in his stomach despite the pouring rain. Something about being here felt unreal, like a strange and improbable dream where he could speak freely about anything. Even the secrets he was scared of admitting to himself.

"I'm less sure now than I've ever been," he admitted. "My friends and family don't think I should go to school for photography. They tell me it's a crazy idea, and I wonder all the time if they're right." He ran his fingers across the strap of the case, remembering his favorite photos from the last few months--birds, flowers, trees at sunrise. "Maybe I am delusional, but doesn't everyone start somewhere?"

Kyleigh sat back up and stared at him quizzically. "I'll admit it's pretty crazy of you walking out in the middle of nowhere in a rainstorm. I guess we'll just have to figure ourselves out somehow."

"Yeah." Declan glanced down at the dashboard. "Can I at least turn the radio back on?" She nodded, and the sound of bubbly pop came blasting through the speakers again as he pressed the power button.

"I didn't think you were one for pop radio," she said as she threw the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot.

"I didn't think you were one for walking in the forest and getting your feet dirty," Declan shot back, "so I guess we're both full of surprises."

"Fair enough. For what it's worth, you look like you listen to alt-rock in a clammy basement. Not an insult, just a fact."

"Yeah? Well, you look like..." Actually, he realized, Kyleigh wasn't wearing anything crazy right now. She had on a regular pair of jeans and sneakers. And she wasn't wearing makeup. He didn't think he'd seen her without makeup since elementary school at least.

Her eyes locked forward, concentrated on navigating the car through the rain, and he figured he should probably shut up.

Water flowed through cracks in the concrete, turning the uphill and downhill stretches of road into veritable rivers. The tires skidded a few times, but Kyleigh's attention remained laser-focused on the road. Declan gripped the edge of his seat tightly. It would be just his luck if he died in a car crash right after making amends with his childhood nemesis.

Finally, they reached the main road and the car stopped bouncing and skidding around. They breathed a sigh of relief in perfect sync, then laughed.

For the rest of the ride back to town, neither of them said anything. Only the sweet, sugary pop lyrics and the rhythmic rain kept them company.