“Wow! Way to go, bud!”

“You have to see Ace do it. She’s way better!” Colt’s voice is still loud with excitement.

“You’ll be there in no time,” I say, shrugging off his comment.

“Show them, Auntie, show them that move you did where you bounce it up and hit it with your head! That was so cool!” Colt continues, as the other boys start crowding around.

“Maybe another time,” I say.

Colt looks at me with a dejected frown that makes Hank laugh and reach out to ruffle his hair.

“Hey, Ace,” he greets me warmly and takes a few steps closer. I can tell by his posture that he’s going to hug me, and although I genuinely like Hank, this moment feels insanely uncomfortable. It grows when I catch Max’s cold blue eyes on me as his oldest brother wraps me in his arms.

“Hey,” I finally reply into his shoulder as I lightly squeeze my arms around his back in response.

“It’s good to see you,” he says, keeping an arm wrapped around my shoulders as we part.

I smile at him, appreciating the fact he doesn’t seem to hate me and acts undeterred by Max’s obvious unease.

“Where’s Erin?” Max asks, speaking for the first time.

The blank nameplate in my mind fills, and I wish that I was still oblivious. It was better when she didn’t have a name, like in some way that made her less permanent.

All four of the boys turn and look at me.

“Boys.” Hank’s voice is filled with warning.

“Have you ever heard of the game blob?” Jack starts, his eyes wide with hope and half-feigned innocence.

“The game where you tag people and they have to hold your hand?” Hank asks, looking equally hopeful.

“Apparently there’s an updated version,” I say when Jack doesn’t reply.

“What did you guys do?” Hank asks with a groan.

“Well, it’s this game that Henry Martin told me about. He said he saw it on TV where they sprayed someone and covered them with all different colors. Well, we couldn’t find any paint,” Jack says, shrugging his narrow shoulders, “so we used some ketchup.” Hank’s eyes widen.

“And mustard,” Colt adds quietly.

“And Lucky Charms,” Henniger chimes, far less afraid.

“Boys!” Hank groans. “Why would you do that?”

I look up and find Max glaring at me. I blink several times, trying to understand why he looks so upset. A tremor of anger runs through me, making my eyes narrow on him. I cried so hard that I threw up the night I met Danny, and yet Max replaced me so easily, and with someone like her.

“Where did she go?” Max demands, his eyes remaining on mine.

“She wasn’t in a very chatty mood.”

Max scowls then turns back to the house.

“Boys, you ready to go to Grandma’s?” Hank asks, clapping his hands enthusiastically, though his eyes follow Max’s retreat.

“No, Dad. Let’s stay!” Levi whines.

“Yeah, please, Dad?” Colt joins in the whining chorus.

“We’ve got to go, dudes. Grandma’s waiting for us. Say thank you to Ace and go say goodbye to Uncle Max. And tell him you’re sorry.”

“No!” Henniger cries, wrapping around my leg like an octopus.

“Oh, buddy, we’ll come back again,” Hank assures him softly, resting a hand on his shoulder as he squats down to his level.

Levi reluctantly begins to unravel himself, keeping his large brown eyes on me.

“I’m really glad I got to see you. You’re going to have a lot of fun visiting your grandma,” I say, holding my hand out to his.

“Next time I see you I’m going to be able to dribble with my head too!” Jack says excitedly as we step through the back door.

I smile at him to avoid a response. Telling him that I likely won’t see him again, at least not anytime in the foreseeable future, is another thought I don’t want to have.

Colt wraps his arms around my waist and hugs me, saying a jumbled thank you into my side.

Hank smiles as Colt slides his feet across the slick floor and trudges out the front door. “Ace, as always, it was really good seeing you. Sarah will be so disappointed she missed you,” Hank says wrapping me in another hug.

“Tell her I say hello.”

“I will.” He turns and the other boys each give me aggressive hugs before leading Hank outside. Henniger stops in the doorway and turns around, his lips and eyes are both turned down.

“I love you, Auntie Ace,” he says quietly, waving his floppy little hand.

I’m sure the sentiment is because we’ve had fun running around this afternoon, but nonetheless, it pulls on my heartstrings.

“I love you too,” I whisper, earning a small smile.

I head back out to the backyard as they complete their goodbyes in the driveway. Zeus follows me out to where I sit in a patio chair, extending my legs, pointing my black-painted toes toward the sky. I’m considering that my time with Kitty isn’t really helping as much as I’d thought as I feel my strength unraveling faster than a spool of thread.

Kendall finds me in the same spot when she comes home, a big smile across her face.

“Get ready! We’re going out!”

I raise an eyebrow as I turn to look at her. “Where are we going?”

“I honestly couldn’t care less. I have the next ten days off, and we are going to go and party! Party hard!”

The last thing I want to do right now is go out and party, but Kendall’s excitement is palpable, and it fills me with hope that I can bury my fears.

Several hours later I find myself in a small laundry room filled with hordes of dirty laundry that reek of stale cigarette smoke, sweat, and a musky perfume that makes my stomach roll. My fingers weave through my hair pulling it from my face as I turn in a half circle to fully examine the small room, searching for an alternative.

“I know you’re going to hate me for this, but believe me, it’s for your own good,” I say, sliding Kendall’s arm free from my shoulders so she leans against a large pile of clothes. A bright pink thong falls onto her shoulder, making my eyes widen in horror. “Sorry! Sorry!” I cry, grabbing a dirty shirt to lift the offending pair of underwear.

I let out a breath and call Mindi again. Of my three remaining sisters that aren’t currently passed out, I can’t get a hold of any of them. I even tried to reach Caulder and Kyle, something I know would not go over well if they had in fact answered, but I’m a little desperate.

A sick feeling of déjà vu streams through me as I realize I’ve run out of options. Wes hasn’t answered, Jameson’s phone appears to be off, and so is Landon’s because I know he’s already asleep at the house. I press send and slowly rest my phone against my ear, convincing myself he won’t answer.

“I don’t want to talk to you. Especially not when you’re drunk,” Max growls.

I pull the phone from my ear and stare at it like it’s the dirty underwear I just removed from Kendall and contemplate hanging up on him for a long moment.

“When have I ever drunk dialed you?” I demand.

“Harper, I’m not in the mood.”

“I’ve never drunk dialed you!”

“Harper, what do you want?”

“For you to stop saying my name like it’s some disgusting disease for one.” I pause to allow my words to sink in and then take a deep breath. “I need your help.”

“What’s wrong?” Max responds nearly instantly, sounding marginally less vehement.

“Kendall drank something. She drank a lot of something and she’s wasted. I can’t get her to respond at all, and I can’t carry her. I’d call a cab, but I don’t think I can get her through the crowd, and I can’t get a hold of any of my sisters, and Jameson’s phone is off. He didn’t want to come here, and I think he’s mad at Kendall for coming.” I don’t know what it is about Max that has always made me spout off the longest sentences of my life.

“Where are you guys?” I can hear Max rustling and assume he’s getting out of bed and dressed.

I glance at Kendall. Her body is completely relaxed, sprawled across the linoleum floor. “I don’t know exactly, we’re downtown. I need to ask someone for the address and call you back.”