Lex fought the urge to scream.

He ignored her, instead motioning to his friend. “This is Oliver.”

“Hi. Nice to meet you.” No way was Oliver one of Richard’s friends. They all tended to have the same slick charm, but Oliver seemed rather mild-mannered, like a tanned, Asian Clark Kent. “Bye, Richard.”

“Wait a minute, where are you going?”

“We’re having dinner.”

“I know. We’ll join you.”

Lex lowered her voice to a hiss. “I don’t remember asking you.”

Richard chucked her under the chin as he breezed past her toward the restaurant doors. “I’m your brother. I don’t need to be asked.”

Lex stormed after them.

Hot Pot Town looked more like a warehouse than a restaurant. A mish-mash of tables packed every open space, and they managed to find a cafeteria-style table near the food buffets. The waiter started their tabletop burner topped by a steel kettle of chicken broth – the “hot pot” – and took their drink orders.

Lex wandered to the refrigerated raw meats and selected chicken and beef, sliced so thin she could almost see her white plate through them. Each of them would cook their own selections in the broth at the table. She had moved to the marinated seafood when she realized Gecko followed her.

“So, you’re Lex?”

“Yeah.”

He didn’t get the message from her clipped tone. “I’m Hector.”

“I know.” And I don’t need to know anything more about you. Hmm, the marinated scallops or shrimp? She got a scoop of each.

Gecko hovered near her shoulder. She jerked away from his invasion of her personal space.

“So, Lex, what do you do?” Joviality so heartily false it sounded like a Barney movie.

She slammed him with a hard, direct glare. “Don’t even. I know Grandma told your mother – ”

“Aunt, actually.”

Lex shrugged and went back to the black bean sauce chicken.

“Well, then, since all the cards are on the table…” Gecko’s voice grew more forceful, less pleasant. “Let’s be honest here. I’d just like some game tickets.” Gecko smiled as if he’d said something intelligent.

“No.” Ohh, they had Chinese broccoli and bok choy.

“Aw, come on.” Slime coated his voice. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Since we’re being honest, Geck – Hector, I have to tell you that you’d be a pretty boring date.” Lex spooned some corn onto her plate.

“Who’s talking date? I can make it worth your while the other way. ”

His attempt at being subtle, she guessed. He’d make a lousy Yakuza. “You mean money?” She pitched her voice rather loud.

He sucked in his cheeks and flapped his hands at her. “Keep it down.”

“You mean money?” She said it even louder, if possible.

“Yes, yes, just shut up.”

She rescued a piece of fish before it rolled off the edge of her plate.

She had finished getting food for the hot pot. “The answer’s no.”

“I can pay as much as you want – ”

Lex turned toward their table, but Gecko stood in the way and laid a hand on her arm. She jolted away. “Listen, buddy, jailbait isn’t my first career choice.”

“Who’s to know?”

“What about the word ‘no’ do you not understand?”

“Oh, come on – ”

“Hey, Lex.”

She’d never been so glad to see Aiden. Yet again. “What are you doing here?”

Aiden lifted an eyebrow. “ ‘Why, hello, Aiden. How are you?’ ”

She smiled. “Hello, Aiden. How are you?”

“I’m fine. I’m here with my friend Spenser and his girlfriend.”

“I’m here to celebrate Wassamattayu tryouts.”

“Great! How’d they – ”

“Excuse me, Aiden, we’re having a conversation.” Gecko thrust his face in between them.

Aiden’s face became stone. “Sounded to me like you’d already finished.”

“Not by a long shot.”

“Excuse me?” Lex turned to Gecko and eyed his prominent Adam’s apple. A good hard blow right there would shut him up.

“Your grandma promised me those tickets.”

“Well, that’s just too bad.”

“I was counting on them.”

“Gee, you can count?”

Gecko’s bloodshot eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his skull. “Look, you – ”

Aiden’s whipcord figure slipped between them. “The lady said no.”

Lex backed away from them. Other people had started to notice their argument.

Gecko’s face twitched like a rabid rabbit. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

“Well, I’m talking to you.” The edge to Aiden’s voice had the ring of a sword being drawn. “She said no. Just leave it.”

“Get out of my way.”

“Let’s discuss this outside.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Gecko suddenly thrust at Aiden’s shoulders, making him stumble backward.

Lex turned to get out of the way.

Aiden’s arm reached out to break his fall. His shoulder hit Lex right at the knee joint.

She felt and heard a sickening pop.

Pain like a vice grip exploded around her kneecap, in the soft area under the knee, along the inside edge of her leg. She fell to the ground, raw meat and vegetables landing on her stomach, her legs, her hair. She grabbed her right knee.

No. Oh, God, no.

Swelling rushed into the joint like a scalding river. Sharp stabbing in her joint, in cacophony with the hard pulsing of the pain, trying to break out of her skin.

No, please, no.

She lifted her leg, and her shin dangled at a slightly odd angle from her thigh.

No, not now. No.

“Shhh, Lex, it’ll be okay.” Venus’s face appeared in front of her. Lex hadn’t realized she’d been screaming.

TWENTY-TWO

Aiden held open the front door as Lex hopped inside, one arm hooked over Venus’s neck. Poor Venus bent over like an old woman to make up for the height difference.

Lex didn’t say anything. She collapsed on the sagging couch, breathing hard, trying not to grimace too much from the pain. Jennifer rushed into the living room with a couple pillows she’d snagged from Lex’s bedroom, easing them under Lex’s knee.

She stared at her knee, ballooned out to twice its normal size. She started crying again.

Venus shielded her, while Jennifer whispered something to Aiden. Venus turned to wave at him as he left. “Thanks, Aiden.”

Lex still hadn’t said anything. She couldn’t open her mouth. Her brain ordered her to say something – at least thank him for driving her home – but her throat had closed shut with Crazy-Glue. He had checked her knee at the restaurant, but his grim look and firm command to see a doctor ASAP had crushed her hopes.

Venus’s face had a sad, calm cast to it, like a pale Noh mask. Jennifer’s eyes glistened with tears as she sat at the other end of the couch. Venus sank down onto the sturdy coffee table. “When does your dad get back?”

“Tnnm.” Lex cleared her throat. “Ten.” Saying the word exhausted her.

They sat in silence, listening to the familiar ticking of the old cuckoo clock. Fog filled Lex’s head. But the mist cleared a little, and she realized who was missing.

“Where’s Trish?” Her voice had a soft, plaintive tone she didn’t recognize as her own.

Venus glanced at Jenn, who bit her lip. Venus touched Lex’s shoulder. She jumped.

“Trish… had to go.”

Lex didn’t remember seeing Trish at all – inside or outside -after the – She swallowed. “When? Where did she have to go?”

Venus’s eyes darted away. Jenn fiddled with a loose thread from the couch.

“One of you has to tell me.” Her sentence ended on a sob.

Venus sighed. It sounded frustrated. “Trish – ” Venus bit her name out – “decided to meet up with her boyfriend.”

The news struck Lex like a slap to her face. She exhaled sharply but couldn’t breathe back in. She pressed her lips together to stop them from trembling.

“It’s not you, Lex. It’s her.” Venus’s eyes had narrowed into black goma seeds, dead and dangerous in her face. Her fingers curled as if around Trish’s neck.

It didn’t make the emptiness right below Lex’s rib cage somehow fill up again.