Page 143 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

“So, it’s a Legend.”

Impressed, I shut her door and run around to my side. Sliding in I laugh, “A girl who knows cars. You keep surprising me.”

“Huh?” she asks, confused as she clicks in her seatbelt.

“The car,” I point to the plate that reads, Acura Legend.

She shakes her head, smiling a little. “I meant she’s part of the family.”

As I turn the car on, and put it in drive, I chuckle.

“Hey,” she says. “Seat belt.”

“Shit, yeah, okay.”

“You should always wear it.”

“You sound like Lucas. He thinks he drives better than me.”

“Um, promise me you’ll drive careful, my Dad doesn’t even know I’m in a vehicle with you.” She shakes her head. “Just be safe.”

“Pretty girl, I have precious cargo in this legend. I’ll drive safer than I ever have.”

It’s too quiet, no words spoken except turn here, turn there.

“You know you're kind of scary when you're mad.” She looks at me.

“Me?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“I wasn’t mad. I was just⁠—”

“I know.” She smiles. “You were the one holding Tessa back.”

“Somebody had to.”

“She would've torn Sadi up.”

“Exactly.” I laugh.

Jade looks down at our hands. “She was really hurt.”

“Yeah.”

“Lucas looked hurt, too.”

“Yeah.”

She sighs. “Everybody's a mess.”

I laugh. “That's one way to put it.”

She looks out the window again. After a minute, she says, “I hate watching people I care about hurt each other.”

I squeeze her hand. “I know.”

She turns toward me. “You always say that.”