Page 1 of A Thousand Second Chances

one

Chris

I squash my faceagainst the passenger window, absently swiping my black bangs out of my eyes. “Are yousurewe’re going the right way? I thought that sign said ferry parking was to the left.”

“It did.” Quinn’s voice is calm and measured, her hands steady on the wheel even as her car’s tires tremble over the cracked asphalt. “Which is why we turned left back there before we made a right.”

“I don’t remember a left turn.”

Quinn doesn’t take her gaze off the road, but I can tell she’s resisting the urge to roll her eyes at me. “That’s because you were staring at your phone with the hatred of a thousand burning suns.”

I tense at the memory of my parents’ text. It had been a mistake telling them about this trip. Silly me, thinking they’d be happy I was putting myself out there again and being more social. Instead of support, I’d gotten a lecture on how Ishouldn’t let anyunnecessary distractionsget in the way of my schoolwork. My mom hadn’t needed to spell out what that was code for—she’d made her position on my “lifestyle” perfectly clear.

A hand briefly squeezes my shoulder, and I expel a breath, peeling my forehead away from the window to glance at Quinn. With her rainbow-dyed dreadlocks and affinity for shawls, she looks like she belongs to another era. I’ve only known her for a little over a year, but she can always tell when I’m starting to spiral. It’s one of the things that makes her such a good friend—that, and her unflappable sense of calm.

“How are you not stressing out right now?” I mutter, turning back to stare at the nondescript buildings flicking past. “It’s like a damn logic puzzle to find the parking lot. If I were driving, I’d have collapsed into a puddle of rage by now.”

Quinn snorts. “As if you need an excuse to collapse into a puddle of rage.”

“Fair.” I slump deeper into my seat and play with the door controls. “What makes a thousand burning suns so hateful anyway? I thought suns were supposed to be happy.”

“It’s the heat,” Quinn replies instantly. “Nothing makes me grouchier than getting gross and sweaty. Being like that all the time would fillanyonewith hate. Plus, anything that bright is definitely hiding something beneath the cheery façade.”

I chuckle. “Good point. I’m just glad at least one of us speaks asinine road sign.”

“A perk of being your friend—you get good at cutting through bullshit.”

“Please,” I huff. “You’re friends with me because I’m gullible enough to let you drag me along on your crazy adventures. I could be at Geraldine’s, downing shots and picking up cute guys.”

We both know I’d be doing nothing of the sort. If I needed more evidence of how lucky I am to have Quinn as my best friend, I get it when she doesn’t call me on that fact.

Instead, she says, “I’m glad you came. I can’t believe I’ve been in Michigan for three years and never once made the drive. Did you know Mackinac Island was ranked the number one island to visit in the continental US?”

“So you said when you begged me to come with you.”

Quinn takes a turn sharper than necessary, flinging me into the door. I glare at her as she continues blithely, “Well, it’s true. You’re going to love it! Most of the island’s a state park, and I’ve heard the fudge and shopping are to die for. Plus, there are no cars allowed!”

“No cars?” I frown as I settle back in my seat. “How does anyone get anywhere?”

“The island’s small enough you can pretty much walk or bike wherever you need to go. And they have actual horse-drawn carriages.” She sighs dreamily. “Like a real-life fairy tale.”

The car starts to swerve while Quinn’s distracted, and I clutch my armrest, squawking a warning. Once she’s refocused on the road, I turn back to the window and cross my arms over my seatbelt. The glass reflects my scowl back at me. “You say that now but wait until you get a good whiff of those horses. Or realize how much your feet ache after walking all day.”

“Complain all you like—your grumpiness doesn’t affect me.” She flips on her turn signal. “I’ve developed immunity through constant exposure.”

Before I can muster a comeback, Quinn takes another right turn, and we emerge into a mostly empty parking lot.

“Thank God,” I groan as she pulls into the nearest open spot. “I was beginning to wonder if this parking lot was a myth.”

“The signs weren’tthathard to follow.” Quinn switches off the car. I unbuckle and reach for the door, pausing when she speaks,her voice uncharacteristically hesitant. “Look. I know this isn’t really your thing and that I…encouragedyou to tag along.”

I fix her with a flat look, and she rolls her eyes.

“Okay, fine. I totally forced you to come with me.” Unclipping her seatbelt, she leans across the center console and pokes me hard in the chest. “But promise me you’ll at leasttryto loosen up and have a good time. You can’t keep pushing the rest of the world away forever.”

Watch me. I force a grin I know doesn’t reach my eyes. “Fine. IpromiseI’ll do my best not to be a total buzzkill this weekend.”

Her solemn expression dissolves, replaced by her usual carefree grin. “Awesome. Then let’s go find our ferry before it leaves without us.”