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“What else was in there?”

She hit the crosswalk button. “Really good stuff. You should come look through it, see if you want any. But you have to give them back when you’re done because I’m not finished reading all of them and I don’t read six books a day.”

I smiled at the jab. “Maybe I can take a look when I drop you off?” I said.

“Sure.”

We smiled at each other.

She tilted her head. “You know, the night I met you I thought you were different,” she said.

I drew my brows down. “Different how?”

“You seemed sort of crabby. You’re not though.”

“I did?”

“Yeah. Like, you were tired and impatient to just get home. That’s why I went with Mike. I mean, now that I know what was going on, I get it. The stuff with your mom. But you really are different.”

I felt my expression fall the tiniest bit. “I wouldn’t have minded driving you home.”

“Like you didn’t mind coming today?” She gave me a playful look.

“I didn’t mind coming today,” I said honestly. At least I didn’t now.

The walking sign came on. “And what would you have done if I hadn’t come?” I asked, crossing the street with her.

“I would have figured it out.”

“Figured it out how?”

“I would have let Mom drive us here. Then I would have learned stick in the parking lot while she was in surgery.”

“Really,” I said. “Just learn stick in the parking lot.”

“You don’t think I can learn stick in three hours? A lifetime can happen in three hours.”

I peered at her a moment. She was right. A lifetime could happen in three hours.

We were making our way around the side of the hospital by the service entrance when something made a noise by the dumpsters.

“Did you hear that?” Larissa said, stopping.

“Yeah, what was it?” I said, looking around.

More noise. Then growling.

“There’s something by the trash cans,” she said.

Something gray darted from the shadows and disappeared again.

“I’m going to check it out,” she said.

“Uh, no.”

“I want to see what it is,” she insisted.

“It’s a raccoon, and it could have rabies.”