On Fire by Dianne Linden

beautiful, but maybe not in quite as perfect a way as the cheerleaders. Especially the golden one.
    â€œHi, Bee,” I said. I twiddled my fingers at her and then wished I hadn’t because she walked on by. I was sure she saw me. She probably just didn’t want to.
    At the last minute, though, she stopped and came back. “Hi,” she said.
    â€œIt’s Matti,” I told her.
    â€œI know.” But there was relief in her voice so I think she actually didn’t remember my name. “Everybody’s gone from the village, I guess?”
    â€œWe had to evacuate. What about Cato City?”
    â€œWe’re all down here now, but not for the same reason.”
    â€œOh,” I said. I was so lame at that kind of conversation that Bee surprised me when she sat down.
    â€œAre you staying at the high school?” she asked me.
    â€œYes,” I said.
    â€œThat must be exciting.”
    â€œNot really. It’s crowded.” A few hiccups tried to get out of my mouth after she sat down. I swallowed them.
    â€œMy little sister and I are at our grandmother’s,” Bee said. “There’s only the one bedroom so we’re crowded, too. Virgil showed up a few days ago, but we sent him to his friend’s. You know my cousin, Virgil, don’t you?”
    â€œI know who he is,” I said.
    Bee got up and poured herself a drink of water and ice from a clear plastic pitcher on the table where the sugar and cream and stir sticks were kept. They didn’t go in for real utensils at the King.
    When she came back to the table Bee said, “My mom’s with us now.” She took little chips of ice into her mouth each time she drank and crunched on them. “She’s sleeping in her tent out in back. She doesn’t like being in small spaces with other people, even if it’s her own family.”
    â€œI get that,” I said.
    â€œMom was out cooking for New Mountain, but they got chased out by the fire.”
    â€œNew Mountain?”
    â€œReforesters. Virgil worked for them when they started up last year but he didn’t last long. He said he had to carry fifty or sixty pounds of tree seedlings around on his back and work twelve-hour days.”
    Bee’s teeth made crisp little clicking sounds as she crunched more ice. “But then Virgil doesn’t like working too hard or being told what to do.”
    She stood up a few minutes after that. “I should go,” she said.
    â€œWill you be here tomorrow?”
    â€œProbably not. It’s expensive.”
    â€œI’ll buy you a coffee.” I held up my bank card, which was a very uncool thing to do.
    â€œThat’s okay,” Bee said. She smiled. “See you sometime, though.”
    Marsh was parked in front of King Koffee when I came out. He had a cigarette with a long ash on it in his hand and his eyes were closed. I went out into the street and rapped really hard on the driver’s side window.
    Marsh’s eyes flew open and he dropped the cigarette down into his crotch, which I understand is a no-no area for burns where a man is concerned. He grabbed the cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray, which was open and already overflowing. Then he rolled his window part way down.
    â€œMatti! What are you doing?”
    â€œWhat are you doing?” I asked him. “You and Frank both promised me you’d quit smoking after Mom died. Now look at you. Do you want to end up with lung cancer like her?”
    It was a good thing he had the doors locked or I would have jumped right in, found his cigarettes and broken each and every one in half.
    â€œI started again because I’m under stress,” Marsh said. “Anyway you’re not my mother. Now please get out of the street before someone side-swipes you.”
    I moved in tighter to his truck but otherwise didn’t budge.“Can’t you keep even one promise?” I asked him. Not that I had any room