Great wasn't a word I should've used to describe my life. Ever. This much was proven to me when I received my car insurance bill on the first of December. Forgetting I'd failed to pay last month's bill, this month's bill was doubled with added late fees. Groaning, I dropped my head into my hands, wishing I could just disappear. If only I'd been born rich— most of my problems would've been solved then. Or maybe just less of an idiot.

"Kate!" Dustin called from the living room. "Kate! I'm hungry!"

"Then make something to eat!" I snapped back at him, clenching the pen I had in my hand tightly. There was a check on the table, ready to be filled out, but I was having trouble with letting my ink meet the green paper. It was only two hundred and thirty dollars. It could've been worse. But with my crap hours at the cinema, the crap pay, and the fact my boss had apparently taken my silence as an okay to now hit on me whenever he felt like it, it was a hard thing to do. The next set of hefty bills would be coming in two weeks, and while I had enough for them this time, soon I wouldn't. Not with the threat of excise tax.

Of course, Dustin had his money from his part-time job, but I refused to ask him for it. He needed some spending money.

"How about I order Chinese? I'll pay."

I rubbed my forehead. Not exactly what I wanted him to spend his spending money on, but I couldn't argue with him. Chinese sounded delicious. There was nothing better to cheer someone up than good, old-fashioned, greasy take-out. "Go for it," I told him, bracing myself and finally scribbling out the check.

A few seconds later he appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, peeking his head in. "I was also thinking we could invite Matt and Will over."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why?"

"We're friends."

"They're both literally eleven years older than you. Although you both have about the same maturity level as Matt, so I guess that friendship makes sense. But this is still suspicious."

"Can I invite them over, or what?" he repeated, waving my comment off. "Come on. You like Will, don't you? Having dinner together is a step closer in your relationship."

"We're already pretty close," I defended needlessly. We were really close if you ignored the fact that I kept my life pretty much a secret from him. But he didn't keep his life from me, so that counted for something, right?

Dustin gave me a flat look. "Well, since this is my house too, I'm inviting them over anyway."

"Dustin, wait—"

But it was too late. He already had his phone to his ear. I was curious as to when Will had given Dustin his number, but not enough to question it. "Hi," Dustin greeted happily, speaking into the phone. "What are you up to? Really?" He paused to laugh. "That sounds like fun. Wish I could do that."

"Don't flirt too much," I muttered.

Blushing, he shot me a glare. "Nothing. Home with Kate. We're thinking about ordering Chinese for dinner and want to know if you'd be interested in joining us. Matt can come too if he wants." There was another pause. "Oh, can you call him then? I don't have his number. Sure. Okay. See you soon."

"So?" I prompted when he hangs up. My heartbeat picked up, waiting for his response. Not that I was excited.

"Will's in, and he's going to call Matt. Apparently they don't live together."

I wanted to tell him that most siblings don't choose to live with each other when they get older, but I didn't want to give him the wrong idea. Some people might hate living with their younger brothers when they're old enough to live by themselves, but I didn't. "Well, now that we're having two full-grown men over, you're going to have to order a lot more food."

A grimace passed over his face. "Ugh, my wallet."

"Hey," I said abruptly, realizing something. "You didn't give him our address."

Dustin spared me a brief glance before he disappeared back into the living room. "I told Matt it once, but I'll text Will it."

It worried me that Dustin had already given our address to the older Cerak, but I figured it was okay. Albeit a little too carefree and flirty, Matt was responsible enough and at this point, I knew him pretty well. And as a surprising turn of events, after inquiring what Matt did for a living, it'd turned out he was studying to become a surgeon. Matt and Will would both be positive influences in Dustin's life.

They were already better off than our father.

Half an hour later, the doorbell rang. Dustin was on his feet and at the door before I could even push myself off of the couch. The sound of his voice greeting our guests filled the hall, as well as the responses of said guests. Glancing in the mirror, I ran a hand through my hair and stepped out to say hi to the brothers as well. Upon seeing Will, I was suddenly glad for my brother's unusual friendship with him. Will was in a fitted sapphire blue turtleneck that complemented him wonderfully and a pair of dark-wash jeans— definitely designer. Usually, I'd laugh at people wearing turtlenecks, but Will's made him look ridiculously hot. Sophisticated and sexy. In his hands was a tray full of coffee cups.

"Nice house," Matt commented, kicking off his shoes and wandering down the hallway toward me. "Parent's out?"

Although Will knew we lived alone, I didn't know Matt didn't, so the question caught me a little off guard. "Uh, no. We live alone."

He raised an eyebrow. "What? A young cute thing like you? Alone?"

"I'm not that young. Almost twenty-three."

"Still."

Will gave his brother a flat look. "Matt. She's fine. Don't patronize her. Here, Katie. I brought vanilla chais."

Matt gave him an innocent look before clapping his hands together. "Well, where's the food?"

Dustin stepped forward to answer before I could. "Hasn't come yet. Why don't we sit in the living room while we wait? I have Black Ops."

"You want to get your ass handed to you?" Matt responded teasingly.

Will caught my eye and grinned. I grinned back at him, but it went a little lop-sided as I took in his outfit once again. He was too attractive. Suddenly I felt ugly and plain in my ripped jeans and worn out AC/DC shirt. I took the tray of drinks from him and set it to the side.

"You like AC/DC?" Will inquired, slipping his shoes off before coming to stand next to me. I had to turn my head up in order to keep eye contact because he was that much taller than me. "Most people your age don't appreciate good music like that."

"My age?" I repeated. "You're only three years older than me."

"Three years you'll never have on me."

I crossed my arms, turning my head away from him. "Whatever."

"Did you buy this house?"

"I inherited it from my grandma."

"Now I see why you were so upset the other day."

"What?"

He smiled gently. "It must be expensive. And not only is this house a place to live but also a keepsake of your family."

I threaded my fingers and focused on twiddling my thumbs. "Yeah, well. It's the best I can do. As you know, my dad can't help me."

"Can I ask why?"

"Well." It was strange. Usually, the only other person I trusted enough to talk about my family life with was Dustin, but I'd told stuff to Will I'd have never told other people. And now here I was, actually thinking of telling Will the real reason why my father couldn't help me out. But I knew I wouldn't be able to, not with Dustin and Matt around, so I gave him half of the story. "Remember how I said my father is living elsewhere?"

Will nodded. "You've mentioned it."

"He's living in jail. Has been for a little over three years and that's why he can't help me out."

Will's eyes widened a fraction of an inch in surprise, but he recovered quickly, his lips curving down into a frown. Instead of saying he was sorry or asking for more details, he reached over and pulled me into a hug. "You're pretty tough."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. That hadn't been what my aunts and uncles said when I'd told them I wanted to live alone. That hadn't been what my counselor said. They'd all been unenthusiastic, telling me how bad of an idea it was, that there were other options, options that would separate Dustin from me. Relaxing into Will, I breathed deeply, catching the pleasant scent of his deodorant. Something warm and spicy.

After a few more moments he pulled away, which was all too soon. I found my cheeks warm and I steadily avoided his gaze. "Maybe we should join our brothers."

"Sure," he responded lowly, and when I glanced up at him, he was smiling again.

The food arrived ten minutes later (there was a short argument as to who should pay, but it ended up being Matt, since he was the oldest), and with the three boys all going for it at once, it was like feeding time for sharks at the aquarium. I stayed back, hoping to keep all my limbs intact. Once we were all settled in the living room, Dustin and Matt on the upholstered couch, and Will and I in separate leather armchairs, the conversation started up again. The topic this time seeming to be the Cerak's family.

"Before I moved out of the house, I would never have been able to eat this," Matt moaned around a spoonful of pork-fried rice. "Health-conscious parents, and all that."

"Dude, our mom was the same," Dustin said sympathetically. "We could order a pizza once in a while, but no greasy Chinese food. Or McDonald's."

Matt's eyes half-closed in ecstasy. I found myself having to look away, barely being able to contain a smirk. "McDonald's?" he repeated. "Don't even get me started. I could eat five Whoppers."

"That's Burger King," Dustin pointed out.

"Is it? I can't tell the difference these days. It's all the same to me."

Will rolled his eyes at his brother. "Of course, Matt would always sneak out after dinner to buy some of that junk when he knew our parents wouldn't find out."

Matt smirked. "Hey, one has to get their jollies from something while living with strict parents somehow, don't they? Some ways were more safer than others... isn't that right, Will?"

"Yes, well," Will began, shifting uncomfortably on the leather armchair. "Anyway, we missed out on a lot of our childhood. Our parents wanted us to grow up quickly."

"We weren't even allowed on school field trips," Matt sighed sadly.

Dustin, looking for all the world like someone ate his entire box of Ho-Hos, let out an indignant squawk. "Wha— how is that even possible? No school field trips? You've never been to New York, then?"

I squinted at my brother, wondering how not going on school field trips equaled to never going to New York. Will was sharing the same bemused expression as I was, while Matt just grinned. "I've been to New York," he assured Dustin.

"Oh," Dustin replied, relief coloring his face. "That's not so bad then."

Matt raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. I pressed my lips together to keep from grinning. Dustin was something strange.

"How is school going, Dustin?" Will asked, changing the subject. He crossed his long legs, resting his clasped hands on them. "I heard you're quite the student."

Suddenly bashful, Dustin ducked his head. "I'm not... I mean..."

"Perfect As, as usual," I responded for him.

"It's still the beginning of the first semester," he protested, jutting out his jaw. "It's not like it's that hard."

Matt cocked his head to the side curiously. "What school do you attend?"

"Williston," I provided.

"Impressive," he complimented, giving Dustin an approving look. "You're sixteen, so that means you're a junior? Thinking about college?"

Dustin nodded. "Uh-huh. Going for a scholarship."

"Where do you want to attend?"

"Dartmouth or Princeton."

Matt whistled lowly. "High goals. Ivy League, huh? You must be pretty smart."

"Smart? He's brilliant!" I blurted out.

Dustin ducked his head, turning his head away from us again. "I wouldn't say that—"

"Don't belittle yourself," Will scolded him. "If you're smart, you're smart. That's all there is to it. You work hard. No need to be ashamed. Personally, I think your ideal colleges are well within your reach."

"Really?" Dustin said, peering at Will.

Will nodded. "Absolutely. Just keep your grades up."

Dustin huffed a laugh. "Oh, I plan to. I don't want to burden Kate with paying, uh, never mind."

"You know I'd pay your tuition in a heartbeat," I told him.

"I know. And you'd kill yourself trying to, too."

I didn't miss the reprimand in the response. I chose to ignore it though, desperately trying to think of a new conversation topic. The two Cerak brothers were exchanging inquisitive glances, and I knew it was only a matter of moments before they questioned me. "Ah, um, I take it both of you have graduated college already? And Matt, you're taking more courses now?"

Fortunately, Matt took the second topic change in ten minutes with stride. "You must think I'm crazy. Who wants to do more schooling?"

"No, I think it's pretty cool you want to become a surgeon."

"Pediatric surgeon," he corrected me, his eyes lighting up.

"Even better."

"I finished my undergraduate and am currently attending Boston University... but I took some time off now, which is why I'm down here."

Will cleared his throat. "Technically, you mean over here. Boston is to the East, not North."

"Whatever."

"Where did you attend, Will?" I interjected before they could begin squabbling.

"Boston as well. Then I moved down here," he told me.

Matt shot him a dirty look. "You mean over here?"

Will ignored his brother. "I can't believe I've never asked this before, but where do you attend, Katie?" His brows were furrowed as if he was annoyed by this little fact.

"UMass. Not as impressive as you guys, but that's where I got the most financial aid."

"Completely understandable."

I laughed. "I thought so too."

"And at now you've got a friend there," Will pointed out. "Clara, right? How are things?"

"Great," I told him. "She's really bad at English though, and it's really funny. I actually met her boyfriend the other day..."

And so the night went on, conversation coming easily and lasting for hours. It was nearly midnight when Dustin interrupted our chat about the best type of toilet paper, shooting off the couch so fast you'd think it burned him. "What the hell?"

"What?" I said quickly, my heart automatically going into overdrive. Was there someone lurking around the window? A robber? A murderer? My stomach clenched and I was on my feet before anyone could blink, following my brother to the window.

It wasn't a robber outside. Nor a murderer. But instead, a blazing fire. Fear seized my lungs, squeezing the air out of them. Alarm bells started ringing in my head. Fire. A wave of nausea rolled over me and I gripped the window ledge, trying to maintain my balance. I had to think, quickly. It wasn't our house; that was good. Still bad though, because if the right wind hit the neighbor's house, the fire could spread over to our house and catch it and we'd all burn with it and—

"Kate!"

Suddenly I snapped back to my senses, realizing Dustin was shaking my shoulder. Will was by my side now, his gaze switching from the house next door to my face and back every few seconds. Someone was taking on the phone— Matt— giving out the address of the house on fire. Hopefully, he'd guessed the number right. It was right next door.

"We have to see if anyone's home," Dustin started, making toward the front door.

"No!" I cried sharply, digging my fingers into his arm and yanking him back the one step he took. "You stay inside— no, bad idea. Outside. On the street. Now. Go!"

For a moment Dustin looked like he was about to protest, but he nodded, going for the door again. My gaze flickered back to the fire and I was immediately transfixed by it. Memories from the past came flooding into my brain as if the sight released a dam, and I was suddenly drowning in them.

My mom's at the top of the stairs, staring down at me in horror. The fire's nearly covered the entire top floor and half of the ground floor. As well as the staircase. There's a gaping hole in the middle, keeping my mom from coming down them. I'm at the bottom, coughing violently from the smoke. But I won't leave, not without my mom. She's screaming something at me, but I can't hear her over the roar of the fire. It's so loud. It's never this loud in movies. I feel like I'm going to go death. And it's so hot. Then there's a crash, and there's a new surge of smoke, and I can't breathe. Or see my mom anymore. I'm dizzy from lack of air, and I can feel myself fainting. Then I'm swept of my feet, thrown over a shoulder, and carried out of the house. My throat's raw and I realize I'm screaming— for my mom, who's still inside the house, and the fireman is apologizing to me over and over...

"Katie? Are you okay?"

I was jolted back into reality by Will's warm hand on my shoulder. Shaking myself out of it, I repressed the memories and looked up at him, eyes wid. "Yeah, I'm—" My voice caught so I cleared my throat and tried again. "Just, ah, I'm afraid of fire." At least that was part of it. "Let's go outside." When I took a step I realized I was shaking like a quaking Aspen leaf in a hurricane.

"Here." Will wrapped his arm around my shoulder and supported most of my weight as we slowly made our way to join Dustin and Matt outside.

Comforted by Will's presence, all the bad memories faded away by the time we reached our brothers. Two fire engines had already arrived, along with a police car and ambulance, and the firefighters were scurrying about, setting up hoses and whatnot. Two police offers were standing by my brother, notepads in hand. Dustin and Matt were both recounting what happened... how long ago was it? A few minutes? More than that?

"All the lights were off in the house," Dustin was saying, his face pinched with worry, "so I don't believe anyone is home. Actually, I've never seen anyone enter or leave that house. I think it's abandoned or something."

I stepped away from Will, turning to thank him, only to see him gazing at the fire with a hard face. Matt came to stand beside us a few moments later, giving me a sympathetic look. "The winds are in the opposite direction of your house, so I'm sure it'll be okay."

Nodding, I relaxed slightly. "That's good. I feel bad for the owner of that house though. It's nice. Was nice."

"I do too," Matt responded with a chuckle.

Will finally pulled his gaze away from the burning building with a sigh. "Certainly a waste."

"How do you think the fire got set off?" I wondered out loud.

"Faulty wiring?" Will guessed, but his tone sounds distracted. I glanced over toward where he was looking and noticed another policeman was talking to Dustin. Not wanting to leave the questioning to Dustin, I made to take a step forward, but Will held up his hand. "No, I'll go. Keep an eye on your house."

I frowned but assented to it. "Okay."

Matt squinted at the house. "I don't know. Faulty wiring? In a house like that? It seems suspicious to me."

And even though I didn't want to, I couldn't help but agree.

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