Later that evening Ashden is in the kitchen getting a snack. “Spencer finally left, huh?” Kyla is at the island. “Yea, her mom kept calling and interrupting us.” He groans. “How did you…” Kyla wonders aloud. “D’you really wanna know?” Ashden raises an eyebrow. “No, ew. Forget I even thought that.” Kyla makes a face. “What am I going to do?” He takes a big bite of brownie. “She’s gonna be home in like 10 hours. I bet she can send me away faster than that.” Ashden sighs. “Why don’t you pretend? Just let her see you in girl clothes.” Kyla suggests. “I don’t have any. Plus, yuck worse, I don’t think she’d fall for it.”

“I guess not. But you could try. Borrow some of Spencer’s clothes.” Kyla doesn’t know what to tell him. “Spencer! That’s it! Spencer can drive!” Ashden jumps up. “If I’m not here she can’t send me away!” Ashden runs out the door. He pegs pebbles at Spencer’s window. “Spencer!” He hisses. She pokes her head out. “Ashden, what are you doing down there?”   “Can you sneak out?” He calls up to her. “Why? What is it?” She leans over the windowsill. “Please come down. I need you.” Three minutes later Spencer comes through the back fence. “You’re worrying me.” She hugs Ashden.

“Do you have car keys?” He whispers. “Ashden, what are you planning?” Spencer looks into his eyes. “Let’s run away.”   “To where? How? With what money?” Spencer frowns. “Anywhere, you’ll drive, my money. C’mon it’s summer.” Ashden is excited. “We can’t run away. My mom would have the SWAT team after us. Plus when we get back what am I supposed to say? I ran away with my boyfriend because his mom wants him to be a girl? Then we’ll have to run away again cause my mom will be trying to murder me.” Spencer rambles.

“This is the only thing that could possibly work. If she sees me and I’m not the way she wants me to be, I’ll be in a detox camp 2 seconds flat. If I pretend she’ll catch me and throw me in the dungeon or something. Please. Just for like a week. By then she’ll be in another country.” It’s Ashden’s turn to ramble.