The hand that landed on Nathaniel Collins’ shoulder just then was as far from friendly as was physically possible. The shoulder of his suit furrowed under the pressure of the long, callused fingers. 

The hand was attached to the browned arm of Artemis Lao, whose black chocolate eyes were hot enough to weld metal as she glowered down at Nathan. Her clenched teeth were startlingly white against a sunburned and tan face; freckles splashed across her pert nose. The sleeveless silk shirt she wore was an inch or two shorter than it should have been and she was obviously uncomfortable in the ruffled chiffon skirt and black heels that completed her ensemble. The whites of her eyes were tinged with red from crying, although the raw fury in her expression was masking her sorrow rather well. 

“You really want to act like an ass [i]here[/i]?” Arty hissed through gritted teeth. A fat tear rolled down her cheek and she dashed it away with her free hand. 

***One Year Earlier***

Arty spat the mouthful of Coke across the desk and, gagging, blew a fair amount out of her nose. “Noah! Asshole! Goddamn, I can’t breathe.” Gasping and laughing, Artemis grinned at the smiling face in her monitor as a tinny voice said, “It’s not my fault you choked.” 

Wiping the soda off the computer screen, Arty checked how long she and Noah had been on webcam: over two hours. She hadn’t gotten to talk to anybody else recently, so catching up had been high on her list of priorities once she’d gotten settled in Xiaochang. The Chinese portion of her exchange had just begun and she was already excited—she’d gotten into the most popular t’ai chi elective [i]and[/i] her academic advisor was a former tennis champion. She was having a brilliant week. 

Noah’s week hadn’t been quite as good, but it had been nice nonetheless. He’d gotten a job at the pharmacy as a greeter and stock-boy, he’d gotten to hang out with Matt, and Ross, his older brother, had gotten accepted to intern at the police department. 

Smiling his trademark sweet smile, Noah shifted the camera so Arty could see his bed. Something was lying on top of it, and Noah got up, momentarily blocking the picture while he picked whatever it was up. “Matt figured you’d like this,” he said as he held the thing up so she could see it. “We know you love the Manhattan Blaze, so~” he trailed off cheerfully. 

Noah and Matt had gone to a big soccer game at the stadium in Oakdale, the city Matt lived in. Apparently the Oakdale Aces had been playing the Blaze, because Noah had found a pennant with the Blaze’s logo and team colors on it. He waited, anticipating Arty’s joy. “Badass! Those’re the new colors but with the retro logo! Dude, those kinds run like, thirty bucks!” When Noah didn’t stop smiling, she protested. “You did [i]not[/i] spend that much on a flag.” 

“We went half and half?” Noah offered, trying not to laugh. “Anyway, we figured it’s for your room there, so we’ll send it when I can get to UPS. Matt’s kinda tied up with Bone Girls playing the Metradome all next week.” 

“The Bone Girls got the Dome? How’d Matt get to work there?” 

Noah shrugged. “I guess one of the times he did stuff for them at Roscoe’s they liked him, so they asked him to help with this. It pays two dollars an hour more, because the venue’s bigger.” 

“So Matt’s bringing in the bacon. He still giving most of it to your mom and dad?” Arty propped her chin on her arms. Matt had lived with the Logans for a while, ever since his grandmother passed away, and he was always trying to pay them back. He’d managed to convince them to accept half of his pay, despite their continuing protestations. When Noah nodded an affirmative, Arty snorted with laughter and shook her head. “Dork. He’s got such a freakin’ weird sense of… I dunno, duty?” 

“Nah, obligation,” Noah replied, putting the pennant back on his bed. “He’s got a strong sense of obligation.” After a beat of silence, Noah sat back at his computer and looked hard at Arty. “I miss all of you guys, you know that, right?” 

Arty furrowed her brows. “Well, yeah, but I’m coming home, and Matt’s not far… Where’re A and Nate?” 

“Nate’s at a big school way upstate. Audrey’s still here, but… I don’t see her often,” Noah finished thoughtfully. “Anyway, I gotta go to bed, got work in the morning,” he said briskly, brightening so suddenly it surprised Artemis. “Work hard, get good grades, try not to Hulk out and murder anybody!” 

“Shut up,” Arty laughed as the call ended.