Chapter 9

Marie’s POV

2014

The first thing Dean ever gave me was a CD with no case, just his handwriting on it in Sharpie, half-smudged: STUFF I THINK YOU'D LIKE. PROBABLY. IDK.

"You don't have to listen to it," he said, too fast, shoving it at me in the school parking lot. He had his jacket collar turned up against the cold, his boots kicking at a loose patch of gravel like it had personally offended him. "I heard you humming something in class and I thought — never mind. Forget it."

"What was I humming?" I asked, looking down at the silver disc.

"I don't know. Some indie track from two years ago. I spent half the week trying to figure out what it was."

"You did?"

"No," he said immediately, backing toward his truck. "I just happened to hear it. If the CD's terrible, throw it out. You won't hurt my feelings."

"I didn't sa