Lucas flinches, but he knows Essie's anger isn't intended for him, so when he responds, it's with measured calm. "Okay."

And then he hears Bash's voice. He whips around, grimace melting into relief at the sight of him. Lucas opens his mouth to speak, pulls his hands from his pockets, reaching, but he hesitates, arms hanging for a moment. He swallows a gulp of air and lets his hands drop to his sides. "We're going to tr--" All of Lucas' friends are so brave. And here he is, unable to keep himself from shivering for even a minute. Maybe he can try out bravery. For tonight. For his friends.

He doesn't believe it when he says it, but Lucas still says, "We're going to."