Free Nothing Left to Burn by Patty Blount

go over fire behavior. When we get to the training facility in a few weeks, we need you to be ready.”
    “I will be with this stuff.” I waved a hand over the book. “But the exercise? I hurt from head to toe.”
    Bear grinned. He was a big kid, but not exactly a poster boy for the Insanity workout. “I hate working out. But I do it.”
    I blinked. “I haven’t seen you run up and down the bleachers.”
    “I may be a little chubby, but I’m strong.”
    I didn’t doubt that. “What about fast? Amanda and Max, they told me you have to be fast too, because there’s only about thirty minutes of air in the tanks.”
    “That’s only half true. The tanks are rated for thirty minutes, but under the stress of working the fire, we’re lucky to get half of that. I have a lot of stamina. I know how to conserve my tank.”
    Frowning, I tried to imagine holding my breath in a real fire. “How did you learn to do that?”
    A slow and evil grin spread across Bear’s face. “Tomorrow, I’ll show you.”
    I climbed to my feet, relieved my wobbly legs could hold me, and held out my hand. “Thanks, Bear.”
    “No problem, man. See ya tomorrow.” He shuffled off to the exit. I took a few minutes to reread the fire extinguisher section and headed home.
    ***
    I was parked in back of the firehouse by eight thirty the next morning, watching sprinklers tick across a couple of lawns. I took my note out of my pocket, read what I had so far, and frowned. A car pulled in beside mine, and I quickly put the note away, watching Amanda leave the passenger seat of Mr. Beckett’s car.
    She didn’t look happy as she strode into the station house. He followed, several paces behind. Was he her stepfather or something?
    I got out of my mom’s car and headed in. Amanda was already in the conference room, distributing a stack of photocopies.
    “Hey,” I greeted her.
    She looked up, grunted, and went back to work. I watched, wondering if I was supposed to help. She looked terrible this morning. Her hair was tied up in its usual knot, and she wore her station uniform—LVFD T-shirt with a pair of black work pants—but she was pale with purple circles under her eyes.
    Amanda hadn’t slept.
    Why? What was she worried about?
    “Logan,” she snapped. “Grab that stack of textbooks and hand them out.”
    I stepped closer. “You okay?”
    Her eyes narrowed. “Back off. Put out the textbooks.”
    I sighed loudly and nodded. “Yeah. No problem.” I did what I was ordered.
    “Amanda.”
    The voice in the door made Amanda snap up straight. I turned and saw Mr. Beckett looking from me to her and back again.
    “You’re working alone with this boy?”
    She shook her head. “The rest of the squad will be here in a few minutes.”
    He took a step inside the conference room and picked up a textbook. “I’ll wait then.”
    Her lips got tight for a second, and then she smiled. “Sure. We’re working on fire behavior today.” She chattered on, cutting me off when I tried to interject, even going as far as to turn her back on me. Finally, Ty and Kevin came in, and Mr. Beckett stood up.
    “Okay. Have fun. I’ll be back to pick you up just before noon.”
    He left with a glare aimed at me, and Amanda cursed under her breath.
    “What the hell was that about?” I demanded.
    She shook her head. “Let it go. It’s nothing to do with you.”
    I snorted. “Really? Seemed like it was all about me. Who is he to you, anyway?”
    She sighed. “My foster dad.”
    Whoa. Foster dad?
    “I’ve been living with the Becketts since I was fourteen. He has a strict no-boys rule and doesn’t like the way you look at me.”
    I looked away and shifted my weight. “Oh, um, sorry.” Jesus, how did I look at her? I shoved my hands in my pockets and kept my eyes pointed at anything but her.
    “Yeah, well, that doesn’t change things, okay? He wants me to quit.”
    “Wait, you mean give up junior squad? I thought you were the captain.”
    “Relax, I’m not