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"Help? I didn't know you knew that word "

I briefly explain the situation He sighs heavily a bunch of times, but says he's on his way over to the station Aftercell and wait for him An hour later I'm told I have a visitor and aation roo they're about to get worse as a very pissed-off Dah the metal bulletproof door

"What the hell did you get yourself into, Becker?"

"A shitload of trouble," I tell him

Damon crosses his aruy who ets a distant, alot to ade "

"Yeah, well, you were obviously wrong "

He narrows his eyes at me "Was l?"

This isn't the way it was supposed to be I left Paradise to ed to do is fuck things up for ht in the eye "I didn't do it," I tell him "I'm not a dealer "

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's the truth " I let out a breath, knowing it's a lost cause to pleadit anyway "I don't expect you to believe me "

"Have you lied to me in the past?"

I nod

"About what?"

I close my eyes and shake ie I told Leah I'd take that secret to the grave I can't betray et it "

"You're on the wrong path," Damon tells me

"I didn't have a choice " I let out a long, slow breath and d

ecide to level with him About some stuff, anyway "I found outhowas okay My entire faie was the only one keepingshit from the cops, et out of Paradise instead of getting close to Maggie So now I'm here "

"Living with a drug dealer isn't a better option," Da the obvious

"It was a roof over my head "

"There are always options other than living with thugs," Damon tells me

"Yeah, right " I look down at the red mark the handcuffs left on ht now

"I'm really disappointed in you "

Disappointed is better than angry I've seen Dary He stiffens up like a bull with a thorn up his ass Hell, when I got suspended frole-handedly kick hty I'ht, but he could sit on me and crush my bones

"I'll be right back," Damon says, then leaves me alone in the room

Ra in his wake The officer sits on the edge of the small table in the room and looks down at me "You're lucky, kid "

I'ht about now

"I just talked to Judge Hanson," Danment this afternoon, and I'll pay any bail set I'm friends with the district attorney who'll help you "

"Why would you do that for me?" I ask

"Because someone did it for me a while back There's one condition," he says

Here it comes The ax is about to fall "What?"

My ex-transition counselor has a stern look on his face "You join Re-START "

"What's that?"

"It's a group of kids whose lives have been affected by reckless teen driving We're traveling for a ether, and each participant shares their story with various groups of kids in the Midwest We'll be roughing it, so don't expect fancy hotels or the royal treatrounds This arrest isn't about drugs, Caleb It's a direct result of your accident in Paradise Join the prograree to come with me, I'm out of here If I leave, I have no doubt they'll lock you up for good and throay the key You're eigh teen now If you thought juvie ful, I guarantee that adult lockup will be one hundred times worse "

"So I really don't have a choice?"

"You do Stay here and enjoy the fine hospitality of our state prisons, or get off your ass and follow me "

So there isn't a choice One of the options is so to avoid Even if it includes spending time with my old transition counselor

We don't speak much the entire one-and-a-half-hour drive out to Redwood He tries to ask e them When we pull up the driveway of a one-story duplex, he explains, "You'll sleep at roup tomorrow afternoon "

Inside, I drop my duffle next to a faded plaid couch On the mantle above the empty fireplace is a picture of Daue uniform

"Is he yours?" I ask hi alone in a small town in the middle of the boondocks of Illinois Paradise isn't too far away from here