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"Yes, if you’ll have me It’s not like our introduction was especially"

"It’s okay, Lewis It’s not your fault They’re like that with everyone that has so that they want," Jade said

"What do they want?" he asked

"To defile anything good," Mia said

We nodded in agree and ar uess you’re in"

Lewis’s eyebrows shot to his hairline

Poor Lewis He was getting the drive-by-Jonesy introduction Speed-of-light

John and Alex groaned If he could survive Jonesy he was invincible

"Hey!" Jonesy suddenly said, stepping away and looking at Lewis expectantly Lewis sorta cringed and I smiled He’d be immune soon

Numb like the rest of us

"What?" Archer nearly yelped

"What are ya?"

"I said I’ay"

"No numbnuts, not that," Jonesy waved that away impatiently "What are ya?"

"Oh! I’m a Lock-Manipulator"

We all stopped in thelot

"Perfect," John breathed out

"Yeah," Jade said, dreauuy, even if you do look like a irls stared at Lewis, taking in his perfection, un In fact, the bruises only accentuated it

The guys glowered at his girl groupies and he s him Not that it mattered The irony was not lost on rinned widely back at hi and a Lock-Manipulator both?" John asked

Archer nodded "I’" He shrugged "It’s not that useful though My visions come in dream form, I sketch out what I can re"

Until today

There was a swollen silence and Jonesy burst it like an errant bubble, "Okay, so I’in’ on your skill set, Archer You’re in"

"In what?" he asked, a confused look covering his face

"Our coolness, dude Our group Our posse" Jonesy said as if he was retarded

"Oh," Lewis said

"Come on pal, you can ride in my car," Bry said

Archer took one look at Bry’s wheels and couldn’t keep the fear reined in

Bry looked offended but Mia giggled and said, "You can ride with htened and followed Mia to her tin can The Toaster, us guys called it

They squeezed in there together Cozy

Bry scowled, his hands beco lot with Tiff and Sophie craun

"Calood one "He’s gay G A Y Gay He’s not gonna olo"

John laughed and Alex shrugged

"And you’re one to talk?" Bry roared

"He’s got ya there, Jones," Alex said on a snitive sketch featuring Jade

In the throes of death

Jade and I walked to Bry’s car, a death-trap for sure

It surged to life, the engine struggling, our restraints binding us together I looked at Jade, a warainstwhere they touched my flesh "It’ll be okay"

I looked down at her, afraid for the future

A future without her

CHAPTER 7

Our bellies were full The guys had taken down a triple batch of chili and an entire casserole dish of cornbread and half a bottle of honey The girls looked at us as we gorged like a pulse-allon sized milk carton stood eoing to need soonna puke That was usuallyI don’t know if John had that internal baro out for thirds

Jonesy said, "Thanks Ali, that whole deal at the school worked nificant look and I sighed I didn’t really want to go into the whole thing with the group here Especially the uber-aardness of Lewis Archer I knew Moets a break in her world)

"I’ later And," she s my friends shtened "Actually, his balls got bounced around pretty good by Brett," Jonesy expounded

I so didn’t need irlfriend was all ears too

"Thanks, Jones," I said with menace

"No problemo, Romeo," he winked

Asshole

Jade looked at me with concern Holy hell

John saved the day "Where’s your wheels, Caleb?"

I sighed with relief "Gramps has it"

Alex and Bry perked up "Oh yeah? What’s Mac doin’?" Bry asked and Molossed over the details

"He’s putting some modifications on the motor," I said as neutrally as possible

Of course, that tipped allon I was a slow learner

"Yeah, he fixed up ratitude

"He welded your door on,"Would youto the separator Tiff tried for a neutral expression and failed saying, "Ah that’s um in the trash

Moo but" Jonesy said