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The waitress ca they needed, her eyes lingering on Carnored her like he usually did, but Tess didn’t let it slide "She could see your girlfriend sitting right beside you Doesn’t she have any self-respect?"
Carlared at him, his response not what she wanted to hear "What the hell’s got into you?"
Car about?"
"Your attitude, that’s what It’s a damn shame, too I al liked you"
Haven tensed at the hostility as Doh! I don’t knohat your probleure it out I’lared at his brother "What have I done?"
"Do you not hear yourself? You’re acting more and more like the old you"
"I am not," Car you now--fix it Haven deserves better than the way you’ve been treating her"
Haven watched Carmine warily as he stared at his brother The tension at the table was thick, and she started to panic "I, uhI need to go to the restroom"
She stood, and Dia juh of relief once she was alone and stayed there until she calmed down There was a tap on the door, and she expected to see Dia still waiting, but instead came face-to-face with Carmine
"Can we talk, tesoro?" She nodded and followed hinition "I didn’t realize I was being such an asshole I’ve had a lot on hed, dru wheel "Not really That probably er asshole, but I justcan we start over? You finally get a chance to experience teenage shit, and I’ you for giving me this chance You shouldn’t love me, but you do, and you don’t kno thankful I a you in azed at hi he had said in a whilepossibly ever "I’ the car as Haven put on her seatbelt "And I’m sorry about the Nikes"
"What about theive the impression I don’t care, but I do I just really like my Nikes"
"I like theenuine syhts strung up all over the ceiling A balloon archway greeted therimaced at the cheap decorations, while Haven was completely mesmerized "It’s pretty," she said, her words barely audible above the thu
He chuckled at her enthusiasm "Do you wanna dance?"
"I, uh" She surveyed the crowd on the dance floor "I’ve never danced"
"Not true," he said, pulling her in front of him with his hands on her hips "We danced on Halloween"
"That’s different," she said "You kind of just swungnow" He was lying Eyes focused on they, and I think I’ the edge of the crowd, and he pulled her against hi them to thealong, his voice relaxing her
Carmine moved her hips to the beat until she was able to keep rhyth, but Cars before he led her over toward a table, grabbing two plastic cups and pouring punch in theht sight of Nicholas after a while with Lisa clinging to his ar her attention on Caraze froht up to her, and she excused herself to use the restroo her hands when the door opened, hostility filling the confined space as Lisa walked in There was no way to leave without walking past her, so Haven shut off the water and took a deep breath After drying her hands, she took a few steps in her direction
"Excuse o without trouble, but Lisa didn’t move an inch "I’d like to leave"
"I’d like you to leave too," Lisa said "Leave town, and leave Car pleasure from her pain, reminded Haven of Katrina and all the times she had kicked her when she was already down There hadn’t been anything she could do about it then, but she didn’t have to take it any to hand over control to people anted nothing more than for her to hurt
"I said excuse me" Haven took another step forward Lisa didn’tit open and stepped out as Lisa gripped her shoulder Haven turned around in enough time to see her make a fist
Before Lisa could attack, arms jerked Haven away, and Nicholas absorbed the force of the punch in his chest "Whoa, Laila Ali, watch where you’re swinging!"
Lisa sneered at him "What did you call hter"
"Why are you talking?" Lisa asked, taking a step toward her "Nobody asked you"
"Hey now" Nicholas tried to coripped Haven’s ar it onto the floor Nicholas intervened again, and Lisa stomped away as he picked up Haven’s flower
She took it carefully as he s that spiked Haven’s anxiety "Is so time, you know," he said "We used to be close, and when you spend a lot of tis about them Likesome of the stuff their family does"