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The coach called his na his attention away, and he headed onto the field without another glance in her direction

The spectators were as rowdy as Haven remembered from the year before, but this time she was more at ease in the crowd Her body buzzed with exciteaht for the locker rooms as the crowd descended upon the field

Haven and Dia headed over to the grassy knoll to wait She stood near the chain-link fence as Dia strolled around taking pictures

A throat cleared as Nicholas leaned against the fence beside her "I know--ot to tell you a joke"

"Go ahead"

"Did you hear--?"

Before he could finish, Car Nicholas’s name as he hastily approached A chill shot down Haven’s spine, her sto when she saw his hands clenched into fists Nicholas took a step away "Look, I don’t want any trouble"

Car him "If you didn’t want any trouble, you wouldn’t be here"

"I was just talking to her, ht do you have to do that, huh? Stop using her to get toher, it’s you! It’s sick what you’re doing! You have her fooled into believing you care!"

Carmine’s fist connected with Nicholas’s jaw at those words His head snapped to the side fro from his mouth He wiped it away, stunned, as Carmine shouted, "Stay the fuck away! She’s mine, and I’ll be damned if I’ll let you take her from me!"

"You possessive bastard! If you loved her, you wouldn’t say things like that!"

That set Carround as Haven clutched the fence and yelled for help A group of boys intervened at the sound of the co the two Dia forced her way through the crowd as she frantically looked around "What happened?"

Carlare at Haven "Out of everybody, why does it have to be hi to hurt me? Is that what this shit is about?"

She blinked a few tiive you space, thinking that’s what you want And I get it, Haven I fucking get it You’re hurt But you can talk to him? You can smile at him? Is it me? If you don’t want to be with"I love you!"

"You have a fucking funny way of showing it," he spat "I’ve changed my life for you I’d kill for you Fuck, I’d die for you! Just tellTell me what to do"

"I don’t know" She shook her head "I can’t"

"You can’t?" he asked with disbelief "You don’t get it, do you? You don’t knohat I’ve given up for you You don’t knohat I’ve lost because of you!"

Those words hit her hard She gasped, everything clouding over as her hand shot out, striking him across the face He cupped his cheek, the shock froer Haven covered herto be away from him so she could make sense of what she’d done

She had hit hi past people, she hurried out of the stadiu in her pocket for the keys A horn blared as she nearly backed into another car, and she sla Tears obstructed her vision as she pulled out onto the road and sped through the busy town

She drove toward the house but was too scared to stop Too scared to face it Too scared to lose hihway in the dark It took a few minutes for it to dawn on her where the road led, her shan that read WELCOME TO AURORA LAKE

Haven pulled into the s to breathe She felt like she had been sucked into a twister, the world spinning as her body shook She cli she’d be sick, and forced the fresh air in her lungs as she stumbled toward the sand

She ended up at a dock and strolled down it, glancing out at the lake Moonlight reflected off the dark water, and she stared into the blackness, soothed by it

Casual footsteps approached eventually "Please don’t juo in after you It’s probably cold"

She s to jump"

"Good," he said as he stopped beside her, his lip busted, bruises already for on his skin

Haven frowned as she peeked at hi to ize, so don’t do it for hi back out at the water

Nicholas sighed "I’m surprised to see you here"

"I shouldn’t have come"

"But you did"

"I did" She was quiet for awhat to say "It was my birthday"

"Really? Well, happy birthday"

She sed to say for days, ones she sed back whenever Car happy about the day I was born"