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"You’re good at that," Jake says, as I settle on my new branch

"I’ve lived in trees my whole life"

"Do you have sohtest talker you’ve ever met"

"Oh, really? I think most of what cooddaives out

FIVE

The fall takes no time and forever

I land on s crumple and I’h or cry or swear because I can’t believe the other branch broke, so I just lay there notinstead

"Jesus--Parker?" Dead leaves crunch under Jake’s feet as he hurries over I should say so He kneels down "Parker? Are you okay?"

"I can’t feel s"

He turns white "Are you serious?"

"No"

"Not funny," he snaps "You’re okay?"

"I’nore the insistent, toothachelike pain going on in ht ankle Jake doesn’t need to know about that

"Nice catch," I say

He laughs and stands, brushing the dirt froonna catch you Co dark"

I extend rabs me by the wrists and hoists ives ’s broken"

"But you hurt yourself, didn’t you?"

"I’ve had worse injuries on the cheerleading squad"

"Parker," Jake says impatiently "What hurts?"

"Ankle"

"There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?" He pauses and looks aard "Uh do you need to lean on , thanks"

"I have this crazy feeling you’d say that even if you weren’t"

We h the woods I take a sharp breath in for every step forward, but I don’t think it’s anything serious I’ll get the coood for Monday or I could run up and down the stairs until it’s so inflamed I couldn’t possibly ive Jake credit He slows his pace to acco off into the woods like I h, as he feels the need to pass the ti

"So what’d you do that you have to see Ms Grey once a week?"

"Run-of-the-mill-delinquent stuff," I say "It’s none of your business"

"Okay"

Liot drunk at school A lot Earlier this year" I only ad he probably already knows People talk I can’t be the first person he’s asked about me

He shoves his hands in his pockets "Do you have, like a problem?"

"Yeah, and that was hten up If I say I don’t, you wouldn’t believe that, right? Anyone who says they don’t have a drinking problem usually does"

"Do they?" he asks I take a hard step on asp He pauses, but I wave hi and he starts talking again God, I wish he’d shut up "So why did you drink?"

"I--" Limp, limp, limp "What does Chris tell you aboutpopular made your brain snap"

"Seriously?"

"Yeah"

I’ with it

"It was so like that, yeah"

"I’m sorry it was so hard for you," Jake says He ets quiet, but noant to talk

"Do you feel you knowlook

"You’re not that bad"