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JESSICA WELLINGTON MISSING

I rip the poster off the wall

TWENTY-FOUR

"I’m sorry," Jake says

I cruet rid of it If I don’t get rid of it, no one will, and if no one gets rid of it--

Once my hands are empty, I don’t knohat to do with theers

"Chris said she was your--your best" He trails off like the gravity of the situation has hit hi that happen on his face Better his than mine "I’

"I bet you--" I have to wait three finger snaps before I can speak "I--"

And then I’ down the hall as fast as I can, as close as I can get to running without actually doing it People pass me on their way to classes or to Becky, who’s always been a kind of celebrity because everyone thinks she’s the last person who saw Jessie alive and Jessie told her she was running away and everything and Chris is probably holding her through it, because that’s trau to throw up

I’h the back doors, outside, at the same tiag on the fresh air and let the thought take over: Jessie’s dead Jessie’s dead she’s dead she’s dead I end up on ers into the paveht hand snaps back and there’s red

"Shit"

I suck on er and taste et calravel and dirt off my skirt and knees at the same time the doors behind me open It’s Evan Hisnoises, fish-out-of-water sounds He’s heard

"Jessie’s dead," I tell hiroan, curls his hands into fists and presses them into his eyes and sobs The calm that’s enveloped me never falters I wonder if I should be worried about this

I should be worried about this

"I can’t believe it" He wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve "I can’t I--"

"You didn’t actually think she was coo Dead"

He chokes "Bitch"

"Fuck you"

"Fuck you" His neck and face turn red "Show a little respect She did more for you than you ever did for her"

"Fuck you"

We could probably do this all day And Jessie’s dead I pinchHis eyes well up again The closer he gets to crying, the further I feel froo back" "What’s stopping you?"

"Becky"

"What?"

"I can’t stand being around her She--" The tears spill over He buries his head in his hands, and if it was anyone but me next to him he’d be comforted "I mean, I don’t like you, but if you toldaway, I’d stop you I’d talk you out of it Becky didn’t even I mean--"

"Bullshit," I iven et out of town"

"So that’s what you think of irlfriends He knohat I think of him

"Why did you come back?" I ask "Why would you come back to this when everyone thinks it’s you--that you made her run--"

"Because," he says "It’s what I deserve"

I s "What did she say to you?"

"What are you talking about?" He stares atabout "Why are you asking o inside"

He brushes past --she said she was going to say so you wouldn’t like"

"You said you didn’t remember the party," he says slowly

"Like I’d tell you otherwise" I wrap my arms around et

He faces ive me and that she--" He chokes on the words "That she hoped I was guilty for the rest ofto--I didn’t--"

And he’s crying again

"Oh, give me a break, Evan," I snap, because I’m annoyed by the sound of it, the idea that he would uilty because Jessie said she hoped he would be She wasn’t like that "She wasn’t that type of person and you know it She would’ve forgiven you"

"But that’s what she said and then she ran away so I would--"

"She was a good person"