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"That’s not true"

He was ready for an argument "It is true and I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I didn’t call you out on it She knows you don’t come from family with money and she doesn’t care She was so upset about what ever happened on Saturday night that she hadfor you because you wouldn’t man up and take her calls"

"You don’t understand"

"Try explaining it to ht-I don’t understand You love her She loves you It’s pretty siure out in my book"

There wasn’t a way toon "It’s wayyou couldn’t begin to iine," I explained

"How is your fa happened in me and I felt like I would snap if I didn’t tell so this lie "Dane, I greatchingThis sumht she was ripping hiht he killed me when he put a bullet in me and all of this happened while my two little brothers hid in a closet in their bedrooht e for a roof over my head In the meantime, I have two little brothers in foster care that I have to figure out how to get back and take care of, so don’t try to tellinand stared at me

"I don’t want anyone to know Especially Claire," I warned

"I wouldn’t tell anyone, but you can’t keep doing that, dude It’s illegal You could go to jail," he said like I didn’t already know that was a possibility

I tried to defend ht now I need a roof over my head, so I don’t have much of a choice, but that’s not the end of it Believe it or not, it gets much worse

He looked at et worse "After I was shot,so I was referred out for possible post traurew to the size of saucers, I kneas putting it together "Say it isn’t so"

"Yep, it’s so Mrs Deveraux was ed fro aboutI could have died when I walked up in Claire’s house and saw her on Saturday night She pretended we didn’t know each other, but only because she didn’t have a choice She told me to break it off with Claire, so as I supposed to do?"

I could see his wheels turning, trying to find a solution for me "Dude, I’m really sorry, because I kno randmother You can stay with me so you don’t have to deal for her anymore"

"No, I can’t I know it sounds terrible to you, but it’s what I’ve known my entire life, so I’m use to it It’s not so bad and I only have to do it until I graduate I’et a full time job and find a place to stay until fall seo to school"

"That sounds like a great plan and all, but what if you get caught and go to jail in the meantime?" he proposed

"I kno to be careful, but I was serious about not telling anyone You feelingand he followed "I’m sorry, man I shouldn’t have du to explode if I didn’t talk to soh to confide into Claire She loves you unconditionally I saw that on Saturday night"

"No! She can never know"

I wasn’t ready to face Claire, so I didn’t go to school on Tuesday and because it was so easy to not face her on Tuesday, I didn’t go on Wednesday either I was afraid I ht if I cut school more than two days, so I reluctantly returned on Thursday

I purposely waited until the tardy bell rang before I went to Calculus because it was easier to take the tardy than have the ‘how could you do that to her’ conversation with Payton I keptand soe her after class

I sat in Hu the moment Claire entered class because I wasn’t sure I could handle seeing that hurt look on her face The bell rang without a sign of her and Mrs Tanner said, "Jessie, I’lad to see you’re back and recovered from whatever put you and Claire out of school this week, but it looks like she isn’t going toany better?"