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"Look, I don’t have any excuses for it, okay? I was drunk out of my skull Can’t we just call this little war off and be civilized again?"

Her bottom lip trembled "I don’t think I can, Justin" A tear trickled down her cheek "Hoould it look if I forgave you after all the pain you’ve put nanimous, even"

She shook her head and reached a hand out to touch mine Her hand jerked back like it had touched a hot stove "Things have gone too far It’s too late for us to ever be friends again"

Co from her like that, it actually hurt "Was it really so horrible?"

"It was painful Maybe because you hit a sore spot I’hed "I don’t really regret being friends with you" Her face flushed and she looked away "I really treasured our friendship, Justin I know you think I’ Brad over you, but just because I didn’t want to date you didn’t uess that’s why your words hurt et it I mean ould want to date a chubby loser anyway?"

"Please don’t say that You’re not a loser"

I laughed "I’ets near s a little better than I did then" I reached a hand toward her, thought better of it, and lowered it "Can you call the dogs off? Please?"

"I can’t I don’t control the behind htly "Be careful, Justin," she whispered and hurried away

Before I could turn around, the sound of a fist hitting an open palm alerted me to yet another confrontation I turned to see Nathan and three of his biggest buddies baring their teeth and trying to lookto drop a deuce in the parking lot

With great effort, I kept ht the, they still won

"What did I say about harassing Katie, you little stalker?" Nathan sneered "Looks like we’re gonna have to teach you a lesson real soon You won’t knohen or where, but it could come at any second"

"I’ll bet your parents are so proud," I said I turned and walked into the building Theoff so well I could hardly wait to see what caroaned It was too late to get to the gymnasium to see Elyssa "Damn," I muttered My heart sank I missed her already

Lunch rolled around I noticed i was vastly different at the Goth table In the place of pale-facedauys Ash, as surprisingly Asian under all the makeup he usually wore, had a dark bruise under one eye that definitely was not eye shadow Nyte, despite his black-dyed hair, had a ginger complexion and a scab on his lower lip

I dropped into ed lunch on the table "What happened?"

Ash frowned "The principal inforer allowed to wear our ’devil-worshipping costumes’ as he called them"

"And he hit you?"

He shook his head "No, that happened when Nyte and I were leaving the uys in ski masks did this" He pointed at his eye

"And one of the scarlet as only a carrot-top’s face can

"What the principal did is against freedom of speech," I said "You can wear makeup, jewelry, and clothes just like any of these other people" I pointed at Lisa Gibbs ore so much foundation her face looked like baked mud "And see those letter jackets?" I pointed at Nathan and his group "If they can wear those, you can wear your Goth gear"

Ash nodded "I agree We could fight this in court" He looked at Nathan "But if we do, I have a feeling those guys will put on their ski ain"

I looked at Nathan and his leering coain and saw red This couldn’t continue, but what could I do about it? I’d already tried physical violence and that had just ticked theo after ered punishlanced back at Ash and Nyte I hadn’t known theht h and stood by me Mark and Harry had shown me what fake friends they’d really been

None of it could be helped now I had to figure out a better way to take Nathan and his fools on their own turf Unfortunately,with my libido and muscles

"Where is Elyssa?" I asked

Then I saw her enter the lunchroos under her eyes looked htened when our eyes locked My stoht with the world all of a sudden She set her lunch on the table

"You two feeling any better?" she asked Ash and Nyte

They nodded