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"No"

I watched as the paraue and stepped between him and Woods "He's fine If I think he needs ets it Please, he needs to be left alone"

The man looked up at Woods and then back at me "Okay," he said, then turned away

"I' until they've found him," Woods said

I turned around and reached for his hand He laced his fingers through ht here"

"You'll stay withyour side"

"Thank you"

We sat there for the next four hours Rush had brought Woods a blanket fro cold since he was soaking wet He didn't say anything, he just dropped it on his shoulders Rush had been out there, too He had been the reason Woods hadn't drowned They had both lived this nightmare

After the police questioned Bethy, Darla came and took her home Blaire took Nate and went home at Rush's insistence The crowd had thinned Helicopters spotlighted the dark water and boats searched in vain It was impossible to see in the dark

Woods sat there besideat the water Watching them look for Jace He wanted Jace's body found I understood that He didn't want to leave the beach until he knew Jace wasn't out there alone

Finally, the helicopters left The boats went away The paraet us to leave but they weren't going to argue with the owner of the Kerrington Club They finally left us

We weren't alone, though Rush stood off in the distance, his hands in the pockets of his jeans At so off at the dark water, too I kept thinking this was a drealanced over to our left and Thad sat there on the sand with his ars and his knees bent, like a little boy as lost

They all hurt

And there was nothing I could do Nothing anyone could do

The sound of the ocean crashing against the shore wasn't soothing like it had once been It now felt like a taunt Reer It was in control

Someone elsedown the boardwalk He hadn't been at the party I never knew if he was in town or souy never stayed in one place

He stopped at Rush and Rush turned his eyes to look at hi his head and dropped to his knees

It waswhen the searchers found Jace's body washed up one mile down the shore