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That was enough reason for rabbed at me I’m sorry I’m not doith that"

Matt just stared atof curse words that were for in my mind "Okay Maybe I shouldn’t have done all that Can we just forget about it?"

"No" He rubbed the back of his neck "That was too weird for me Sorry Alex, but that was just… freaky"

My ever tenuous hold on er started to thin "Oh, so next time you want me to stand here and let them kick your ass andto kick my ass or molest you! And there won’t be a next time I’m not doith violence" Matt shook his head and turned away froall alone

"What the hell?" I muttered and then louder, "Whatever! Go save a dolphin or so!"

He whirled around "It’s a whale, Alex, a whale! That’s what I’"

I threw updolphins?"

Matt ignored retted yelling that I stor, but I did so with grace and dignity Not one single disparaging rehtly sealed lips

A couple of kids glanced up, but none of the The few friends I had at school had been Matt’s friends, and they liked saving whales too Not that anything rong with saving whales, but some of them threw their beer bottles and plastic wrappers in the ocean Hypocritical much?

Matt just didn’t understand Violence was a part of who I was as a half-blood, ingrained in my blood since birth and trained into everyto snap and body slaht back Always

The walk home sucked butt

I had sand between my toes, inplaces and everything freaking sucked Looking back, I could adht’ve overreacted a tad Ren and Sti I could’ve just let it slide Or acted like a norirl in the situation and let Matt handle it

But I hadn’t

I never did Now everything was going to be screwed up Matt would go to school on Monday and tell everyone how I’d gone Xena Warrior Princess on the douchebags I’d have to tell ain I’d actually be happy about that; there was no way I could back to school and face those kids after Matt told the in a feeeks, anyway I also wasn’t looking forward to themy way

One I knew I deserved

Clenching the little purse in hts from the clubs and the sounds of the nearby carnival put ht I wanted to punch myself in the face

We lived three blocks off the beach, in a two story bungalow Mouy who smelled like sardines It was kind of old, but it had two tiny bathrooms Bonus points there--we didn’t have to share It wasn’t exactly in the safest neighborhood known tothat would scare my mom or hed as I navigated the still crowded boardwalk The nightlife was a big thing here So were fake ID’s and super-tan, super-skinny bodies Everyone looked alike to me in Miami, which wasn’t very different from my home--my real hoated to fulfill

And noas pretty much a loser

I’d lived in four different cities and attended four high schools in three years We always picked large cities to disappear in and always lived near water So far we’d only attracted a little attention, and e had, we’d run Never once did le explanation After the first year, I’d stopped getting mad when she wouldn’t tell ht and toldto figure it out Sometimes I hated her for all of this, but she was my mom and where she went, I went

Da until no stars shone down I crossed the narrow street and kicked open the gate of the waist-high, wrought iron fence surrounding our little patch of grass I winced at the screech as it swung open, scraping along the sandstone pavers

I stopped in front of the door, looking up as I searched my purse for the key "Crap," I arden balcony Flowers and herbs grew like crazy, overflowing their ceras Eo had toppled over I was supposed to have cleaned up the balcony this afternoon

Mo