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"We’re family, we take care of each other and do e have to do to survive"

I gritted my teeth "Yeah, only that always meant I had to take care of you, Asa I’ your legs broken, because that is the only option I’uys that are too old for et you in the door anyet how crappy doing all the things I used to doon here and I’ to let you or your idiotic choices mess it up"

He scowled at uy who can play the guitar?"

It was as close asthat he had sos I’d taken upon myself to do in order to keep him in one piece It made me feel worse about it than I normally did, and I had beaten myself up over the truly awful decisions I’d ular basis

I poked hiot in his face "I sleep ho I hen I want, Asa You have no right to say anything, after everything I’ve done for you I’ll tell you one tiuy like Ada on isn’t going to fool hilowered up at me "Oh yeah, and how do you think all your fancy new friends are going to feel about Good-Time Ayd? Do any of theet by? Do any of them knohere the real you came from, or do they all just see the polished version and take it at face value? Even if Rocker Boy is cool with it, what about the rest of them? Could he still look at you the sa but trailer trash?"

I sucked in a breath and rocked back on my heels That was exactly what I was afraid of, but it was a cut that wentfrom him Half those trips around the block had been because of his that I wanted to keep buried noere because of him To this day I still never had concrete proof that Asa had any idea of the lengths I had gone to to keep hi And if he did kno he could dare ask ive him even more And if he didn’t know, the fact that he never asked any questions about it was frankly just as heartbreaking I loved my brother, and I liked to think somewhere in someplace inside he loved me back, but I just wasn’t sure and that’s why I could never trust him fully

I pulled the cloak of indifference that I had been building since the last time I saw Woodward around o to class without bothering to engage him further I was pissed because the class was now almost halfway over

"It doesn’twith Jet is none of your business, and I have no intention of being invested enough to let my past matter or not Stay away from Adam, and stay away from me If I can think of a way to help you with thethis with you or for you I think it would killI’ve done for you, and I deserve better than that"

"I don’t have a whole lot of time for this to happen, Ayd, so even if you can’t help I still have to figure soht about that before you decided to rip a bunch of criain that e its spots, sis Maybe it would do you soood to remember that"

I watched hi under my feet Asa was ruthless--he was a survivor and he didn’t care who he hurt or who he stepped on to get what he wanted I needed to co to systematically dismantle my entire life here in Denver

I let out a startled yelp when a hand landed on hed at roaned and shoved h reen eyes sharpened with concern "Is everything all right?"

She was eher have access to all the dirt and vitriol Asa brought up, froze uess I’ both eyes open and all that"

"It’s probably better to be safe than sorry"

I nodded absently and resigned ure out a way to get my hands on a whole lot ofon with you?"

She rolled her eyes and tucked her long hair behind her ears "Still arguing with Rule about the house I told him that I would love to move into one with him, if he let me put down half of the down payment He lost his mind"

I followed her up the stairs and let her talk while I nodded and listened sympathetically We stopped outside the classrooet her to take a breath

"Shaw, think about this frouy who has a hard ti to anything, and he wants to buy you a hoical sense to me and you, because you havehe’s trying to do for you, for the two of you together, andit less important Besides, it’s money that comes from your folks, who hate hi penny from those people after the way they’ve treated you He wants to do this for you, Shaw Why shouldn’t he take care of you? You loved him unconditionally for years and years Can’t this be your reward for that?"

She blinked at roaned "Well, crap Why didn’t I see that?"