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The tears caht I was going to stop breathing for a minute

"It’s for the best" I wasn’t sure how many times I had to say it before I actually started to believe itelse, which for Cora was like an act of God himself, but she did stay and continue to stroke my head until I was all cried out

The first week he was gone was the worst I threw myself into school and picked up every extra shift I could at the bar, and not only because I had to pay Shaw back an exorbitant amount of money I had to stay busy or I felt like I would crack into pieces

My friends asked hoas doing every day, and every day I lied and said I was fine I even gritted aveApparently, En, which wasn’t surprising at all Jet was a rock god and now all of Europe knew it, too I wondered if, when he got back, he was finally going to sign with a big label and shoot to real stardonized for hoonderful he was

I ranthat wore ht, and even then I still woke up and rolled over to reach for an empty side of the bed When that happened, I tossed and turned and then finally gave up, and eventually just got out of my bed and went across the hall to sleep in Jet’s empty bed, because it still smelled like hiht I was doing a good job keeping it all together, but socrazy, like beat Loren to death with her own stupidity There were ti and then just look at h or chi really seemed funny to me anymore It sucked I felt like I was e anyone knohat my life used to look like did

Week tas a little better I stopped listening for the sad strains of a guitar and I ed to stay in h spot hen I overheard Cora talking to him on the phone, and I wanted to chase her down and steal it fro, ask if he had found some crappy European version of ht, not only did I sleep in his room, but in his shirt as well It was pathetic

I had about a thousand unsent text es on my phone that I battled day in and day out not to send to him I wanted to tell him that I missed him, that I loved him, and that no one would ever be to s (new ones, not old ones) and told ain that it was all for the best

By the ti okay like a pro Shaasn’t givingabout Jet like it didn’t cut reed to have a couple strictly platonic coffee dates with Adam, just to reinforce to hiht he was a super guy, ed to sorain of salt, but continued to call, and as long as I had everyone watching for cracks in my facade of indifference, I decided it didn’t hurt to keep hi I was carrying around, getting used to the idea that this is whatto look like now, because there was no replacing so around that he hat my future was supposed to be whenwithin the bathroo for all the junk Jet used to leave lying around, when that sa for weeks popped back up on ured it was just Asa, and since I hadn’t heard from him in more than a month, I decided it would be best to answer and let him check in, or ask for money, which was more likely I propped the phone between my ear and shoulder while I fussed with my hair, and answered

"Hello?"

It wasn’t Asa It wasn’t Silas It wasn’t my mom It wasn’t anyone who I would have ever expected to hear froain

"Hello, Ayden"

I blinked for a second and stared in shock at my own reflection in the bathroo that kind voice with the familiar Southern drawl It was the voice that had broken me free from Woodward It was the voice that had convinced

"I’m sure this is a surprise, but I had to call to tell you about Asa"

I could see my oilderment reflected back at me

"Asa?" I was sure I sounded as confused as I felt, but I was having a hard tih on the other end of the phone

"You know I always believed in kar you out of that trailer park and out fronment, and for a while it was"

"Have you been calling me the lastto send Silas after Asa, so I wanted to check in on you I figured as long as you answered, you were okay"

I leaned against the sink becauseon with h, and this one I could almost feel the heaviness of I owed thissuspicion he was about to s coive you the entire book when you paid hi from it and the motorcycle club isn’t happy"

That was just like Asa Leaving good enough alone was never his style and greed was just too powerful a ave hiaritas for as long as he wants I can’t get those pages back"

"Oh, I know that, Ayden, and you don’t have to worry about the es The club already retrieved the"