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Les

PS I hope you never allow yourself to believe I went through with it because you failed hts you held me and just let me cryyou have no idea how many tiht

I drop the notebook onto the floor

And I cry

Chapter Forty-nine

I walk into my mother’s office and she’s on the phone She looks up as I shut her door behind me I walk to her desk and pull the receiver fro it up

"You know?" I ask her "You know about what that bastard did to Les?" I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, just as she stands up and her own eyes fill with tears "You knohat he did to Hope? And you know that Hope is alive and that she’s fine? You know everything?"

Myher eyes She can’t tell if I’m mad or if I’ve lost it or if I’m about to flip out

"Holder" she says "We couldn’t tell you I knehat it would do to you if you knew so like that happened to your sister"

I collapse into a chair, unable to stand up for another second She walks around the desk and kneels in front of me "I’m so sorry, Holder Please don’t hateat y I ith to stand back up and I pull her up withlad you know I’h all of that And Hope?" I push her away from me and look her in the eyes "She’s Sky, Mom Hope is Sky and Sky is okay and I love her I love her so much and I had no idea how to tell you because I was so scared you would recognize her"

Her eyes groide and she backs away froirlfriend is Hope?"

I nod, knowing none of this isany sense to her "Renized her I thought she was Hope, but then I thoughtfell in love with her, Moh this week" I’ faster than she can probably comprehend I sit in the chair across from her and pull it closer to her, then lean forward and take her by the hands "She’s okay I’m okay I’m more than okay And I know you did your best for Les, Mo you could, but sometimes even all the love in the world froh to help pull sohts are what they are, and all the guilt and regret in the world can’t change that"

She begins to sob I wrap my arms around her and I hold her

Chapter Forty-nine-and-a-half

Sky and I took the last two days of the week off school We figured we already missed three days, what’s two more? Besides, Karen wanted to keep a close eye on Sky all week She’s concerned about how everything is affecting her

I agreed to give Sky space for a few days, but what Karen doesn’t realize is that Sky’sstill sees regular traffic in the ht All from me

I’ve spent the last few days in deep discussions with Mo I knew about Les and Hope and of course she wanted to knohat happened last weekend in Austin Then she wanted to know all about ht her up to date Then she said she wanted to h the front door andalmost immediately, which in turnin the foyer and o of her

"I don’t want to interrupt this hoht scare her away"

Myaway fro at Sky She turns to"Yeah, she’s okay"

Sky laughs and hits me on the arm "Remember? The insults are only funny in text forrab her and pull her to me "You’re not beautiful, Sky," I whisper in her ear "You’re incredible"

She wraps her arms around me in return "You’re not so bad, yourself," she says

My mother takes her by the hand and pulls her away froins to boh, because she doesn’t ask her questions about her situation or her past She just asks noroes to college and where she’s planning to go to college I leave the rooe and grab a few boxes Mo out Les’s room before Now that I have Sky here, I think I’ll actually be able to do it