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She walks over tobuttons

"What the hell are you doing?" I yell as I grab it back out of her grasp

"I knohat you’re up to, Lake! Don’t pretend with me"

"What aht you and Will were both gone He conveniently had a babysitter Tonight, his brother says he’s spending the night and half an hour later you’re going out? You aren’t going anywhere!"

I throw my phone in my purse and wrap my purse across my shoulder as I head to the front door

"As aout With Eddie You can watch me leave with Eddie You can watch me return with Eddie" I walk out the front door and she followsup in the driveway

"Lake? Get back here! We need to talk," she yells from the doorway

I open the door to Eddie’s car and I turn to face her "You’re rightI knoe’re having dinner toan! I know about everything! So don’t you dare talk tostuff!"

I don’t wait for her to respond as I get in the backseat and slam the door

"Get me out of here Hurry," I say to Eddie

I start crying as we drive away I never want to go back

"Here, drink this" Eddie shoves another soda across the table as she and Gavin watch me drink-and cry We stopped at Getty’s because Eddie said their pizza was the only thing that could help ht now I couldn’t eat

"I’m sorry I ruined your date," I say to both of them

"You didn’t ruin it Did she babe?" Eddie says as she turns to Gavin

"Not at all It’s a nice change of routine," he says as he shoves his pizza into a takeout box

My phone is vibrating again It’s the sixth time my mother has called, so I hold down the power button and throw it back in my purse

"Can we still make it to the movie?" I ask

Gavin looks at his watch and nods "Sure, if you really feel like going"

"I do I need to stop thinking about this for a little while"

We pay our bill and head to the theater It’s not Johnny Depp, but any actor will do right now

10

"She puts her hands against

the life she had

Living with ignorance,

Blissful and sad

But nobody knohat lies behind

The days before the day we die"

-The Avett Brothers, Die Die Die

Chapter Ten

We pull up to et out of the car as I take a few deep breaths, preparing for the fight that’s about to go down

"Layken, callGood luck," Eddie says

"Thanks, I will" I get out of the car and walk up to the door as they drive away When I walk inside,on the couch She hears the door close and ju but she runs to me and throws her arms around my neck I stand stiff

"Lake, I’m so sorry, I should have told you I’

I back apart froo sit on the couch There’s tissue paper all over both end tables She’s been crying a lot Good, she should feel bad Awful, even

"Dad and I were going to tell you before he-"

"Dad? You were seeing him before dad even died?" I stand up and pace the floor "Mo now And crying again

I look at her, waiting for her to defend her repulsive behavior but she is staring at the table in front of her

She leans forward and cocks her head aton?"

"I don’t knoho! Whoever wrote you that poe to see every ti I love you to on the phone I don’t knoho and I really don’t care who"

She walks to me and places her hands onanyone You’veAll of it"

I can tell she’s being honest, but I still don’t have any answers

"What about the note? And the bank statements? We aren’t broke, Mo us up here If it wasn’t for sood, Lake I thought you knew I thought you figured it out" She sits back down on the couch

"Apparently not," I say I'm frustrated I don't understand what could possibly be so i us away from our entire lives

"So tell me," I say

"Sit down Please, sit down"

I sit back down on the couch and wait for her to explain everything She pauses for a long tihts

"The note, it’s just so silly He drew on ht and left the note on my pillow I kept it I loved your dad, Lake Ilike that to hi sincere