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Her eyes are closed when I reach the couch again She looks so peaceful just lying there I watch her for a h her head, but I refuse to ask I can carve pumpkins just as well as she can

I kneel beside her and her eyes flick open She looks at me with horror and reaches up to my eye "Will! Your eye!"

"It’s fine I’ll be fine," I say, shaking it off She pulls her hand back and I lean forward and grasp the botto permission to lift her shirt She shakes her head, so I pull the shirt up over her back She’s already got a bruise from where that asswipe punched her I lay the icepack over her injury, then pull her shirt back down on top of it

I walk to the front door and leave her on the couch as I make my way across the street to inform Julia When I knock on the door, it takes her a while to finally answer When she sees asps Lake’s naht at the club and she was hit in the back She’s onelse, Julia shoves past me and runs across the street When I finallyLake in her arms Julia takes her hand and helps her up I hold the door open as they both walk out Lake doesn’t even make eye contact with me when she leaves I shut the door behind the rab my phone and text Gavin

If I coo with et Lake’s Jeep and drive it back to Ypsi?

I hit send and sit down on the couch I can’t even wrap ht I feel like I’htmare

How early?

Early I have to be at the school by 7:30 Is 6:00 okay?

I’ll do it under one condition If you don’t get fired tonment for the rest of the year

See you at six

HE OPENS THE passenger door and climbs inside Before I’ve even backed out of his driveway, he lays into ht? Do you knoho Javier’s father is? If you even have a job to go back to today, you won’t have it by this afternoon"

I nod, but don’t respond

"What the hell proh and pull onto themy eyes focused in front of me

"I knohatever happened had to do with Layken But what the hell did Javi do? You were pu Please tell me it was self-defense so you at least have a chance at keeping your job Was it self-defense?" he asks, looking straight at hs, then leans forcefully back against his seat

"And then you take her home! Why the hell would you let her in your car alone in front of hi his ass Why the hell did you kick his ass?"

I look over at him "Gavin, I screwed up I realize this You can shut the hell up now"

He nods and props his leg on the dash and doesn’t say another word

IT’S THE FIRST time I’ve ever made it into the office before Mrs Alex It’s eerily quiet, and for a moment, I actually wish she were here I walk around her desk toward Mr Murphy’s office I glance inside and he’s casually seated at his desk with the phone to his ear and his feet propped up His face lights up when he sees e to er, so I take a few steps away froht about this moment so many times before The n Of course, I always i out of his office and into Lake’s life

My fantasy is nothing like s are warranted I push her away every tiets used to being withoutto screith her head even ood idea? We were finally in a good spot She was finally learning to balance all the negativity in her life, and I go and ain

That’s all I do is s worse for her That’s probably the reason she turned to Javi I’d like to think she was just kissing hiest fear is that she was kissing hiest fear, yet it’s exactly what I know she needs

"Mr Cooper," Mr Murphy says, walking past ot an eight o’clock "

"Uh," I stammer "Well, actually it’s pretty important"

He stops next to the wall of mailboxes and pulls the contents of his box out "How important? So i "It can’t wait," I say reluctantly "I, uht With a student"

Mr Murphy stops sorting his mail and darts his head toward me "Sort of? You did or you didn’t, Mr Cooper Which is it?"