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"Hey, Bill," Trenton said, i okay, Travis?" Bill asked
Trenton answered for me "He’ll feel better after a few rounds"
I was grateful In that ht have broken down
Trenton continued buying e of passing out I must have done so sometime between the bar and the apart on the couch in ot there
Shepley closed the door, and I heard the familiar sound of America’s Honda rev up and pull away
I sat up and closed one eye "Did you guys have a good night"
"Yeah Did you?"
"I guess so Did you hear me come in?"
"Yeah, Trent carried your ass upstairs and threw you on the couch You were laughing, so I’d say it was a successful night"
"Trent can be a dick, but he’s a good brother"
"That he is You hungry?"
"Fuck no," I groaned
"Alrighty, then I’onnaover the night before in my mind The last hours were hazy, but when I backed up to the moment I saw Abby on campus, I winced
"I told Mare we had plans today I thought we’d go to the lumber place to replace your creaky ass door"
"You don’t have to babysitin half an hour Wash the stank off you, first," he said, sitting in the recliner with his bowl of Mini Wheats "And then we’re going to come hoh
"I’ll order pizza for lunch, and we can just eat leftovers for dinner"
"Thanksgiving is co pizza three ht No, thank you"
"Okay, Chinese, then"
"You’re ," I said
"I know Trust ht
THE DAYS PASSED SLOWLY BUT STAYING UP LATE TO study with Shepley, and sohts Trenton promised not to tell Dad or the rest of the Maddox boys about Abby until after Thanksgiving, but I still dreaded it, knowing I’d already told them all she would coh me when I lied
After my last class on Friday, I called Shepley "Hey, I know this is supposed to be off-li for break"
"Well, that’s easy She’ll be with us She spends the holidays at America’s"
"Really?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Nothing," I said, abruptly hanging up the phone
I walked around ca for Abby’s class to let out Outside the Hoover building, I saw a few people froated outside The back of Parker’s head came into view, and then Abby
She was huddled inside her winter coat, see uncomfortable as Parker babbled on
I pulled down ed in their direction Abby’s eyes drifted to nition made her eyebrows raise infinitesimally
The same mantra played on repeat in my head No matter what smart-ass comment Parker makes, play it cool Don’t fuck this up Don’t Fuck This Up
Toa word to me
I shoved my hands into the front pockets ofwith him and Mare to Wichita to the whole break at A too hard to be unaffected by my presence "I’m really close with her parents"
"What about your mom?"
"She’s a drunk, Travis She won’t know it’s Thanksgiving"
My sto to be my last chance Thunder rolled above us and I looked up, squinting as the large drops fell against my face
"I need to ask you for a favor," I said, ducking from the hard rain "C’ so she wouldn’t get soaked from the sudden downpour
"What kind of favor?" she asked, clearly suspicious It was hard to hear her over the rain
"My uh" I shifted et the best of me My mind screamed abort!, but I was deter you on Thursday"
"Travis!" Abby whined
I looked to my feet "You said you would come"
"I know, butit’s a little inappropriate now, don’t you think?"
"You said you would co to keep reed to go ho to come"
"I didn’t know, and it’s too late, anyway Tho forward to seeing you"
Abby cringed, twirling a piece of her wet hair around her finger "They were going to come anyeren’t they?"
"Not everyone We haven’t had all of us there for Thanksgiving in years They all made an effort to be there, since I promised them a real meal We haven’t had a woman in the kitchen since Mo,"
"That’s not what I e, c’mon We all want you there That’s all I’m sayin’"
"You haven’t told them about us, have you?"
"Dad would ask why, and I’m not ready to talk to him about it I’d never hear the end of how stupid I ae"
"I have to put the turkey in at six in theWe’d have to leave here by five"
"Or we could stay there"
Her eyebrows shot up "No way! It’s bad enough that I’ to have to lie to your faether"