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"Yes, I’ve been reading the papers," I shot back "Despite what you think of me, I’m not illiterate I totally expected that at soet fucked What I didn’t expect was to be asked to fuckto shout, but I had no desire to controlto happen I’ to meekly take myself off so that the coroner can avoid a nonexistent scandal I was held up at fucking gunpoint! Why the fuck doesn’t he grow a pair of fucking balls and corow a pair of fucking balls and fire one!" I was beyond shouting at this point I was shrieking like an insane bitch Hey, at least now there was legitiive hi my fury and hurt close to h I knew there were plenty of shocked observers leaning out of office doors I thought I heard Reb whisper, "Good luck, babe," as I storh the security door, but I couldn’t be sure I liked to think she did

I drove out to h I had a pretty solid idea of how much I had saved If I was careful and wasn’t too active and didn’t get hurt, I could probably last a couple of months And what then?

And then I’et her fake brain forone off on Allen like that? Yeah, sure, the whole "leave without pay" thing was bullshit, but at least it would’ve most likely been temporary Life was full of bullshit, and sometimes it was smarter to suck it up and wait for a better opportunity

With a sense of co, I shut and locked the freezer and the storage unit I stopped at the first store that sold cheap clothing, bought a t-shirt, and changed out ofit into the trash, but then changed my mind and shoved it into the trunk of my car I really had loved the job, and just because Allen and the coroner were jerks didn’t mean I needed to scrub it fro that would help take my mind off the coet drunk Drugs didn’t work onbut burn my brains up anddead wasn’t an escape since it always cao away until it was satisfied

In other words, being bummed and depressed as a zo and pulled into the parking lot of Lou-Ann’s Café That was one thing theodd hours I knehere all the good greasy spoons were Not to mention which ones had bathrooms that were fairly clean

Lou-Ann’s had decent bathrooood key lis and alcohol I sat at the counter and ignored everyone else aroundevery bite of the dauely aware that sonored hie and slunk off

The waitress didn’t e me in conversation, which I appreciated ive her an insanely large tip, and when I headed out I was somewhat calmer And fuller And at least I didn’t have to worry about diabetes

I was nearly to ly familiar voice from behindback, I saw Clive’s sneering face I was pretty sure he hadn’t been in the café while I was there, so I figured he was on his way in "Get it right, Clive," I said "It’s ‘fucking bitch’"

He snorted "I’ll just go with fucking loser It’s only a matter of time before you end up back in jail, y’know"

I rolled my eyes and continued to ain

"Maybe you can share a cell with that fuckup loser of a dad you got"

Godda on me andlot then took two steps toward hi grin He straightened his shoulders as he closed the distance between us, deliberately flexing and pushing his chest out a bit--which alhed barely a hundred pounds He was bowing up toloser--"

That was all he got out before e I wasn’t full up on brains, but I was pretty dah to send hi bitch!" he screeched as blood began to fountain through his fingers "You broke ht hand I’d never really learned how to punch, and it showed Two of the bones in les that weren’t supposed to be there, and blood seeped from a wide cut across my knuckles It hurt like fuck-all but even as I peered at it, the pain began to fade to a dull background ache

Clive let out a wheezing noise that I suddenly realized was hih his bloody fingers "I’es And your loser ass will be going back to jail"

I liftedhow calht here"