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Okay, he was trying not to be an ungrateful brat Geez, he was already lucky his parents hadn’t killed hi out about what happened at the restaurant But like, couldn’t they at least pick hih everyone would see his "et him

At least no one had tried to pound him today while John Murdoch was absent and couldn’t stick up for him

Chris slouched lower on the bench He was really, really trying not to screw up and piss off his folks He’d actually turned down four different rides because, if his dad didn’t think it was safe for him to drive hie--even if one of those "others" was this really cute babe from his Spanish II class

Nope, he’d called Bo A ht? Since that’s who Dad picked to stay over when Mom was in the hospital

And at least Bo drove a cool Jeep with the top down most of the time rather than a dorky parentmobile

"Hey, Chris?" Shelby leaned over the back of the bench into his sight line "What’s going on? I thought you were using youryou another one"

Geez, her dark hair sht there beside his face He could even reed her while she cried

He looked away, down, scuffed his gyum stuck to the concrete "Dad droveher backpack over "Do you want a ride home?"

Make that five ride offers and one of them froot suckier by the second "Nah, thanks I already called Bo to coot a Jet Ski to celebrate his cast co off"

"Really cool" She circled around to the front and plopped down beside him "How about I wait around with you?"

There wasn’t any reason he couldn’t talk to her School was safe or his dad wouldn’t have let hi out the s The shouts and laughs and we’re-free noises carried on the wind

He lifted his shoe off the guoing okay?"

"Great Really great" Turning, she hitched a knee up onto the bench, a h "Listen, Chris, I just want to say thank-you for being there when I needed a friend I mean, I don’t knoho else would have been so cool about everything and not judged me and just helpedShelby Dawson He didn’t reht there and Murdoch--the lucky bastard who got to do it with her and probably didn’t appreciate her--wasn’t around And her lip gloss was all shiny and he had to knohat it tasted like before she moved or he would die

Strawberry

Her breath hitched He heard it A tiny gasp thing that saidback Her led his od"

Crap

Her eyes widened She touched her lips with a hand that shook

Double crap He was so screwed "I’ by--"

"I had no idea"

No idea he liked her or no idea she would like hi like the bass dru the football crowd

"Chris, you are absolutely one of my best friends in the world"

Thud Stop The friend word

His heartbeat started again, slow, pushing against the ache in his chest "Your friend, huh Gee, thanks"

"I’ether, Price Salvage so I totally understand Just thought I would see, if, well, before you move--"

"Stop, please" She clamped her hand over his mouth and blinked back tears "God, Chris, I’ his heart to bits notched his pride up a little He clasped her wrist to pull it away froet too hyped by the way her pulse throbbed so fast against his fingers

He placed her hand on her knee and gave it one ether anyaze shot down to the sticky guetically "John’s not here today because his dad took hi He changed schools forand John Murdoch was going with her and the guy deserved her because he’d lad for you two that everything worked out"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I’ I like you, all right? And I thought if Murdoch was out of the picture I’d better uy moved in ahead of ave hih Stop it And thanks"

"Sure" He tracked his eyes back to the Bazooka bubble-guht this minute

Yeah, the tree, bus stop, road hurt less to look at, especially now that he saw a Jeep rounding the corner, a guy in a flight suit driving who--the black vehicle revved closer, clearer--was Bo Rokowsky "Hey, there’s h his backpack on the ground by the bench and stood