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I reached intoI kneould need Tate’s fossil necklace

I balled it up in er

It was technically her rave one day At first, I toldsure it survived Then it turned into another piece of her that I could clai it safe, but it was keeping ood h to look tih to appear obedient On my own time, because he didn’t call the shots anymore

"So what did you do?" he asked before I even sat down, and I hesitated for a oing to talk to otten about that part

It didn’t h

I hadn’t decided hoas going to handle these visits, but he could go to hell Fifty-two little get-togethers in the next year, and I may decide to speak to hiood and ready

"Come on," he taunted "May as well pass the tis and alcohol, my father would--oh, I don’t know--behave like he had a heart But he was still a dick

"Did you steal?" he asked, but then continued as if talking to hiers on the steel table "No, you’re not greedy Assault, maybe?" He shook his head at me "But you never liked to pick battles that you could lose With someone weaker, perhaps You were always a little coward that way"

I balled

Sitting there, forced to listen to his internal racious to let me hear, I wondered if he just pulled this shit out of his ass or if he really was that perceptive

Was I greedy? No, I didn’t think so Did I pick battles eaker opponents? It took me a minute to consider, but yes, I did

But that was only because everyone eaker than s, then" He slapped his hand down on the table, startling me, and I looked doay from his eyes, out of reflex "I’d believe that With your mother and me, it’s in the blood"

Everyone I reminded myself

"You don’t knowyourself that"

No He left me--and thank God for that--when I o He spent a feeeks withTate’s necklace, I stared at hi are you in for? Six more years?" I asked "What does it feel like to know that you’ll have gray hair before you get laid again? Or drive a car? Or get to stay up past eleven on a school night?" I raisedquestions would push him back in place "You don’t know aze, daring hiin

"What is that?" He gestured to the necklace inthat I had threaded reen ribbon It was obvious I had so inaway

I wanted to leave

Thinking about Tate andusted ician pulls out of their hand? At thatI just wanted to sink into the chair and be out fro the necklace with me where it would be safe

"What’s her naed despite ain, I saw hi

Like he had ain

"Six years, huh?" He licked his lips "She’ll be in her twenties by then" He nodded, and I saw fla shot

Mother Fucker

Slaasps frolare at hi from my eyes burned like hell

I wanted him dead And I wanted it to be painful

Hot air rushed in and out ofinside of you?" I growled "Is it broken, dead, or just numb?"

My father looked up at me, not scared--I wasn’t a threat to him after all--and answered with the most sincerity I had ever seen from him "Don’t you know, Jared?" he asked "You have it, too And so will your useless kids No one wants us I knew I didn’t want you"

My face didn’t relax It just fell, and I didn’t knohy

"I have a birthday present for you" Tate’s dad appeared in ot out of ht of the visit withall over my skin I’d just sped all the way home from the prison, and I needed a distraction

"Not now," I bit out

"Yes, now," he shot back, turning to walk back to his house, assuet hi behind hie, I immediately halted with the disaster in front of me

"What the hell happened?" I burst out, shocked

The fully restored Chevy Nova that had sat in this garage for as long as Tate and Mr Brandt had lived here was co wreck It looked like it’d been used in a baseball ga and Godzilla Windoere shattered, tires slashed, and that was the easy stuff Dents the size of basketballs covered the door panels and hood, and the leather seats were cut up