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When she turned the corner toward her locker--and, not far away, Mateo’s--Nadia immediately saw a fa for "Verlaine! What are you doing here?"

Verlaine shrugged "All I can do at the hospital is wait All I can do at home is cry So somehow Rodman is the least horrible place for me to be That’s new"

Nadia put her ar herself, She needs this She needs her friends Be one As always, when she overcaic shadowed Verlaine, the impulse surprised her--and apparently Verlaine, too, because it took her a rip was fierce

"Nothing’s changed?" Nadia asked

"Nothing Uncle Gary’s still asleep They put him in the same roo theether Really I think the doctors don’t knohat to do with any of the up the hospital beds ht be useful," Nadia said "If you can get ure out a little ic at work"

"Oh, hey, yeah!" Verlaine actually smiled a little "I didn’t even think of that"

Maybe Nadia could help; ed to cheer Verlaine up, at least momentarily Gently she teased, "I can tell you’re worn out You didn’t even wear one of your vintage outfits today"

"Excuse led stuff she wore "Torn jeans? Flannel shirt? Nineties grunge all the way"

"I should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy to stop you" Nadia went ahead and stowed her stuff in her locker As soon as she shut the door and turned her head, she saw Mateo

She loved him so much that it was less like she saw him and more like he happened to her--every line of his face new, as if it were that first moment they’d met Mateo’s dark eyes met hers, and she opened her arms as she went to him

They embraced fiercely, and he buried his face in the curve of her neck Everyone in the hallas staring at theirl asn’t afraid of him Was Mateo the only one in the world who didn’t kno ive up on him no matter what?

But Mateo kissed her quickly then looked into her eyes, and she thought maybe he knew, too

It was Verlaine he spoke to first, and Nadia couldn’t bla as well "Hey, you’re here Are you all right?"