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It occurs toI have on West He’s more worldly, more confident, but he’s volatile and I’ his tantrum, and then he’ll have to tell me

I wait some more

He turns back around "I didn’t do it for you, okay? I just couldn’t take it any it But if you have soet it"

"What’s that supposed toI hit your ex because I’ve got a thing for you"

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn’t I be serious?"

For a few seconds, I can’t speak He’s just yanked hteously pissed off,up "That’s so … conceited," I finally e "I mean, so, so conceited After what you just--ould you even say so with emotion, and I can’t sort hi, how he feels I only know he feels it a lot "Why did you touch et your attention"

"People tap when they’re trying to get soot nothing I groped hi I can do now is lie "It was an accident"

I hate when he does this Looms over me this ith those eyes and that face Looks atlooked at by West Like he’s trying to sex me to death

"Honey," he says finally, "that was one hell of a long accident"

"Don’t call me honey"

"I think you like it"

"I think your ears are too s rading to women, totally inappropriate, utterly unexpected And I do kind of like it

West exhales a laugh through his nose, sap between your front teeth"

"It’s useful I can spit through it"

"I’d like to see that"

"Well, you won’t get to"

"Won’t I?"

"No We’re not going to be friends We’re not going to be anything That’s what I wanted to tell you"

He doesn’t like that His mouth doesn’t, and his eyes don’t "It’s not what it seeo"

"I don’t care what it see to pinch him

He leans closer I pinch hiets near his ar his sleeve

His biceps is as hard as it looks I take iance to the enemy

"Looked to me like you wanted me to kiss you," West says

I cross my arms and examine the books on the shelf behind his shoulder, a neat row of thick blue spines that say PMLA

"It doesn’t matter," I tell hiether, or that what happened between you and Nate was about o on and on That’s not what I want I want it to go away"

"You want it to go away"

The doubt in his voice fires up ain I hate that some people think I published those pictures ht think it

"Yes" The word coain "Yes"

"Rich Dieho, and you didn’t say anything to him You said it’s fine"

"What do you want me to do, chase him down and punch him in the mouth?"

"Maybe," he says "Yell at him, at least"

"What would that acco you do have to be about acco?"

Here, at least, is a question I can answer easily "Yes"

"So what are you trying to accoetkeep a low profile so people will forget it ever happened"

He laughs at me

My hand comes up so fast, I don’t even realize I’m about to smack him until he catchesagainst his grip, so angry that he caught ht me easily I’ve never tried to slap someone before I’m breathless and too eo"

"You gonna hit me?"

"Maybe"

"Then no"

I wrenchat his chest He captures et atfroet what you look like naked Coling, and he lets lare I can muster "Thanks for the pep talk, but you are the last person on this ca in his eyes shuts down "Oh? Why’s that?"

Because you’re a drug dealer

Because you’re the kind of person who punches people when they piss you off

Because you’re trouble

I can’t tell hiel I suck dick on the Internet

"Because I ith Nate And you’re …"

When I trail off, he lifts one scarred eyebrow "I’h is bitter "No," he says "I’m not Nate"