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I’d never admit this to the idiot (Chase--not Todd), but it was actually pretty funny I mean, if he had done it to someone else, it would have been hilarious Repulsive, but still funny We’ve co way fro with my future

I release a deep breath and fall ontoroutine And I have to study I groan loudly So It would be so coive a shit I don’t kno Chase does it I don’t allownowhere fast and I shouldn’t adrab irl could ever need to beautify herself If I was ever asked the question: If you were stranded on an island and could only bring three items, ould they be? This basket would be my number one

I think a lot about questions like that The "what if" questions What would I do if there were a fire? Tornado? Flood? Mugging? I even contemplate the less likely what ifs What if a zombie apocalypse took place tomorrow? World War III? Nuclear explosion? Sometimes I spend so much time on those questions that I wish I could just shutto i to identify what problely It’s a curse But if the world ever suffered a zombie attack, I think I’d outlive

After cohtly facial ritual, I drop onto ht Every night I don’t kno not to I also try to study during any free tiirls who do nothing but stare at books I make sure to include time for social interactions How else will I findfor one startledonto the desk without a glance in ht back out the door Music starts up in the conore it

Gretchen is Chinese, and the exact opposite of every Asian stereotype I have ever heard She’s barely passing her classes and she couldn’t care less On top of that, she’s extre And the way she dresses, with her band tee shirts and pink streaked hair… She reht would be co, but Gretchen despises s her shirt over her head She throws the shirt in the direction of the clothes hamper in the corner, but it falls short by several feet And she leaves it there Did I mention that Gretchen is also messy? Because she is

I try to concentrate on s up, blocking her froht and reread the sentence I’ve already read several times

"I have some people over," Gretchen says

I look up at her with a blank expression I don’t knohat she wants me to say to that She has people over all the time--when she’s actually here

She rolls her eyes as she pulls a tank top over her head "I like one of theo well, I’ll need the room"

Gretchen can be kind of rude, too

"Go to his place," I say, notthe irritation inshot I happen to see nothing wrong with sexual exploration and have no expectations when it comes to others But this is my room, too And I would never try to kick her out just to hook up with souy I find that ridiculously unreasonable on her part to even consider the idea

"He doesn’t have a place," she replies, her tone nowhis brother for the weekend"

"So you don’t even know hi I should probably work on, but she’s getting on my nerves I don’t like when people mess withto control her anger, "I’ve known him and his brother for years Not that it’s any of your business, but we all went to school together" She narrows her eyes as she picks up her iPod "It’s not like you’re doing anything And I never ask anything of you"

This is true Her not asking anything of me, I mean But that’s because she never speaks to "

"You can skip studying for one night"

I griain "You can study somewhere else," she amends "Don’t you have any friends that can put up with you for one night?"

That stings The truth is I don’t have any friends that I would feel right about showing up at their door this late at night and asking to crash with the her this I snap my notebook closed and sit up "Fine But you oweout the door without another word

I guess I’ a sleepover with Guy Yay

~~

I twist the strap of h the door and I hope they hearda party, too I can handle the music--I spent the last four years of my life with Guy, Chase, and Park who are all about music And then when my foster sister, Hope, came to live with us, they started their band and the house was always full of guitar riffs and druround noise to me now But I didn’t reapplystudying in a corner and going to bed shortly A party means people People mean I need to make myself more presentable

I blink in surprise as the door opens and I’ in behindthe door quickly

"Hide and Seek in the dark," he whispers "Chase is it" He pushes me forward and then I have no idea where he is Or where I aht I wait, hoping my eyes will adjust, but as the seconds tick by, I realize that’s not going to happen This isn’t ame of Hide and Seek in the dark We used to play in the base us to clean up I quit playing years ago since I hate losing, but I’m well acquainted with the rules

I slide one foot then the other,slowly in the direction I think the couch is in WhenNow I just need to find a good place to wait this out

I turn around and slam into a hard chest Hands slide up my arms and then back down "What the fuck?" Chase says His hands keep roa into e, I shove him back

I hear his quick intake of breath, followed by the scuffle of feet over carpeting, and finally the loud crash of breaking glass

Oh, my God

I didn’t mean to do all that

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