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"Chase…"

He leans, looking out at ht," he says softly

"Goodnight"

He waits until I’ lot I droop against the wall, press my hands to et inside ht back around I don’t feel good about how I left things with Annie My gut is tellingThat I should do more But I don’t knohat more I can do I can’t force Annie to stay with me I can’t force her to stay away froainst the cool wood of the door and thuers cramp I hate this war Annie causes inside ofunsure I could do without all this inner turirl that hates me more than she will ever like me

"What are you doing?" Guy asks His voice--scratchy, nasally, and unexpected--rip on the innocent door and about-face His red-tinged eyes catchme to look closer at hi unwashed, which is unusual for Guy His clothes are wrinkled and I’m pretty sure that’s the shirt he wore yesterday He looks like shit

"What are you doing here?" I ask He sighs, his shoulders sinking "You sick?"

He flinches and averts his eyes "That bad, huh?" He chuckles darkly "No I’m not sick"

"What’s up, man?" My body tenses Guy is one of the calmest people I have ever met He never looks like this And since he moved out of the dorms, he has never just showed up inhim My mind moves quickly over the different possibilities Did he find out what Loden did? Is he pissed I didn’t call hi happen in the threehappen to her? "What’s wrong?"

"Not out here," he says I watch him as he crosses the common room and disappears inside my bedroooing on?" This is the third time I’ve asked the same question, just in different words If he doesn’t answer hs, the sound so melancholy, my head snaps up to read his expression Shit He’s sad Yesterday he was flying high because Hope would be co home soon to visit for the holidays

"Samuel and I broke up" He says the words ets an A for effort, but he h hih his hair, staring overother than the sand colored wall behindinto his "What happened?"

"Nothing Everything" He closes his eyes, pressing his lips together There’s a line creasing his forehead and I get the i not to cry What the hell is in the air tonight? I don’t kno much more sadness I can deal with

I put my arm around his shoulder I feel his body tense before he relaxes into ht, I asked hi, and he said he wants to see other people I took that as a no"

Fuck Guy hasn’t always been a one man kind of dude But he and Sam have been serious for a couple years I know he loved Samuel

"I’m sorry That sucks Do you want me to kick his ass? I don’t think it’s a hate crihs and shakes his head "Not this ti else Soh to tell ain, sadly this ti? We can all play XBOX and get shitfaced drunk"

He sits up straight and stretches his arms over his head "Where do you think?"

"Lucy?"

"He’s hooked"

"So he doesn’t know?"

"Nope"

"Fuck it We don’t need him" I roll the TV stand over and toss him a controller

I find my hidden stash--a bottle three-fourths full of Jack Daniels I spin the lid off, letting it fall on the floor and take a long pull I hiss at the taste, but relish the trail of heat burning down ers and I hand it over He chugs twice the a toive a shit And froot to do to get by

~~

Annie calls ht when my cell vibrates in my pocket Her name on my caller IDin," her voice is quiet as if she’s unsure she should be calling me

"Okay Thanks"

"Yeah, no problem I’ll talk to you later"

"Annie?"

"Yeah?"

I lie back, propping my head on my arm and closetime, as if she’s not sure how to respond Or maybe she doesn’t want to respond Finally, she says, "It was good Hoas yours?"

"My day? I woke up with one hell of a hangover, courtesy of Guy I didn’t get enough sleep, but I had to get up anyway and go to class I ate half a bottle of Advil over the course of the day and still have a headache But other than that--it’s been good"

"V-8," she replies

"Do what now?"

"You need to drink a V-8 and eat soer froht"

"Okay, I’ll pick you up in five o alone This was your idea Don’t back out on er I sit up and start putting onI have her

"I just washed my face I’m in my pajamas"

I shove my keys and wallet into my pockets and head for the door "Four minutes now," I say

She huffs, but I can hear the sive me a little more time I need to reapply ht?"