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"Do you" I felt hi his throat "Do you need help with the hair too?"

I nodded, unsure that I could verbalize I let out a sigh as his handsindividual strands, one at a time

"Do you love him?" he asked so quietly I wasnʼt certain he had spoken at all

"Who?"

"Iʼm not as stupid as you think I am, Scout I see the way you look at each other, the way you are around him"

"II donʼt think youʼre stupid And I have no idea what youʼre talking about" My heart tripped out a rhyth face to face I clutched the top ofit in place

"I could love you better Iʼll give you anything you want, whatever it takes to make you happy Can he say the same?"

I looked into Charlieʼs eyes and realized Talley was right It was possible to love two people at the sa there in the dark halliththe heat of Charlieʼs body war mine, I made the hardest decision of one when I left for church the nextI wasnʼt surprised, but I was disappointed I wanted hi had happened, as if I hadnʼt broken his heart along with everything we had together

"Please, Scout," he begged me I had seen that pained expression on his face countless times over the years, but never before had I been the cause of it I hated myself"Please, just think about it You donʼt have to decide anything right now"

But he rong And I didnʼt regret ht I couldnʼt give hi Did that mean that I loved Charlie any less? No It just meant I couldnʼt be with him

And that sucked

I donʼt knohat I said, or even if I said anything at all I do know that I ran away like the coward I a solace in the sanctuary of the shower for as long as the hot water held out

Our Sundayser us that those who gave into the tes, and sex would burn eternally in the fiery pits of hell I donʼt think I was just i to the empty space on the pew next to

I spent the rest of the day hiding in el couldnʼt finda blow by blow account of proht

She didnʼt leave ry voices floated up through the air vents almost immediately While Dadʼs lecture hit the relevant points of underage drinking, breaking curfew, and irresponsible behavior, Mom seemed fixated on the fact that she wouldnʼt be able to return Jaseʼs tux to the rental place That was just too el to handle She bounded out the door to witness the action first hand I was half teh, it wasnʼt long before there was a light tapping atthe door behind hiainst his head and the other half sticking straight out - but it paled in coed up one of those on-the-go bleach pens and used it on the pants and jacket

"Fun night?"

"So I hear," he said dropping ontoafter dinner