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Strike that I reers with the Spice Girls before chopping them all to bits"

"The auditory torture I re any bells"

"It was co Promise"

Jase curled up into the fetal position and threw a pillow over his eyes When I thought he had fallen asleep, or possibly slipped into a coma, I turnedblankly at the page, atte to remember the last step that made sense, when Jase asked, "Whereʼs Charlie?"

"I donʼt know" My best guess had hiy

Jase threw off the pillow, sat up, and winced at the light in the room "What do you ," I lied

I wondered if Charlie would tell him Last year, when Charlie found out Crystal Hobbs had been cheating on hih that first tough weekend with nonstop ga and multiple assurances that he was better off without that skanky bitch

What would he do now that I was the skanky bitch?

I felt as wretched as Jase looked My guilt and broken heart al I wasnʼt a hundred percent certain I would go through with it until Talley pulled into the driveway

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, turning down the painfully cheerful song she had been jaer side atching the new buds on the trees becoainst the blue sky "He will understand if you back out No one expects you to do this just to prove how brave you are or how okay you are with all this or whatever it is that youʼre trying to do"

I peeled myself off the"Of course I want to do this Iʼm excited" Talleyʼs eyebrows rose skeptically "Once "

"Iʼm not scared" I punched the power button on the radio, unable to endure another second of popfull of air "Charlie let ht" The car swerved over the double yellow line, then jerked back into our lane with enough force to slaainst the seatbelt

"He did what?!?" Talley was trying to divide her attention equally between me and the serpentine road I was too depressed to fear for my life

"I think I really hurt him, Tal He just looked so broken"

"You told hile tear slipped free

Talley let the infor "Well, now everyone knohere they stand Thatʼs good" She noted ood