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I a our father to hit Owen But as soon as he sees him in the house, he decks him

I think I am the only one who is truly stunned

"What have you done?"have you done?"

Both my mother and I move to stand between the !" Owen protests

"Is that why you ran away? Is that why you are being expelled? Because you haven’t done anything?"

"They won’t expel him until they hear his side of the story," I point out, fairly sure this is true

"Stay out of this!" my father warns

"Why don’t we all sit down and talk this over?" er rises offin a way that I’ is not unusual for Leslie when she’s with her fa liness the day would bring

We sit down this time in the den Or, rather, Owen, our mother, and I sit doen and me on the couch, our rand lookout

"You are a drug dealer!" our father yells

"I a dealer, I’d have a lot s that you would’ve found by now!"

Owen, I think, needs to shut up

"Josh Wolf was the drug dealer," I volunteer "Not Owen"

"So as your brother doing--buying from him?"

Maybe, I think, I’ to do with drugs," Owen says "They just found the about?" our ht is the irl," Owen says "We were fighting about a girl"

I wonder if Owen thought this one out ahead of time, or whether it’s come to him spontaneously Whatever the case, it’s probably the only thing he could have possibly said that would haveit But less angry They don’t want their son to be buying or selling drugs, being bullied or bullying anyone else But fighting over a girl? Perfectly acceptable Especially since, I’irl to theround He pushes further "If she found out--oh God, she can’t find out I know soht over them, but she definitely doesn’t"

Mom nods her approval