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"No way And no one had any idea?"

Parker shook his head "Not a clue I only met him once or twice, but he see soccer and coo, I re about thethat it wasn’t such a bad idea How convenient if you could see rong with people right away, if they wore their sicknesses and crirees

We don’t talk about the accident, or Dara, or about the past at all And suddenly it’s three o’clock and the first shift of my new job is over, and it didn’t totally suck

Parker walks me back to the office, where Mr Wilcox and a pretty, dark-skinned woman I assu about additional security for the anniversary party, in the good-natured, easy tones of people who have spent years arguing without ever essentially disagreeing Mr Wilcox breaks off long enough to give me another hearty slap on the back

"Nick? You enjoy your first day? Of course you did! Best place in the world See you toht and early!"

I retrieve e into the sunshine, Parker is waiting for ed shirts, and his red uniform is balled up under one aret to work together," I blurt as alk into the parking lot, still croith cars and coach buses FanLand is open until 10:00 pht crowd is totally different: younger, rowdier, ht two people having sex on the Ferris wheel; another ti coke off a sink in one of the men’s toilets "I’m not sure I could handle Wilcox all by ely

"Yeah," he says "I’lad, too" He tosses his keys a few inches and catches them in his palm "So you want a ride ho his car, so familiar, so him, I have a quick flash of ed up, patterned with rain and body heat; Parker’s guilty face; and Dara’s eyes, cold and hard, gloating, like the eyes of a stranger

"That’s all right," I say quickly

"You sure?" He pops open the driver’s-side door

"I have Dara’s car," I say quickly The words come out before I can think about therateful the lot is crowded, so ht, then WellI guess I’ll see you toe of that night, of the way it felt to know, deep down, that everything had changed; that nothing would ever be the saain "See you"

I’ve already started to turn away--lingering, now, so that Parker won’t see that I’m headed toward the bus stop, when he calls me back