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"That sounds like her," Parker says, laughing

I look away, taking another sip of beer Standing this close to hi at the fahtly crooked and still lined faintly with a scar, froame of Ultimate; the planes of his cheeks, and his eyelashes, which are alirl’s--makes my stomach hurt

"Look" Parker touches my elbow and I shift away, because if I don’t shift away I’ll only lean into hilad you came We’ve never really talked, you know, about what happened"

You broke my heart I fell for you, and you broke my heart Period, done, end of story

I can feelto get a grip around soht, okay?" I force a s me back That will be worse, even, than the fact that he doesn’t "I’ood tiet it" He touches his cup briefly to mine "Then how about a refill?"

Across the circle, I see Aaron Lee, a guy Nick ith for a while before the accident: nice guy, decent body, hopeless nerd His eyes light up and he waves, arht Nick withits usual effect Instead of feeling warm and loose and careless, I just feel queasy I duround Parker takes a quick step backward to avoid getting splashed "I’ht head hos on his left ear Parker-speak for not happy "You just got here"

"Yeah, and I’ inaway again My scars are burning, as if a flashlight has been shone on the, too, so that everyone can see "Is that okay with you, or do I need a hall pass?"

I know I’ mean, but I can’t help it Parker ditchedme ever since the accident He can’t parade back into my life and expect me to throw confetti at his feet

"Wait" For a raze the inside of rass, dodging areas luh a crowd that parts for ious

Colin Dacey’s trying to get a fire going in the pit, a blackened depression lined with gravel and nubs of stone So far, he’s succeeded eysers of smoke toward the sky Stupid It’s already too hot, and cops are always patrolling in suhter, fanning away the smoke One of them, a sophomore whose name I can’t remember, comes down hard on my toe

"I’m sooo sorry," she says Her breath s e and fake and overly nice, like she’s a salesperson trying to dousealready?"

I don’t stop And when I feel a hand close down on rip, and say, "What? What the hell do you want?"

Aaron Lee takes a quick step backward "Sorry I didn’t er iuely syh we’ve barely spoken I knohat it’s like to trot after Nick, to worship her fro it since I was born

"That’s all right," I say "I was just leaving"

"How’ve you been?" Aaron says, as if he hasn’t heard idly by his sides, like he’s waiting for me to order hiuy in school--the tallest Chinese guy I’ve ever ly and aard, too, like he’s forgotten what his arood I --"

Just then, so, yelling, laughing, scattering down the hill and into the trees even as bearass The chant rises up on the night, swelling the way the crickets did when evening fell

"Cops! Cops! Cops!"

So , disappears into the woods, her blond hair strea behind her like a banner I try to protectdown on my elbow instead A cop has Colin Dacey bent over double, arms behind his back, cri and the cops are shouting and there’s a blur of bodies everywhere, silhouetted against the s glow directly in ht," the cop--a woets a hand around the back of ht in the process

"Gotcha" But she’s breathing hard, and I know that even on das I’ll be able to outrun her