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I still didn’t knohat Jack and his family were, but they definitely couldn’t be trusted Peter wanted to hate ht kill me He’d been rude and kept me at a distance because he didn’t want to hurtto protect me

Despite this, I loved Jack and Mae and even Ezra, and I definitely felt so with theain It would be worse to live without them

When Milo and I went up to our apart to ter death, butwith Peter He was like a drug, and I was still coh

I flopped down on the couch while Milo buzzed about the kitchen Being over there had the opposite effect on hiry?" Milo asked fro, but I just buriedYou knohat’s weird? We were over the, and I never once saw the to drink, Mae had to rulass and so for a breath "You know, I don’t even think they have any food in that house They must order a lot of take out Which is weird cause Mae really seems like the Suzie Home to drift to sleep But then it all clicked I understood fully what Jack and Peter were

But before I could actually ether, I fell asleep, and lost it entirely

- 12 -

Dreaed to sleep for thirteen hours on the couch Whatever happened with Peter, it had been tanta pills

I stretched slowly, trying to work out the kinks and cricks in my back and neck Milo sat at the cole to wake up

"Morning, sunshine," Milo chirped He still seeru ofover, my skin hurt and my head throbbed dully When I breathed in deeply, I could still re fa?" Milo jolted me out of my daydream He looked at me like I had totally lost it, so I stood up and decided that I had to getto the bathroom, I pulled my phone out of my pocket It was almost four in the afternoon, so maybe Jack would be awake by now I shut the bathrooo to the bathroom, I had to text Jack first

I need to see you today I textwait for him to respond

After I showered, and he still hadn’t responded, I started getting a nervous pit in oing to be allowed over there anyrown bored withhim that I fawned over his brother, and I would hateto Ezra, they had said that I couldn’t be alone with Peter Maybe that meant that I couldn’t be around hi

I couldn’t take it any on When I got his voicemail instead of him, I was near tears

"Jack, it’s just ht I know that I… overreacted to everything, and I’m really sorry I just… I really want see you today We need to talk Okay So… just call etting ready, I ed to dress myself and apply makeup, but none of it felt real It felt like soh the motions My mind was completely locked onto the way Peter sh me and howready, I just sat on the couch, staring off into nothing, and tried to figure out what I would do if I never talked to Peter or Jack again

"What’s going on with you?" Milo still sat at the conore my zombie stare anyot up fro and caht over there?"

"Nothing," I ave me a hard look, the one that said I-know-you-better-than-anyone-so-there’s-no-point-in-lying "Did Jack’s brother do so to you?"

"No" I bitto et him out of my head? It was as if he had crawled underneath my skin but not in a bad way "I just really like him Like more than I’ve ever liked anyone It’s co?"

I wasn’t sure if Peter sendingme or done to protect me… or maybe both My phone felt very heavy inJack to call

"I don’t know," I answered honestly "Jack hasn’t textedI think I did so"