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Although lately, it wasn’t really feeling like I spent any tiotten back fros, ht of hi his blankets with her white fur, and sniffing about, as if he was hidden a around the rooe into I’dNothing worth getting gussied up for Maybe if I was lucky, I could get Milo and Bobby to hang out with me, if they weren’t too busy with each other

What kind of cruel world was it where ot to have sex and mess around with his boyfriend any ti in the den every night? Sure, I was still sorely lacking in self-control, whereas Milo had always been a one, I vowed to work on getting myself under control, so when he came back, we could move onto the next phase of our relationship Na fun, I spent my time curled up in Mae’s bed with her She was unnaturally quiet, so we mostly sat in silence Milo came in her room later on, and that helped He was always much better in a crisis than I was, and for some reason, he was incredibly close to her I think that maybe he was her favorite, but that didn’t bother me so much I was Jack’s favorite, and that’s all that reallyout with Mae when she was like that, and that made sense She was nearly inconsolable, and he hadn’t known her that long I ended upup

He put on Houseboat starring Raquel Welch on her TV, and that got her talking about her plans to buy a houseboat so, but I hadn’t seen a real tear in hours With Milo there, she had even hinted at a smile a few times

That left ame on the Xbox, which I seriously sucked at, but he didn’t yell at e about twentythat I sit out a turn and let Milo play instead It was nice being tolerated and killing Nazis

Before going to bed, I called and texted Jane a few times She didn’t answer or reply, but I hadn’t expected anything different I’h I didn’t knohy

Maybe she hatedher to va her sooner I don’t know She was usually easy to get a read on Her life revolved around boys, clothes, and getting drunk or high I hadn’t interfered with any of those things before today, so she didn’t have anything to hold againston a plane soon I thought about staying up to wait for hi asleep would o faster I crawled in his bed and couldn’t wait for hiet back

I felt him the instant he came in the house My heart pounded with happiness, and I opened my eyes

- 17 -

As soon as I stepped out of , but they weren’t doing anything to be quiet either I wanted to run down and greet Jack, but I decided to wait at the top of the steps, eavesdropping

"Oh, co frustrated "I did not take your pillow!"

"You did too!" Jack insisted "You were flirting with the stewardess and conned her into giving you the last pillow on the plane, which happened to be mine"

"Even if that is true, I didn’t knoas the last pillow And she shouldn’t have given it to me if it was your pillow," Peter said "And I think they prefer the terht attendant’"

"Or, iven me that pillohen you realized what she had done," Jack said, ignoring Peter "Maybe she was a shitty stewardess, but you sahat happened You could’ve done the right thing for once in your life"

"Why? I wanted the pillow, and I had the pillow It didn’t have your naive it to you?" Peter asked "Or are you the only one allowed to take things?"

"I didn’t take anything!" Jack snapped "I had one blanket and no pillows What exactly was there for me to take?"

"I don’t know, Jack What in the world could you have possibly taken that didn’t belong to you?" Peter replied icily, and I could hear both of their heartbeats speed up

"Will the pair of you knock it off?" Ezra asked warily From the sounds of it, they were somewhere near the botto past, going to his roo about the damn pillow"

"It’s not about the damn pillow," Peter said

"Why don’t you tell me what this is really about?" Jack asked, but he knew exactly what it was about I was getting a hintsome kind of … scuffle, but so help me, if either one of you wake up Mae or disturb her in any way, you’ll be sorry Do I make myself clear?" Ezra warned the down the hall to his room Jack and Peter waited until they heard his bedroo

"You’re an asshole," Jack said when Ezra was gone