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"Thanks" My cheeks reddened with sha a vaood right now I should be a wreck, not looking better than ever before

"It’s been so long since we’ve seen you" Her srew more pained as she spoke "I saw you at the … at Jane’s funeral, but you didn’t stay long"

"No, I, uh…" I floundered and trailed off coood reason for why I’d skipped out early, so I just let it hang in the air

"I’s to do," Blythe said, and I loweredon out there?" Mr Kress bellowed froravel

"Nathaniel, why don’t you come out here and talk to Alice yourself?" Blythe turned her head back when she yelled for his she wore

"I don’t want to disturb you," I said quickly and held up my hand "If you’re busy, I don’t need to bother you I just wanted to see Jane’s room"

"Jane’s room?" Mr Kress rounded the corner and walked over to his wife His tie had been loosened around his chubby neck, and he had a lowball glass in his hand filled with Scotch, the same way it had been every other time I’d seen him "What do you ith that?"

"I wanted to have a look around" I sed hard "I ondering if I couldyou want in there," Mr Kress said, gesturing with his glass so the alcohol sloshed around "I don’t have use for any of it now"

"Nathaniel," Blythe chastised hi

"It’s true" He ignored his wife and turned his attention to Bobby, giving hiray eyes "Who is this?"

"I’m Bobby I was a friend of Jane’s" Bobby held his hand out for Mr Kress to shake it, but Mr Kress just stared at him blankly, so Bobby dropped his hand

"I didn’t know most of Jane’s friends," Mr Kress said, more to himself than us "I didn’t know very much about ent on in her life But I did know this is where she’d end up if she wasn’t careful, and Jane was never careful"

"Nathaniel Please" Blythe put her hand in his ar that same sad smile "Go ahead and have a look at her roo to you I’ Jane happiness to know that you have it"

"It won’t bring Jane anything, Blythe!" Mr Kress snapped, and both Bobby and I shrunk back "She’s dead! She doesn’t feel anything!"