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"Fairfax Hospital," Chubs wheezed out "My dad…tell thee Dad…"

"Where is it?" Liam demanded He looked at me, but I had no idea, either It occurred toaround so long that Chubs would die He would bleed out right here, right now, in

Liam whipped the car around so hard I had to brace Chubs and ue in an effort to keep fro to him!" Liam said "Chubs--Charles!"

I don’t knohen and where he had lost his glasses His eyes were red at the edges, staring up atas I could, but he was trying to handChubs lifted his hand from where it had fallen across his stoes soaked in wet, sticky blood, but open Waiting to be read

The handwriting was shostly halo around it froed with the two of us in the lake, and soone completely

Dear Dad,

When you sent ht you loved me But now I see you for what you are You called me a monster and a freak But you’re the one that raised me

"Tell him to read…" Chubs licked his lips I had to lean down to hear his voice over the wind outside "Tell Lee to read my letter I wrote it…it was for hied itself in my throat made it impossible to speak I nodded A rush of blood bubbled up under our hands, co "Chubs, where is the hospital? You have to--you have to tell an to quiver, then howl, sounding more beast than machine Lia up, along with a cloud of gray-blue sot another ten, maybe twenty feet, before the car jerked to a dead stop

I looked up, aze

"I can fix it," Lia, "I can fix it--just--just--keep hi, okay? I can fix this I can"

I waited until I heard the door slaone so still, so pale, and no a him back out of it I felt his blood leak past ht about what he had said the night Zu left us It’s over It’s all over

And it was The unnatural cal, I’d been fighting I’d been fighting the ainst the restraints everyone wanted to wrap around ainst the inevitable But I was tired now So tired I couldn’t deny what a part of me had known from the moment the PSFs had burned

What had Miss Finch said, all those years ago? That there were no do-overs, no coone forever Dead flowers didn’t bloorow A dead Chubs wouldn’t s sentences, wouldn’t pout, wouldn’t laugh--a dead Chubs was uniinable