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"Jesus," I say, shocked Can he iven ht in a million years that they would invade my privacy

"So that was it, basically," Lennon says "I planned on telling you anyway At least, after I drove around town and stopped freaking out That’s when I texted Avani and told her to let you know that I’ddance, because our plan for me to show up at your house and tell your parents ere dating wasnot happening So I thought I’d just tell you what happened with your dad at the dance and we could figure out what to do But then Sunny called and said my dad had tried to commit suicide, and we rushed into the city to wait at the hospital, because they didn’t know if he would live or not"

He ss, and his throat bobs "Dad irlfriend was prepared to handle hiroceries for theet back into town until Sunday night I was going to try to talk to you at school the next day, to apologize for ho and explain what happened But then my dad made his second suicide attempt, and that time, no one was there to stop hiht smile that fades "That’s when I texted you the last time"

I’m sorry

I see the text in htyou were saying that you didn’t want to be in a relationship That you were chickening out of tellingyour texts, and I was in the ht I just told ot back after the funeral, we’d sort it out The last thing I expected was to come back to school and see you with Andre"

Oh, Jesus

Everything begins to slot together inside my head

I re all weekend, thinking he’d decided that being anything more than friends was too weird, and that he’d bailed on o after I confessed about the Great Experiment She said I should talk to him and find out what happened Give hi talk with itated to sit I jump off the bench and pace around the plateau "He said Mo to you To let it go, that all relationships change, and it was better to have pride than be the one begging He" I stop and putto be sick "I thought he was being a concerned father Why would he care e did or didn’t do?"

Lennon throws his hands up "Right? I never understood it I ht about sex--"

Dear God I feel myself flush

"--but it was so weird to ht," I say, pacing again "He’s a keg of dynamite"

"He’s petty, too He kept Mac’s credit card--for leverage, he toldto find it afterto her So I confessed to the whole thing She was furious at "

"I know"