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After I’d uest bathroom, I went down to the kitchen to ht he was still out

But there he was, eating a sandwich himself

As soon as he saw me, Conrad put down his sandwich

Roast beef, it looked like “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

“I’ somewhere in the vicinity of over his shoulder, anywhere but at hi stuff”

I started to walk away, but he followed ht”

I didn’t say anything

“Will you doI said?” He flashed a slight, ironic kind of smile I wanted to sht, drunk off ht back a lot of stuff But it’s all ancient history, I know that Honestly, I can barely remember what I said, but I’m sure that whatever it was, it was out of line I’e, I think I forgot how to speak I found it was hard to catchand closingin pockets of air I hadn’t even slept the night before; instead, I’d agonized over every word he said to me I felt so stupid And to think, just for a second, just for a moment, I had wavered I had pictured it, what it would be like, if I washim and not Jeremiah I hated him for that

“You weren’t drunk,” I said

“Yeah, I really was” This tiht up all that the weekend of et it’?

You’re sick Don’t you get that you can’t play with people like that?”

Conrad’s smile faded “Hold on a second Belly—”

“Don’t say my name” I backed away from hiain”

Again with the ironic half s the fact that you’rerier, and noas I was so mad, I practically spat as I said, “I want you to leave

Make up one of your bullshit excuses and just go Go back to Boston or California I don’t care where I just want you gone”

His eye twitched “I’o”

That’s when I saw the first cracks in his ar, he said, “What did you expectmy name!” I screamed

“What do you want froht! I put it all out there, and you shut et that I shouldn’t have said any of that stuff to you But now here I a to find a way to coment of pride so I can look you in the eye when this is all over, and you won’t even let ht? Is that what you want to hear?”

Again, I was at a loss for words And then I said, “You really are heartless”