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"Why do you care if I' the vamps who betrayed you?" she snapped and strained towith You'll get yourself and Brandon hurt"

"Oh, so you're concerned about me now?" she snarled This time when she tried to move away, she succeeded Ashley put several feet between the this," he replied "I know I hurt you four years ago and you think you're punishingto get hurt is you"

"You have no idea, Jonny"

"Letthis makes you feel better for a day or two And then it wears off and you're left lost onceable to change what happened or go back to the world you thought you knew"

She eyed hiet it, Ash, I do You're not the only one whose life changed a few years ago"

She reize, I will," he added "If that will stop you fro your fay," she said

"Then what do you want from me? You know you can't killan effort tonight, and she sensed it was because he didn't kno else to handle her continued defiance "I want to know if it was real If you ever really did care or if you were just using me"

"You're serious" He frowned "This isn't aboutto you?"

"Betrayal is more accurate And you did hurt me" She folded her ar at the beach

He studied her, thoughtful and intense, as if he were puzzling through so "You don't hate me, do you?" he asked softly at last

"Oh, I do," she said "I didn't four years ago but I definitely do now"

He nodded, though she suspected he wasn't buying it "You started out as a tool forthe way, I started to like you for you instead of as soh It wasn't love, if that's what you're wondering It was probably more like … pity I knew you had Xander to protect you, so I wasn't worried about you recovering froirl crush"