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She concentrated on folding her newspaper and tucked it beneath her ar to explain why she was here "No Buckley, actually," she said "What about you? Do you live nearby?"

He ht? "You don’t know?"

Violet shook her head, wondering what she’d hed at that "Wow, they really keep you in the dark, don’t they? Don’t worry, as soon as they know you’re gonna stick, they’ll let you in on all the cool secrets But, to be completely honest, this hardly qualifies as cool" He raised an eyebrow and glanced purposely at his fingernails She kneas trying to look cocky, but it was a totally dorky enius, that’s all"

"Wait, youto hide her disbelief "You go to school here?"

"That’s pretty much what I’m sayin’" Saht about that, about not even being sixteen yet and being a student at the university "I had no idea"

"Yeah, well, I guess it’s hard to see my enormous brains pastall of this" He lifted one of his puny ar his eyebrows at her Violet tried to hold back a giggle and then gave in, laughing at hirinned back at her, and Violet was sort of amazed by his confidence She wondered if she’d be so sure of herself if she were the one thrust into such an intie

"Hey, since you’re here, and since I’rab a cuppa coffee or son for The Mecca, and thought about the red-haired girl and her syrupy drink creation "Sure," she agreed, realizing it solved her dileo somewhere with just plain old coffee?"

Violet used the flimsy red plastic stir stick to swirl more of the heavy white creaar packets The coffee at The Mecca ht’ve been too sweet, but at Max’s Diner they didn’t mess around Here, they served it hot and black

"So how do you like it so far?" Sa it all the way to his lips He looked like a little kid playing tea partyfar too young to be taking his coffee black

"I assurinned at hi "The teauess what I really like is not always having to hide what I can do, not always lying to everyone, you know? Plus, if it hadn’t been for Sara and Rafe" She hesitated She didn’t think it was a secret, what had happened to her Especially not one of the cool ones "I wish I could be useful like that," she said, instead of explaining her situation

"Are you kidding? You have the coolest" He lowered his voice to a whisper until it felt like they were playing Secret Agents "You have the coolest gift of all of us," he repeated "I’d trade you if I could"