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"Charley--"

"Owen--," I covered my face with the one hand I could lift and bit down hard to keep fro "--just please tell me"

He exhaled slowly "You took h to see hiertips "What?"

"About a month before I tried to run your ass down until you died a prolonged and painful death, I’d spilled orange juice all over my pants When I went to the restroouys grabbed theirl’s restrooht Larry Vigil opened the bathroouy’s pants So--" I leveled an apologetic gaze on hiht they were fro to say it aloud, "I wore theured they’d taken theed to had sweats or so else to wear"

"They weren’t and I didn’t They left ht you knew they were ht at hed the next day as you walked past"

I ran a hand through ers brushed over stitches "Owen, I wasn’t laughing at you I was just, I don’t know, laughing Probably at so up before Iher too much about me

"Well, I know that now," he said He stood and stalked to thethat overlooked the college campus

"But there’s more to that story, isn’t there?"

He nodded and turned away "I couldn’t leave the restroom It was the end of the day and everyone went home, and I was just there, stuck in the restroom with no pants So, I waited for all the buses to run, tiedhoed The eod," I said, as the memory of that time rushed back, "you were the kid The South Nines beat you up"

After a long htpants"

"But you were at school the next day"

He shrugged "I didn’t tell anyone I told my mom I crashed my bike If the Nines had kept their mouths shut, no one would ever have known Then when I saw you wearing …"

My hand coveredinsult to injury"

"I just couldn’t forgive you The Nines never left me alone after that I had to face them every day"

"Owen, I’m so sorry That’s why you withdrew Neil Gossett said you just kind of drifted away fro harassed on a daily basis has that effect Still doesn’t change the fact that you’re a bitch"

"That’s true"

He turned back toback for ure out if you’re really good or really stupid"