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He may as well have stuck a knife in my chest "How do you knohat I’m ready for?" I ask

"I sahat that asole did to you, Reagan," he says He sla the dishes ju at shadorapping yourself in a protective bubble so no one else could hurt you You learned how to protect your body, but no one ever taught you to protect your heart" He pounds his fist against his chest "You’re unprepared for what Pete wants Completely unprepared"

"What do you want me to do?" I ask I can barely hear myself, but Dad hears me

"Stop it before it’s too late," he spits out "Just stop it"

"Okay," I breathe "You win" I turn and walk out of the rooo Why do I even feel like my soul already knows hiht

Pete

I try not to look at her all through dinner She sits with her brother and her mother, and her dad isn’t here Her mother motions with her hand for me to come and join them, but I shake an?" Tic Tac asks as he sits down beside me

I shrug ht words to describe it "What’s your name, man?" I ask

He smiles "Edward"

"People call you Eddie?" I ask

He shakes his head "Only one ht hiaze "So I wouldn’t advise calling rins "Call me shithead or whatever else you want, but don’t call me Eddie"

"Was he your dad?" I ask

He shakes his head "Just some h he’s seeing so in his mind instead of what’s all around us "I shot him," he says He makes that little pfffttt sound with his mouth like he did on the bus when he first spoke to me

Wow I don’t even kno to respond to that "How’s your sister doing?" I ask I think about Reagan and how I found her And I don’t even want to know about his sister

"She was only eleven," he whispers "Eleven fking years old"

I shouldn’t have judged this kid when I met him "I’m so sorry," I say

"It pisses me off because he stole what she could have been, you know?"

I nod, but no, I don’t know

"Does she live with your mom, now?" I ask

"No," he replies "She’s in the systeht after it happened" He shrugs "She’s better off with a nice faht "They said I can visit her when I get out It’s only for an hour a tiht I just need to be sure she’s okay"

I nod "I don’t have any sisters"

"Your girl, Reagan," he says He smiles "She looks like she can take care of herself"

"She can kick my ass" It’s true

"You think she’d teach rin "You could ask her"

"I wish soht ets that faraway look again

I’ed her situation, but I nod anyway

Edward gets up to throw his plate away and turns back toout with you and your brothers? Phil was telling me how you live close to me"

I nod "I don’t see why not" I don’t know this kid, but I know he’s had a rough time of it, and it was no fault of his own "We could shoot soe into a swi to use the pool and just play around and be boys for the rest of the evening

I concentrate on my dinner Now that Edward’s not here, it’s easier to s I don’t have any sisters, but I have a niece named Hayley, and I’m not the only Reed boy ould kill anyone who tried to hurt her She’s five, and I haven’t seen her in a long time Hell, she probably doesn’t even reivearea starts to clear out, and I realize Iover Edward’s situation a little too long Mr Caster sits down across from me and rests his elbows on the table He blows out a breath "My daughter’s no longer talking to hetti into my mouth so I’ll have an excuse not to

"Apparently, she likes you a lot"