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Headh startled I leapt to Asher’s side

"Don’t sue!" I yelled

"Sue?" Raleigh repeated in horror

"Where am I?" moaned Asher

Mission complete

CHAPTER 35

Ivy picked n Worse, she’d driven herself

"Probation?" she said, the second I got in the car "You’ve been at the school less than teeks, and you’re already on probation?"

She started to pull out of the parking lot, and I hastily buckled

"What were you thinking?" she de intel on a political conspiracy you told ue

"You knohat’s going on right now, Tess You knohat I’ with soe discipline problem?"

That cut deeper than I would have expected "I wasn’t trying to be a problem"

"Can you at least tell me why?" Ivy’s voice was terse "Is it because you feel like I’ry about the way I took care of Vivvie’s situation?"

"It wasn’t about you"

"I have been trying so hard, Tess" Ivy’s voice was softer now "And I thought--" She cut herself off, then cut soht ere doing okay I thought you were starting to trustI wasn’t sure if the tears were because she was acting like I’d crossed so part ofthings to be like they used to be

Wanting the your life" I stared out the windshield, my eyes on the road It only hurts if you let it I pushed back against the e inside ofhtened around the steering wheel "Nothing is more important to me than you are"

I felt like she’d slaainst my stomach I couldn’t do this Not with her We sank into silence like a drowning man sinks into water Neither one of us could come up for air

"I love you" Ivy chose those three words to break the silence "Whether you believe that or not, whether you even hear ht, the , that word had cos

"You’re ood at I wasn’t a good daughter I haven’t been a good granddaughter But I a to be the kind of sister you deserve" Ivy pulled onto her street and slowed "Consider yourself grounded"