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Chapter Six

BODO AND I WALKED TO the showers in silence My brainpoas split betorrying about being stalked and attacked by Coli and what- if he even was ot to the shower, Bodo untiedo naked?" Bodo asked He stood at the entrance watching me

"No I’m too tired and sore"

"I can help you"

I looked over at hi a move on me in the middle of all this" I shook my head in disbelief I didn’t knohether to beserious "It is just a bad idea to be wet all night when you are going to be weak froo ahead and do it It’s not a proble at me

Tears pricked ht now

I squeezed the clips that kept the water inside the plastic bladders that were extended aboveoversome of its contents over my arm I scrubbed until I nearly ith the pain Once the soap was all rinsed away, I let the clips go and walked back over to Bodo Watery blood dripped down id He was staring out into the evening-lit field that reached the edge of the shower area

"Can you put the bandage back on for rabbed a piece of his t-shirt at the botto another strip off "Let me clean it first" He walked over to the hose and soap, scrubbing theit well When he was done, he caain over the wound The e and s"

"Do you knohere da loo behindelse We were in a life and death situation, and he was doing the bare minimum to help me out

So he was a friend now, and not a boyfriend He wasin my chest, but it was i person Peter had convinced me that I was a special person to Bodo, sonal he was sending said otherwise I didn’t like being this confused or in the dark about s should be simpler than this If you love someone, just love the and do another Why did guys have to be such jerks?

"Do you want to talk?" asked Bodo, as wethe trail to the pool area and loo softly Coli was still out there somewhere, but she’d been so out of it and loud earlier, I allowed myself a measure of confidence that I’d hear her before I saw her next time

"We haff a problem"

"Yes Obviously"

"Part of it issto be hoas the bad guy and had caused all this bullcrap, I was going to blow ht now

"Yes I wass not very forgivingk when you told me about Paci"

"No, you weren’t Nor were you very understanding I think you’ve been a real jerk about the whole thing if you want to know" It was easier to say these things to hi able to see his face I felt uy If it wass Rob or Fohi, den I would say okay But not Paci"

"Why not Paci? What’s the big deal about him?"

Bodo didn’t answer for a while When he finally did, he sounded as confused as I felt "I don’t know Because he luffs you, I think He iss different"

My face started burning "He doesn’t love ht like me, but there’s no way he can love me He doesn’t even know me"

"A person does not needt to know all of your secrets to luff you Bryn You can trustand turned partway "It’s all about the secrets with you, isn’t it, Bodo?"

His body immediately took on a defensive posture He was practically screauilt at me "No Dare are no secrets I know your secret now"

"But you have secrets," I said, gettingsecrets from me, I know you are"

"Why do you say dat?" He searched uilty This is just like when you kept Nina frombig is going on with you, and you’re not telling me"

"Dat’s crazy I’m just Bodo! Mr Bryn!" He reached out to put his hand on h oosebumps come up on my arms

"You’re not Mr Bryn Not anymore" My ears burned I couldn’t believe I’d actually said it out loud I’d been thinking it, andhulking gorilla standing on the path between us

His face fell "You are breaking up with me? Like Coli said about Kowi?"

Tears wanted to come, but I wouldn’t let them "I can’t be with someone I can’t trust You either need to co on with you, or that’s it"

He threw his arms up in frustration "Dat’s it, what? We are enemies?"

"No, don’t be stupid Of course we’re not ene was so da about noas running on instinct alone "I care about you very much You’re a part of my family But you keep a piece of yourself away froive me all of you, you’ll just be … like a brother"

Bodo scoffed at that "Ha Yeah, okay A brudder A brudder who you take a shoith and get to the naked with I don’t think so"

I’d bruised his ego, thatand that we had work to do before it was pitch black outside, so I decided to call a truce

I put et all this stuff done and we’ll figure this out later, e’re back at Haven, okay?"

He nodded once, not saying anything

Five really aarddown the dock that led to the loom hut The water in the pool was still but for a sh the lowing We walked as silently as we could, and I for one was praying that Coli wasn’t lying in wait