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She collects the trash and tosses it in the garbage "I never meant to blame Grandma’s death on you" She slips on her jacket and fastens the buttons "I was just upset" She pats my shoulder and sweeps my hair back like how she did when I was a child "If you ever need to talk about anything, I’rabs her keys fro"

After she leaves, I head up to the bathroom and check her prescription bottle in the ht explain the uplift in her attitude

I shut the cabinet and step out into the hallway On the way to my room, I run into Ian

"You look like shit," he discloses, eyeing uy didn’t… Did he try…"

I shake my head before he can finish "I tripped down a hill"

He slips on a faded flannel jacket "Hey, I got soht, so don’t lock up"

"I never lock up," I say, plucking dry grass out of ain?"

He ruffles his hair and pulls the hood of his jacket over his head "Yeah, I talked to her thisShe showed up after you left, totally out of it, and I got her to take the yours?"

He rolls his eyes "Of course"

"Is that the only drug you’re taking?"

He tucks his hands in his pockets "You know I don’t do that crap any to check out for a little bit And like I said, leave the door unlocked just in case my friend shows up before me" He pauses at the top of the stairway "Oh yeah, and if I were you, I’d go for the one with the dark hair"

I gripabout?"

"The guy thing" He starts down the stairs "I don’t like that Ca--definitely not your type"

"You haven’t even ue with no valid point because I want Asher too

He shrugs and vanishes down the stairs, and h and open my bedroom door All I want to do is take a hot shower and wash off today

"Hey"

The sound of his voice sendson my bed with the hood of his jacket pulled over his head, and he’s playing with the raven feather Theis open and the wind gusts in, flapping the edges of the papers and pictures hanging on et in here?" I ask, shutting the door

He looks up from the feather with hooded eyes "Your brother let me in"

"So that’s what the reht words "What happened earlier… with Cameron--I shouldn’t have done that"

"Done what exactly?" There’s an underlyingin his words He sets the feather down on the bed, slides the hood off his head, and rakes his fingers through his hair

"Do you really want ainst the door and fold my arms

With his eyes secured on" He skims my body "Especially when you look like that"

I rub the leftover dirt off my arm "I fell down a hill"

He shakes his head and takes slow strides towardso about the dirt all over you"

"Oh" I glance down at the ribbon on my shirt that’s halfway undone "He took ot my necklace out ly, he’s unfazed "And…" He takes another step toward me

"And then half the town showed up and I bailed I started walking down the highway A car swerved at me and I fell down a hill"

He’s a sliver of space fro from his body "A car swerved at you?"

I force the lump down in my throat "That’s how I fell down the hill"

"Did they do it on purpose?" he asks

I shrug "It’s hard to say, but maybe"