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"Um… sure What?"

"Can you please, pretty please, come to the concert with me? I don’t want to be alone with those two" He nods his head at the front door

"You won’t be alone, though," I say "Isn’t Tristan going?"

"He is," he says with a teasing grin "But it’d be weird with the two of us"

I roll htness in his voice is working its way into my heart "I think you stole that line from me, but it really rins broadens and again, I wonder just how much of it--of hiured it could work for me"

"Quinton, I really don’t--" I start, but he places his other hand overme

"Please, Nova… I don’t want to be alone" His skin isin his tone that stifles the conflict insidemy order so much, but the way he says he doesn’t want to be alone, with such anguish, temporarily kills the anxiety insidethe ti the past, while Ithis? Ohto lose control? Going to fall apart?

He s a step back, putting a little space between us "Now do you want to tell me why you have a handprint on your cheek?"

SealingI can’t say I fell because he noticed it was a handprint "No," I say, rubbingI used to do with Landon all the tiers at his sides as I pull my hand away "Would you at least let me put some ice on it?"

I nod, and he offersto put ers that I’llto make it across to

Chapter 11

Quinton

I’ person I’ve known it for a year and three uy anted to be an artist and start a family died in the accident and was never revived Now there’s just loser, stoner, drifter Quinton

I used to be the kind of guy who loved to help everyone, even when itI was the kind of guy in high school as friends with pretty much everyone I volunteered to tutor the kids who had a harder time in school, and every year I’d help out at the ho, just like et to see her in action I just heard stories, on the rare occasions uess I stupidly believed that being good like her would bring ot closer to her hen I was lying on the ground after the accident withI’d , and now Idown

But there are always a few rare instances when the good and the bad coexist, and soood decision or a bad one Like when I asked Nova to betih I’oddamn reason I still think I can help her not look so sad And after the ether let alone help someone else deal with their own probleoods store shopping with her Dylan and Delilah went out back with one of the cashiers toon the list We’re wandering around, looking for tents and coolers and "hot dog pokey stick thingys," as Nova put it

"Hot dog pokey stick thingys?" I question with a cock ofwhat’s on the list

"Yeah, you know" Sheto reenact the shower scene in Psycho "Those s over fires"

I restrain a sood "I think they’re just called hot dog forks"

"Really" Her expression twists with disappoint on to the thing since we left the house, like she’s worried if she puts it away she’ll lose it or so "That totally lacks creativity"

I toss a sleeping bag into the cart "Yeah, I like your na down one of the aisles She pauses to lean over my shoulder and read the list Her hair tickles my cheek, and the contact nearly drivesdeal or soet"

"You’ve never been to one?" I stop the cart when she halts in front of the flashlight section, exa it with her hands on her hips

She shakes her head, leaning away froet to pop that cherry" Her face instantly turns red as soon as she says it

Millions of comments run around my head, but I decide to let her off the hook "Well, the list says we’ll need sleeping bags, tents, lanterns, foa eht frohts instead of lanterns? They’re cheaper"

I shrug and stuff the list into my back pocket "All this shit is for Dylan I already have usted face and drops the flashlight back on the shelf "Then we better get everything on the list," she says with a frown