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She wets her lips with her tongue, deliberately this ti it on purpose so I’ll focus on her lips "When we get back to town… if you want… you can come over and watch me play" Her voice shakes as she says it, like the words are thick in her throat and she’s struggling to enunciate each letter

"Hey, what about arette onto the ground and sto as his skin begins to burn "Shit, that’s hot"

She ignores hi breath, balling her hands into fists "But I get to pick which song"

I nod, nervous about how personal this is getting "Okay, sounds like a plan, Nova Reed"

Tristan huffs a frustrated breath, then takes his cell phone out of his pocket and starts texting

Nova rotates around so her back’s to ainstover my knees I tense, but she doesn’t seem to notice In fact, I think she’s extremely comfortable, and the et

"My dad taught me to play," she says and downs another ht you to play the dru hohen I first met her she toldthe bottle around in between the paluitar, but for soure out that instru up, and I want to console her I open and close hs, so she’s trapped betweenmuscles spasm underneath my touch, but she doesn’t move away

"How old were you when he died?" I ask, kneading her soft skin with ?

"Twelve" Her breath hitches in her throat Froirl taking their top off She clears her throat multiple tih I’ the topic we’re on, I nod "Sure"

She wavers, staring up at the stars across the ash-black sky "Have you ever lost soh several times beside me and then he turns to the side in his chair, like he wants to escape this conversation The band starts playing again, ha in the ers on top of her legs to the rhythm

It takes me a while to respond "Yeah, I have"

She nods and doesn’t say anything more Most people would have asked ht after the accident everyone wanted to knohat happened, not just to Lexi and Ryder but to me, too I was in the hospital for quite a while Miraculously the guy I hardly knew that was kissing Ryder in the backseat barely had any bruises and scrapes, and the driver of the other car broke her leg That was it Tith minor injuries and three deaths, if I include h I was revived that day, I still think of myself as dead

"Are you okay?" Nova turns her head to look at me "You seem tense"

"I’m fine," I assure her

"Are you sure?" She looks doubtful as she searches my eyes

It’s been a while since someone has been so concerned about et low abouttactics

"I’ aboutto smile, like she doesn’t believe er "Do you think that so this exact sah?" Tristan jokes, glancing up fro under the stars, listening to er

Tristan shrugs, sliding his finger across the screen of the phone as he gets to his feet "You’re a very strange girl," he says and heads for the tent, then at the last second veers off in the direction the topless girls went

"I’m just curious," she mutters to herself "About what other people do with their time… with their lives"

I sit there for a while, drinking in her words So her lips ht up in it all--in her--and suddenly I’ainst hers I’ve done this a lot before, as a way to distract myself fro, but I’ure out what and if I want it or even deserve to get it

At first she stiffens, but then she hooks her ar her s open, and her toward the bottom of her shorts She tastes like beer and sone, but he could coh to stop Tristan fro at this h and the scent and feel of Nova All I see her skin because it’s soft and soothing, and in another life I’d touch it all the time