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My head jerked back I hadn’t been prepared for the haunted expression on her face What was going on with her? I gentled my voice "You okay, Sam?"

She nodded "Yeah" Her voice was equally soft "I justdon’t want to see her hurt That’s all"

Bullshit I wanted to say that, to interrogate her, but I held back She wasn’t talking about Taylor "You’re not talking about Taylor at all, are you?"

There it was I put it out there We’d been through too ot ht Ito hurt rilue of us Did you know that?"

I slue?"

"No I mean it" The haunted look was back She didn’t even hide it now "Things have changed even since I joined the group, but the glue’s not Mason Not anymore It’s you Mason doesn’t seem to care I think he likes Taylor, but I know Nate and I are worried And we…just…we don’t want you hurt That’s all"

"I’ood You know that"

Her shoulders lifted up in a slow and deep breath "Yeah, well" She bit down on her lip before looking away again "You’re likehurt, just like ut, and I didn’t like it I frowned "Well--" A flippant re over ot to see his parents happy at some point I know you didn’t Neither did I, and if I did, I can’t reoes deep, tunnels inside of you like a cancer You mask it, just like I did"

Fuck She went deep, but sorry, Saed the subject, trying for a sh caain, then nodded to herself before findingwith the topic change She was a sister to o there with anyone I hadn’t, except Mason Then she was saying, "Considering ht her up, yeah" My lip twitched up What a fucking psycho

Sam’s mom, Analise, came back into our lives last Christo home for holidays, and when summer break arrived, Sam spent aat the house with Mason, once he started early training He toldto spend ti the old days when Saain, and soon

"You know" Saave me a forced smile The corners of her mouth lifted, but it didn’t extend to her eyes They still looked dead "Never mind about what I said before I love you, but you knohat you’re doing"

"You sure?"