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"Wait" Blaze’s eyebrows pinched together "What’s wrong with my party?"

"Define ‘sketch people,’" I said I was pretty sure he wasn’t talking our crowd

"Oh Uh… I don’t know Harder drugs, if you knohat Ithe vehicle onto the street "That’s what I figured, and sorry, pal We do not need to be hanging with the local crinored hi now," heon his phone A few blocks later, it buzzed "Ah-ha It’s not far, and the girls are down to get dirty, if you knohat I mean"

"Show me the address" Once he did, I took a sharp left turn In between telling me where to turn, Nate and Blaze started to talk Nor, but this tis in my head, or other people

Taylor wouldn’t leavein my mind--the way she’d looked when I first saw her up on that roller coaster She’d looked so small and defeated, but there was still a look of defiance on her face Like the world sat on her shoulders, but she was ignoring it because she didn’t want to let it push her into the ground

She was strong like that She wasn’t an in-your-face kind of strong She was quiet, but sturdy The kind of strong that you didn’t knoas there until you pushed up against it, and it threw you back on your ass

Pain sliced through ht I could share a few stories, let her know everything would get better, and she’d be happy Nope I was the one bounced back on nals correctly Nate had toldnew people in, but I had nothing on Taylor She was made of ice It was shiny and pretty, but it was thick I could see her through it, so I didn’t even realize it was there until too late Taylor was the hardened one, and I don’t even think she kne ht there" Nate tapped my arm and pointed to a house at the end of the block

Finally I had a huge fucking knot tied up inside of ht of the party, I felt a little relief--like a knife had swiped at the knot, cutting away some of the tension I was about to erets about it The first chick who hit on an, you look ready to tear into sorunted, and Nate narrowed his eyes I needed to get it together a little I found the theht this is"

Blaze frowned

Nate muttered, "Oh, no"

"No" I shook my head "No naysayers No haters There won’t be any of that negativity shit This is our night, guys This is the night we remind ourselves we’re men"

"Yeah" Blaze pumped a fist in the air