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"Hello My na here Today we’re working on the house of this young lady here" He gestures toward a tiny old woround next to him Her skin is weathered and cracked like old leather, and when she waves, her flesh moves like it’s not attached to her body "Mrs Baker has lived in this house for forty-nine years, and thisher make some repairs and renovations She worked as a nurse at the local hospital until she retired ten years ago She spent a lifetihted to be able to give a little back to you today"

"Silas," Dylan whispers next to e I don’t knohat she said s sheWhy else would I be here? But if that’s the kind of guy she wants, fk it

I think what bothers s are all I areat balancer in s I’ive a shit about football, and unless I get ether, I won’t even have that

And what aathered crowd, splitting people into groups for different tasks, appointing leaders I get put in a group with Henry, which is fking perfect

I hope he steps on a nail and gets tetanus

Dylan is put in another, s to think this little experiry than I already auys are tearing down so froiven a crowbar and a hao to town And I do exactly that

There’s satisfaction in the creaking sound of the wood giving way The nails groan as I use the crowbar to lever off the old siding And when I encounter a few particularly stubborn boards I use the hammer to add so to trail down her into the sky, and pours light and heat down in s quantities I strip away the bad wood piece by piece Sometimes it crumbles in my hand, snaps or bends where it shouldn’t Then I’ my hands, my hammer, my foot--whatever I can to tear the stuff away until finally, I can see the framework beneath All that’s left are the studs to which we’ll attach the new siding When I’m done with my section, I move over to the next, where Henry has barely done half of what I’ve et he’s even there Then he asks, "So how do you know Dylan?"

I want so badly to say so to piss him off, some innuendo, but I know she wouldn’t like that And what I say could irls who are incredibly concerned with how other people see theas it would be to piss the guy off, it’s not worth pissing her off, too

I shrug "We ran into each other last week Got to talking Hit it off"

Okay Sobetween us But it’s less to piss him off, and more to make very clear that he has no hold on her anyirl like Dylan, the guy is a fking moron, and he deserves to have that rubbed in his face a little

"Hit it off?"

"Yeah She’s pretty spectacular You don’tin his atteht"

I look at this guy, and it makes my blood burn hot that he had four years of her life That he’s had her, and I haven’t And I let irl is s hot At first, she seemed a little, I don’t know Shy Restrained But when she loosens updas hard on the board, and his hands slip, sending his crowbar turound