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"I told her you were co you should know," he says, finally filling the void I’hter, and his wife…she’s…gone I’m not sure what else there could possibly be

"I maybe sort of, kind of, told her that you…well…" I hear hih a little under his breath

"Jesus! I what?" I say loudly

"I kind of told her you were Barbie," he says, letting his laugh take over and spill through the phone

"Nice," I say and on instinct lean over the edge of my bed to look into the ers throughthe curls fall from hing, but less "I wanted her to be comfortable with you New people make her nervous"

"But sheto the side I’ers stuck together but ht not reets a little freaked out…"

"It’s okay," I interrupt I don’t want him to feel bad Now that I’m over the shock, it’s actually sweet that he wants to uess I do kind of look like Barbie"

"Nah, not really I just panicked," he says

A silence settles in again, but this tie…" I can hear hi extra in the tone of his voice that et up to close it, feeling suddenly protective over this conversation

"So…Houston," I h I reood that I reood that I’ood because I’

"Hoas your Christenuine; itto fight off things hitting me from all directions--this simple question from Houston hasa tear slide down my cheek, but only halfway before I stop it "It was incredibly uneventful," I laugh through my cry, mostly so Houston doesn’t sense my sadness

"Mine too," he says

"Oh I don’t know All day at Aunt…" I wait for hiht, Aunt Jody’s I bet you spent the day eating ho around the piano" I’le one oflike that," he confirms "How about you? Why was yours so, what did you call it? Uneventful"

"We had sushi," I say There really isn’t a need to elaborate; that kind of says it all My entire winter break has been a series of nothing-days and blank-evenings My dad workedup , ht for ourselves, and then ent our separate directions It’s too bad I don’t like reading more I could have filled ood," Houston says, and I hear hi the war "I’e That’s pretty uneventful"

"Yep," I say

"Well, if you’re living here while there’s so--it won’t be uneventful," he says I shutit filled with plates of cookies, holly, and candles That coain, and I let myself crawl into bed and pullwith Houston than I a with my sister and parents

Perhaps too relaxed, as I let myself ask Houston one of theaway inside hter

"What happened…to Leah’s ets icier as h to be heard through the phone "I’m sorry Too…that’s probably too personal"