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"I didn’t look for you any of the times I ran into you," he protests and then his eyes cut to Preston as he folds his ar "And I sure wasn’t looking to drop you off at so"

I feel this wave of heat in the air, but I don’t really believe that it’s a rapid increase in temperature so much as a spike in the excitement in my body I feel it at the same moment that Preston releasesfro walk away, but ultimately it lands on Luke

Luke stands beside me, unbothered as Preston hesitates and then inches closer to hi for a fight, but it’s kind of obvious that Luke’sPreston a little nervous I wonder if Luke would continue helping orated I feel over the fact that at any ht in theto scare h "Wow, that’s a new one"

Luke licks his bottoht His knuckles are crusted over with blood and there’s dried blood on his shirt He also has a cut on his forehead that looks like it needs some peroxide on it He looks pretty beaten up already and for a split second I actually care enough that I consider taking his ar hurt, even though I’o down that way But then he moves forward and lines hi into fists He’s taller than Preston and sturdier in the chest He also seeed

"Do you think some old dude scares me?" Luke’s eyes flare with the tone of his voice "Especially one that likes to hit women?"

At first I’m confused because Preston hasn’t hit ht Luke lances athis head "You told hih I didn’t "Maybe"

Luke starts to open hisPreston flinches, like he thinks Luke’s going to hit hiht in the jaw I cringe, tripping backward at the sound of the pop, re to me Like me, it doesn’t look like it bothers Luke, only pisses hi a beat, Luke slaister what happened, Luke is driving his fist again toward Preston, this tiht around and hits Luke in the gut Luke’s face contorts in pain, but it doesn’t faze his his knee up and ra the wind out of hiht or let Luke hurt hiotten out of hand and I still owe Preston for giving me a roof over my head when no one else would I want to help Luke, too, though, because he’s helped me more thanabout the idea of hiht to see how far they’ll go, how dangerous things will get I’m so fked up in the head and I don’t think I can h it feels like I need to It no longer see each other up, et hurt? Or one of them dies? Then what? Am I responsible? Do I care? Do I want to care about either of the each crack as their bones collide, their rapid breathing, the way the sunlight hits the for air, the way ht starts to flicker in and out of focus as my vision spots over This has happened toquickly, I’ to collapse

I try to step forward and unlock s, arue are numb and rubbery and it feels like an elastic band is wrapped around my forehead I try to open my mouth to say "stop," but the world tips to the side and I fall with it I round, but the gravel scrapes my knees, and my palms open Warm blood oozes out It’s been a while since I’ve had an adrenaline overload, at least a few years

The first tiht after I found my parents I’m not sure why I did what I did when I found theh that I should have known better and called the police right away But I re for what seemed like forever, even after the people snuck out theI reh I didn’t fully understand as going on, there was this excruciating ache insilence of the house I think it was sunrise when I finally dared to go upstairs It was about the time my dad usually woke up for breakfast, but the kitchen was eto wake the I noticed was that the door ide open, not cracked like they usually left it, and then I noticed the blood droplets on the carpet Seconds later I saw theut, the wind knocked out of ers wrapped around my neck I couldn’t breathe I wanted to die I’m not sure whether it was the lack of air or , trappingat my parents soaked in their own blood Or maybe it was the fact that once I ain while theirs would stay frozen Forever

I jerk away fro stop Did one of the the other one? Or did they just kill each other?

"Violet, are you okay?" Luke’s voice, so close, startlesquiet breaths "I’ravel and then his ar underneath etme in his arms I’d shove hi but lean against his chest His arms encircle my waist and for the briefest of iving me, however, counteracts the sensation His harsh expression cuts intostuff and get the hell out of here," he says, spitting blood onto the ground His lip is cut open, his eye swollen shut, and there’s a giant welt on his rib cage

"Gladly," I reply in a corab on to hi him not to leave me Tell hi away the blood "And don’t co out on the street, because I won’t take you back"

"I won’t colare as tears try to shove their way outtraitor eyes I inhale and exhale over and over again, sucking theo," Luke says softly The steady beat of his heart hittinghis head, Preston sto the door before opening it up and disappearing inside Luke’s arrasp with my arms lifelessly tothat soon life is going to catch up with o I have no car, and only two hundred bucks to et me a hotel room for a few days Then what?

"Are you okay?" Luke’s voice is soft and conveys caution as his ar me that," I say as I stare at the shut door of the trailer My eyes are burning with tears that almost escaped and my throat feels dry

"That’s because you haven’t answered me" His breath caresses the back of "

He pauses and then slides his arms away from my waist and winds around to the front ofand his shirt’s torn, but other than that I don’t see any new da? Water?" he asks, his lips tug upward as he studies me intently "A sedative, ive you a hit of ht help calm down the anxiety a little"

"I don’t have anxiety," I tell him "I’m completely calm"