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"I’o take a shower," he announces and then leaves the rooo have a smoke," he says to me "You want to come out with me?"

I shake my head and his face contorts with confusion, because I rarely turn down a smoke break "Okay," he says, his eyebrows raised as he leaves oes out onto the balcony

I wonder why none of theain neither of theht not even know her last name, since she was so reluctant to hand it over to me

Jesus What do I do? I o down to the police station today and she grew up in foster homes, but wouldn’t tell me what really happened to her parents But other than that I don’t knowat thethat inside her, all that death Death is so heavy I know this

God, she o to the bedroom door It’s locked, so I knock It takes several more knocks before she opens the door with a look on her face that ra or upset She just looks like she’s drowning in a lack of emotions There’s a small television perched on the desk in the corner and the sa is on the screen

She takes one look at my face and says, "Don’t ask me" Then she steps back from the door and flops down on the bed on her back Desperation filters through her voice "Please just don’t askabout it"

How the hell am I not supposed to ask her? Her parents were murdered? There’s so many questions I want to understand her life, her, and worst of all I just want to hold her and tell her it’ll be okay, like I wish someone would have done for me after Amy died But that’s what I wanted and I have no clue if that’s what she wants The only thing I know is that she asked ive it to her

"I’ onto the door frae to bombard her with questions "Do you want to coazes up at the ceiling; her arms flopped to the side "No thanks"

"Do you wantup?"

"If you want"

"Okay, I’ll bring you soo of the door fra out"

"I want to be alone," she whispers "Please just go I need to be alone right now" She reaches for a purple teddy bear on the bed, hugging it as she rolls over It takes a lot of strength not to lie down in bed and wrap my arms around her, but I don’t because she askedinto the shittiest day of all days in the shitty history that ot up for the twelfthin a row at my new apartment in my new bed and for the first time I wasn’t disoriented Good start Then I read a book, which was relaxing, and I didn’t think about my parents or their death the entire ti I’ve been avoiding him ever since he found out aboutatquestions I don’t want hi all the details, like how I found my parents At least the news kept thatmyself back to the place I was before all this happened, before the case was reopened, before Luke caet my head back to where it was before, becoain

He hasn’t even moved into our room yet, probably because I scared him off He did stack some boxes in the closet but I think he keeps his clothes in a duffel bag in the living roo about it either and I’ --but I find s

After I spend o to work and it isn’t that crowded because it’s raining and for so is si to take their chances out in the rain Then things get a little chaotic and I’ on the aswater and uy who comes in by himself, which sometimes happens--rando a red T-shirt, tan pants, and has a creeper mustache, but, hey, to each their own

"You want to sit at the bar?" I ask, hopeful, otherwise he’s going to take up an entire table

He shakes his head, closing his u the water off his arm "I’ll take a booth"

I mentally roll my eyes at him, seat him in a corner booth, then leave hiet hiister, before I head over to his table, hoping he’s ready to order and not ready to waste ht?" he says as I press the tip of the pen to the order book and suddenly I recognize his voice I glance up from the order book as he says, "The Violet Hayes whose parents werewave rushes through me and I clutch at the pen inrin stretches across his face as he reaches for the water

Fury thunders throughheat of panic My hand takes on a life of its own and I throw my pen at hi his water on the table and spilling ice everywhere "What the hell?" He gapes up at me like I was the crazy one, and then raises his hands in front of him "Okay, calm down My name’s Stan Walice I’m a reporter for Chanel 8 News at 8 and I’d liked to ask you a few questions about what you saw that night I’to talk to you?" I toss the order book at hies are instantly soaked I spin onaround theo from stressed waitress, to about-to-lose-her-shit Violet I can feel the anger in the center oftorn open more

Stan follows ht?" he asks "The ones who broke into your house?"

I don’t answer, begging myself to remain calm That I have to That there is a restaurant full of people, enjoying their dinners and family time and I’ll be in some serious trouble if I make a scene

"Did you find theht I read somewhere that you did? And that you stayed in the house for twenty-four hours before you called the cops Why did you do that?"

I slaister where Sherry, aup bills I turn around "Go fk yourself, Stan"

At the exact moment I say it, my boss and owner of the restaurant, Benny, walks out "Violet," Benny hisses, glancing around at the tables and booths His face reddens as his voice lowers "Go in the back right now"

Things kind of escalate fro on what he started I trudge into the back kitchen area and Benny enters seconds later He’s also the cook and wears this stained white apron that ties around his round belly I can’t stop staring at the stains as he stands in front of the oven and chews me out The stains are red, probably ketchup, but they look like blood Blood Death Blood I start to visualize things, not just aboutto happen Horrible Tragic I picturewith my parents For a second, I feel okay

"Violet, I think I’ to have to fire you," Benny says and all I do is stare at his bald head, shiny in the fluorescent light