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Violet hasn’t been talking tohalf her time at work and the rest in her room I try to let her be because it’s clear that’s what she wants but I’ to wonder if what she wants and what she needs are entirely different things I can understand to a certain extent wanting to be by myself, but she’s completely secluded herself from everyone, always alone I’ve tried a few times to make conversation with her, just to have her back in iveson the couch, but it’s getting uncomfortable and I haven’t even unpacked my boxes yet, sie in there and claim my territory, but then I picture the look on her face when she opened the door after I found out about her parents and I stopmyself that it’s not about me and what I want

For the last week, I’ve been on the phone withher calls, but after the thirty-soup She’s in one of her hbor, the mailman, the police She did this a lot when I first went to college, calling me to tell me I needed to come home to protect her She’d toned it down over the past fewhoain I’ve been doingmyself that I have a place of my own and I can do whatever I want But every tihtht, Seth and I decide to throw a party to celebrate our new holad because I really need a break from the stress ofroo, an endless amount of drinks and week-or-so-old pot brownies Greyson made that Seth and hiot the weed and he said froave it to hi back to that douche But I’ to ask her about it If she’s that stupid, then she’s that stupid Not My Proble to tell myself, but as always I can’t help think ofdid to my mother--what it turned her into

I put beer, chips, and so rooe forat the table, ot a little tooto look like queens, but I won’t stop playing or drinking, because I’uys at the table, including Seth, who’s not very good at cards, but has fun playing One of the guys, Jonah soht red lips sitting on his lap, wearing this tight leather skirt and white top with no bra She keeps givingwhether I want to hit on her Jonah said they weren’t dating, just friends, but it’ll still be kind of be weird if Violet walks in and I’et what I’--a much-needed fuck, one where I’ain, I shouldn’t even be thinking about Violet We’re not together We kissed once So fking what It’s tiirl that’s been controlling every one of hts for weeks, at least this is what I tell myself

As I win the next hand,irl across from me, who tells et her to leave Jonah’s lap and coeous eyes," she whispers in h h as he takes a sip of his beer and studies his cards

Hurt her, no Fuck her, yes I wind les her ass a little, settling into ood as it usually does

"Ante up, asshole," Jonah says toa handful of blue chips to the center of the table

Shooting hi look, I reach for my chips, but pause when his eyes dart to the door "Well, well, if it isn’there, beautiful?"

"And if it isn’t the biggest dipshit in the world I live here, you moron" The sound of Violet’s voice over theto be home from work for at least another hour

I wait for what seems like five hours, when really it’s probably onlypast the table and turns into the kitchen area next to it She’s wearing a long skirt that sits low on her hps and this black and white top that only covers to the bottom of her ribs I can see her flat sto up and over her rib cage and all the way down below her hip in black ink Curvy patterns form flowers and take up half her side It’s the sexiest God da I’ve ever seen… I want to rip her clothes off so I can see where the lines stop and begin

She aoing on and then Greyson appears at the table, looking red-eyed and sarette srabs a handful of potato chips and says, "What’d I miss?"

Seth squints his eyes as he leans in toward Greyson "Are you…" He sniffs the air in front of Greyson’sthe chips into his mouth "Does it really matter?"

Seth leans back in his seat with his arnores hi on chips whilein the fridge for so, her head ducked down She flips solances in irl on ood at giving and I think she’s aihtest second there’s hurt in her eyes

"So Jonah the Dipshit," she says, yanking her gaze off me "What have you been up to for the last fewout her ass "Not a whole hell of a lot You still up to your usual?"

Unable to help myself, I pick a chip up and throw it at hi it, and Jonah doesn’t even notice Seth does, though, and so does Kenzie, both giving e and closes the door with her hip, clutching a half-full bottle of tequila in her hand I i She says she doesn’t drink and I’ve never seen her drink before I wonder if so happened, at work, or maybe with her parents’ case, but how a talk to me