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"I know, and I love that I’h my purse for the keys to et so it back hoht?"

"Can’t," she says hurriedly "I have plans"

"Plans ho?" I halt at the edge of the carport in front of," I say to Lea "So fess up"

"I a offense

"You are too," I retort "It’s why you’ve been hanging out at all the football gaues "I even turned on ESPN once"

"On accident," I re and then stopped on it because you thought the reporter was hot"

"Hey, if I say I like football, then I like football"

"No you don’t In fact, you told me once that it was a pointless sport that only existed because guys have this need to prove that they’re tougher than each other"

"Hey, not all guys" Tristan hops off the curb and underneath the shade of the carport that runs around the entire coer side and opens the door "In fact, I don’tto the driver’s side "That’s why you tried to pick a fight with that guy in the campus yard the other day"

"I did that because he slapped your ass," he says, ducking into the car, and I open et inside too We slaine "I norhts"

"He slappedyourself that," he says with an eye roll as he guides his seat belt over his shoulder

"Uh the receiver "I’," I tell her, putting on lasses

"Yeah, I heard" She uses that tone that has been getting under my skin for the last feeeks, the one that implies that she thinks Tristan likes ht next to e the subject

"I already told you I’m busy"

"Fine Go on your date, then"

"It’s not a date" She attempts to sound irritated but I can hear the shtly humid inside the car so I crank the air up a notch "But just so you know, I’ht to see who drops you off"

"Fine by me," she says, but I can tell she doesn’t believeready to hang up

"You too," she replies with hilarity "On your date"

I shakeup, I toss the phone intoI wonder if Tristan could hear any of that It doesn’t seem like he could as he squints out theat Stan, our twenty-five-year-old neighbor, dragging a keg toward the entrance of the apart a party," he notes, and I hate the interest in his tone

"Isn’t he always?" I put the shifter in reverse and pull down the visor The sun is starting to descend and it’s so blinding I can barely see, even with h Because of the shallow hills and nonexistent buildings, there’s notorange-and-pink reflection at dusk

"Maybe we should go," he suggests, watching Stan struggle to keep the entrance door open so he can drag the keg inside Tristan glances at me with an unreadable expression "It could be fun"

I’as to back up, but quickly tap on the brakes, stopping the car "Tristan, I don’t think that’s such a good idea You’re still in a really vulnerable place in your life I mean, I remember what happened when I tried weed four s… and you did really hard stuff… I know your sponsor would agree with h at"Why are you looking atwith you, Nova" Laughter escapes his lips as he reaches for the cigarettes in his pocket "I wouldn’t go to a party I care about ht now"

I narrowas he puts the end of the cigarette between his lips and lights up "It kinda was"

I shakedown myas smoke laces the air "It’s not funny to make me worry like that"

"Hey" He leans across the seat, sticking the hand holding the cigarette out to the side and cuppingme with his unexpected, alht It’s not funny to ood to know you care about h "I care about everyone, which makes my life too stressful soer across my cheekbone and I try not to flinch, despite the fact that I want to I wonder what these touches et out of hand and confrontation is going to be inevitable I hate confrontation I really, really do "Which ood person"

I plaster on a sile state--I know that And he relies on me a lot If eren’t friends, I have no idea ould happen with him Whether he’d be able to take care of himself or slip back into old habits, and I don’t want to find out

I casually turnthat the only reason is that I’ to back up the car "You’re so weird so out of the spot "Always co at his"