Page 7 (1/2)

We start the tento the cheery sounds of a soundtrack to one of Mason’s favorite cartoons that features a bouncing dragon or cow or sorin on Mason’s face and ical life of rainbows and pots of gold he’s pro to do everything in my power to make sure Mason has a way better life than Jax and I had

I park out front and run Mason into his class By the ti Both of us were probably addicted to nicotine before we even started s it, but then I’d be a hypocrite, so I crackbefore I lose my mind

"Buttons" by The Weeks clicks on as I pull out of the school lot and Jax and I take ato music and not have to let it be tied to our past It’s not until I get to the college that it hitsneed to bawl o when I dropped Mason off for kindergarten It’s not that I’ that Jax’s all grown up, but e at eighteen

Jax senses o there, Avery," he says "We all have to grow up someday"

"But I swear you were just a baby like yesterday," I whine, glad I havewith tears

"You sound like you’re forty years old right now" He teases with a shake of his head

"Sorry" I suck back the tears with a giant sniffle "It’s just that it sometimes kind of feels like you’re my kid and I’m… I’m just so proud of you"

The hue a look ofbefore he leans over and pulls"I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you," he says and I can tell he means every word Soht, because Jax needed et here But I know that’s not the only reason, can feel it in h the silent whisper before life was breathed into ain

Help me

I’m here for more than that My penance, I’ve decided, for what happened For the choices I ure it out then perhaps life would be easier

I stop fighting the tears and let theets out of the car "I’ll text you when I drop off the car," I call out He waves before closing the door and I watch him walk up to the archedaway

As I’ht flicks on so I turn into a gas station I check my account balance on my phone after I park next to the pump I have just under fifty bucks and payday isn’t for a week

"Daas I should put in I decide on ten dollars which is barely a few gallons It’ll barely cover the next couple of days and itto have to find an extra resource for arette later, I arrive at the piece of property the Habitat for Hu built on It’s located in the next town over from where I live, in a quiet subdivision, the exact opposite of The Subs It puts a s what it was like whenbuilt But my happiness dissipates when I see all the tools scattered around on the ground and near the foundation, and the workers who clearly look like they knohat they’re doing And me, well I don’t think I’ve even picked up a haet scared away, though I’her than that

At least that’s what I tellout of uy who’s carrying a clipboard and wearing a hard hat who I’ is the foreman

You can do this, Avery

Turns out, my positivity was a clear overshot because the kitchen fiasco prettyI drop a hammer on my toe, bash round I’d be handling it just fine, except there’s this guy who’s not even in charge, but keeps chewing me out every time I mess up and all the people around us stare every tio, I’d be able to handle a guy having a tizzy tantrum, but these days, every yell setsI hate when people raise their voices even more than I despise loud music and chaos

"Would you chill out," I say in as calm of a voice as I can muster I bend over to pick up the nails with the assle’s shadow casting overmy best"

He’s about two inches shorter than ht, and has a stick up his ass apparently

"I’ll stop yelling at you girlie when you stop fking up" He continues getting louder every time he talks down to , but it’s a nervous tick I’ve developed over the last six years that ees every tiuy does

"Really? Girlie?" I rolla handful of nails back intothat we’ve drawn a little audience "Seriously, who says that except sexist assles with a short guy co look rises on his face and then he starts na the crap out of me It only takes about ten seconds before I have to drop the ha at my eyes as I dash toward the outhouses near the fence line I can feel stares following ive myself exactly one ether, Avery," I whisper "That guy isn’t Conner He doesn’t inning which rarely happens and you need to et the tears to subside Then I head out, wishing I hadn’t put on the eyeliner because I look like a hotthe sertips, I step into the sunlight and the busy sounds of power tools I’ht into so their very sweaty one

I have a flashback

Not a good one

And I almost run the other way

Instead, I stu this strange push/pull balance At first, I’ it, but then I realize that the person I crashed into has grabbed ain lance up at theain "Tristan?" I’m at a loss for words as I stare into the sky blue eyes that belong to the guy rote the note I read every night

The one exception guy

The guy I’ve been telling o in and out of my life But now that he’s here in front of ood look at nition clicks He seems a little startled but not as much as he should be, which makes me wonder if he noticed me earlier

"Are you okay?" Tristan asks concernedly

I stare at him speechlessly He’s here and it’s so Well, I’et out

He looks the same; blonde hair, sky-blue eyes with a hint of darkness in theht now, a little bit of uneasiness The only difference between now and three o is that he’s scruffy around the jawline, like he’s in the early stages of growing a beard He’s alsoa pair of worn-in jeans, work boots, and a tool belt that sits on his narrow hips I never got to see his chest the first ti what a shaaze scrolls over histhe da, colors and patterns that curve and collide with dark lines that form a face that looks half hus I wonder what that one in particular h Death