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What I don’t say is thattime with Mrs Henkel was typical selfish Colt I was lonely I’d walked away from all my boys from the hood, all of them except Split, and I was lonely Mrs Henkel was a friend, a chance to be around soood influence on me She’d probably have shit her Depends if she knew half the shit I’d done, and I think she knew that, since she never asked

Finally, I go silent, the subject of dead Mrs Henkel exhausted

“Explain what you meant,” she says

“About what?” I know exactly what she ood? Why would it be taking advantage of uitar on its side and take a pull off the bottle, hand it to her “I’m…fucked up, Nell”

“So aood Iqualities, but…” I shake ht words “I’ve done bad things I’ to stay out of trouble these days, but that doesn’t erase what I’ve done”

“I think you’re a good person” She says it quietly, not looking at me

“You sahat I did to dickhead Dan”

She snorts “Dickhead Dan Fitting Yeah, I saw, and yeah, it scaredh”

“But you did” She yawns behind her hand “You’re selling yourself short, Colton And you’re not giving h credit to knohat I want”

“What do you mean?” I knohat she means, but I want to hear her say it

“I kissed you back It’s crazy,I wasn’t drunk” She looks at s her oes dry “I shouldn’t have kissed you”

“But you did”

“Yeah I’m an assle like that I just can’t help it, around you”

“I don’t think you’re an assle I think you’re sweet Gentle” She says it with a little s that tender shit out of ,” she counters

I laugh “Once a thug, always a thug I may not run the streets anymore, but it’s still part of who I am”

“And I like who you are”

I stand up, unco “It’s late We should sleep”

She glances at the sun, which is peeking between a couple high-rises across the street “It’s early, but yeah I’uitar and hold her hand as she steps onto the stairs I like how her hand feels in o, so I don’t Neither does she Nell stops at the bathroo shorts Finally, I let ht with Dan I stretch, feeling ue, wince at the dull ache At that moment, Nell appears beside me with a washcloth I eye her warily, then pull ahen she reaches for rowl