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I drag myself to my feet and stumble into her roo on the bed with an eye mask on her face "Yeah I think I caot it too"

"I heard you puking this "

"Sorry"

She pats the bed "Come over here and lay next to h she can’t see ht"

"That’s good You work too hard"

I crawl onto the space that she’s made for et scared and she’d findinto my pillow Mom was off with Ray or one of the many men she had before Ray Nana would carryto get randh hers "It’s only for a few more months"

"Don’t kill yourself before then"

"I won’t"

She squeezes ers "I’m sorry about what I said"

"What’s that?"

"That you’re uppity That your lad she didn’t I love you, baby girl"

Tears prick my eyes "I love you too"

"I’ood job," I protest "I’ to Harvard, remember?"

"Yeah Harvard" The word is filled with disbelief and wonder

"What aboutbreakfast and it’s now fucking lunch tiht body shake and I don’t knohether it’s froer or sickness I force et it"

She turns her head away frouess, secretly, I wanted her to tell Ray to go fuck hirunts as I pass him on e and find it surprisingly e sick for a while and I haven’t noticed

"Grilled cheese and tos a chair away from the kitchen table and drops his skinny ass into it