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“What stuff?” Katie asked, blinking her eyes at Savannah

“Don’t be cute,” Savannah snapped “I’ve let you run wild around here for too long Noant you to stop with the water balloons and the attitude”

“We thought he was our friend and he lied to us, Mom!”

Oh, how to explain to her daughter the hed “But—”

“He made you cry!” Katie yelled “And now you’re out there like he’s a friend”

“Maybe he is—”

“No!”

Savannah realized there was so at Matt for lying to them

“We don’t need friends, Moht? That’s what you’ve always said All we need is each other”

Savannah blinked, stunned “Katie, honey, it’s not always going to be just us”

“Why not?” Katie asked “It’s been you,fine Why do you want him here, anyway?”

Savannah had no answer She couldn’t even totally explain it to herself But she liked hi silently side by side with him, had been the warmest in her memory

She wanted to kiss hiainst hers and feel small Feel cared for Womanly and precious

She wanted Matt, with his lies and guilt, she wanted him still More, maybe, now that she knew the truth

“You like hih it was the crime of the century, the murder of innocents

“I do,” Savannah said, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t like you Or—”

“Well, I don’t like you!” She ran off down the dark hallway, her feet thundering up the stairs

“She’s just like you” a deep male voice behind her said A deep

“Carter!” she cried, whirling to face her big brother One look at his handso and fierce, like a profile you’d see on an ancient coin, and she was ten years old again