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“It has,” I admitted softly

“How are you feeling?” Dary asked, dropping her hands as she sat up straight

“Better Sore”

She slipped her glasses back on “What about your chest? Your lungs? Is that what the inhaler is for?” She glanced tohere it sat next to the pile of textbooks

I nodded “Yeah The doc thinks everything will heal fine, but I have to use the inhaler a couple of times a day for the next week or so”

“What about the arm?” Abbi asked

Lifting et the cast off in a couple of weeks”

Abbi stared atto happen with volleyball?”

“I don’t know” I shifted against the pillows “I haven’t really thought about it”

“When I broke my arm, I had that cast for, like, six weeks” Dary frowned “God, I re poison ivy soh It was torture”

I glanced over at Abbi She wasn’t looking at uys okay?”

Abbi laughed, but it ithout humor “I don’t knohat that question even means anymore”

“It’s just” Dary closed her eyes and shook her head “Megan was nuts—nuts in the best way It’s just so weird not having her here, not hearing her voice or seeing her get excited about seeing a cat in a yard or so is the same”

“Do you remember the car accident at all?” Abbi asked suddenly

A treh me “Only a little bit Like flashes of conversations”

“Yourtrouble re,” Dary said

I nodded

“So you don’t reaze flicked to hers briefly

“Not much,” I said, and hatedto text you and let you know thatI was leaving”

“I didn’t get the text” Abbi lowered her feet to the floor

“I didn’t geta chance to send it”

Dary closed her eyes “I know you don’t remember, but do you think theythat they suffered?”

S the comforter, I let out a shaky breath “I don’t think so I don’t think Cody did either”

“He never woke up,” Abbi stated quietly

I shook lanced between theible presence in the room

They stayed for a bit, Dary sitting on my bed, Abbi in the coan—about the songs played at her funeral They talked about the charges that Keith’s parents could be facing and hoas handling it all Dary did

I went through thewhen I needed to, but I wasn’t there, not really My head was a hundred ot up to leave and Dary hugged oodbye

Abbi hugged me just as carefully as Dary did “I know you need soainst the side of h so only I heard her “I know this has been hard for you, but it’s also been hard for us Don’t forget that You need us right now” Her voice cracked, and over her shoulder, I saw Dary bow her head “We need you right now”

I heard the knob turning and I looked over A shadoas on the other side of the balcony doors Putting the inhaler aside, my heart skipped a beat The door opened, and Sebastian ca the door behind him

Sebastian was dressed for bed, wearing flannel bottoood, but I ale that Like I shouldn’t be able to do that anymore