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No one came to me No one asked if I was okay No one held me

Because I wasn’t bleeding, they’d just assumed that they didn’t need to consolehad settled back into a new norain, but it was so much worse that time because I’d needed them so badly

Mark, who’d been in the hospital for weeks with gunshot and knife wounds, had been the only one who’d asked if I was okay He’d been the only one who’d held me as I cried The only person I’d confided in about thoseto die

Everyone around s they said—that I was a self-centered brat, that I didn’t care about anyone but ot all of my parents’ attention And I’d fed into the bullshit for a long ti the truth

It had actually been the opposite

I’d been terrified foranything I could to get

“Hey,” Mark called, startling ry baby here”

Internally shrugging off the memories, I turned to him

“Thanks for taking her for a while,” I said, liftingcranky?”

“Cranky, no,” he said with a weird look on his face “But she started trying to suck on my neck”

I huffed out a surprised laugh

“Ihis head to the side to show me

“You don’t have a hickey,” I replied, pushing myself up

“Thank God” He sat down on the edge of the bed “I usually make them buy me dinner first”

I was surprised at the se of jealousy that flared in my belly I didn’t want to think of Mark with anyone else, even if he was joking

“So,” he said uncomfortably, “your parents are pretty ht so we can hit the road early”

“We?” I asked as Olive started to nurse “You’re co with us?”