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“What does that mean, exactly?” My voice was sharp and I saw her flinch from the lash of it

“It means that because I don’t really live on the Hill, just at the base of it, I’h to date Once I figured that out and walked away, he got kind of nasty He was ain” She whipped her head around and met me stare for stare “Guys like Parker are exactly the kind of youngthe hard choices, Brysen He’s a terrible person through and through, and he’s just going to end up ets older We’re all better off when the bad things in the world are being ood somewhere inside of him”

We were finally at the high school, and as we rolled to a stop, she leaned over and gavekiss on the cheek She shoved open the door and ducked her head down to look at me one last time

“Fro all of us a chance at a new start Take the advice you gave Mom and don’t squander it, Brysen Love ya”

She slammed the door and I turned to watch her blend in with the crowd of siers I didn’t miss the jaunty wave she shot, not to me but to the behemoth in the truck behind me There was no clean slate for the Carters Not with the spectacular way our parents had ed to break it

I pondered Karsen’s words, hoise beyond her years she seemed, and how futile my efforts to shield her from the harsh realities of our family and the world really had been It rubbed me raw that my baby sister see around us than I did I got out of the BMW in a huff and walked over to the truck where it idled behind the parking space I shoved lasses to the top of my head and forced lancing at that wicked scar

“I’m in class all day today, so you can take off until seven or so”

Booker let one of his beefy arle out of theand arched a dark eyebrow over the eye with the imperfection It made him look all the more sinister

“Sure you don’t want me to walk you to class and carry your books?”

The sarcash that I could almost touch it I cocked ht back

“You obviously don’t want to be doing this What exactly does Race have on you?”

He barked out a dry laugh and smoothed a hand over his hair that was shiny with product “I rew up in the Point, so I knohich horse to pick in the race if I want to get out with ans intact” I rolled my eyes at his clever turn of phrase “Race doesn’t have anything onI offered to be here, Blondie, because I want that pretty boy of yours to owe irls around isn’t a hardship, even if it is boring as hell so far”