page99 (2/2)

I went into the little area where they had stashed Brysen and pushed aside the privacy curtain just as a nurse was jabbing a needle in her araze up to mine

“I have to get ain”

“That’s probably a good thing” I walked up next to the bed and grabbed her chin inher battered cheek “He sun?”

Her blue eyes flashed and got stor to stop hiet him off of me and my best friend had to saveand let everyone else ride to my rescue”

She sounded disgusted and I let go of ers across the nasty purple-and-black ring of bruises around her neck I swore that if I looked close enough I could see the indentations of that asshole’s fingers in her delicate skin

“You stayed alive, and when I got into that room, it was pretty clear you put yourself between him and your sister You did what you could and you made it out in one piece That’s all that matters”

She caught my wrist and pulled my hand up to her mouth so she could put a little kiss on the back of it and then curled it back around her cheek

“Then that’s all that gets to matter to you too as well It’s not your job to save me, Race, and it’s not your job to save the Point I know you nominated yourself for both those roles, but it isn’t required”

I sighed “I keep telling you that I’ll take care of you, and yet I see the exact opposite I’m never there when bad shit happens”

She rolled her eyes and it unfire and took me hoht ot ot my mom the help I never would have been able to afford, you found me a place to stay, and you ed to do in a very long time I don’t need a hero, Race I just need you to want to be with me and to love me I need sos start to add up, because that’s what real life looks like There isn’t always going to be a stalker or a ate, but there will always be hiccups and buether looks like We just have to want it bad enough to make it work”