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“Did you love her?”

“I ers boys can love”

He took another drink His hands were beginning to shake, his lower lip following close behind

“She was a on if she liked you or not Outside my family she was my whole world for a tirow under her influence, ative This was about when the trouble with your dad started It went on for about two years From when I was seventeen to when I was nineteen Counter Protests and that sort of thing Nothing we couldn’t handle I got pissed when ot hit by a rock thrown by one of your dad’s flock Felt honor bound to try and do so but Jax talked me down She probably saved my life”

He was quiet for a long ti at the bottle clenched in his hands between his knees, like it contained the secrets of the universe His breathing beca not to cry

“The death threats started co Mostly bullshit Ghost stories as Tom MacDonald would say It even became funny after a while We should have paid more attention”

“It’s okay,” I said, taking his hand

He didn’t pull away

“We were at one of our de a speech, powerful andhow the words used to describe us are widelywas needed ifto co-exist like the bumper-stickers say She had made it as far as ‘bumper’ when the first shots rant out We’d been warned Soht a new box of hollow points just for her Da the truth The church letterhead really should have been a clue’’

The soundthe coffee table in half at the center Augustus rubbed his eyes, ending tears before they were able to start

“I was standing behind her We all saw her fall but I was the only one who tried to catch her She tried to say sos The bastard kept going Most of the rounds exploding into the brick wall behind us In all the excite the life flicker from her eyes”

I wanted to hug hi his hand, squeezing it tighter Letting him knoasn’t alone

“It’s what I see every tio to sleep or look in the mirror The speech, the shots, what happened after I don’t look in the et three hours of sleep”