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“Are you like fifty?” she gru skulls and tombstones on her notebook She was such a cliché it had cracked me up Even if she was a little on the crusty side, she h for the new kid to invite him to eat lunch with her and her friends I hadn’t been sure what to expect when I showed up in the cafeteria I figured Skylar’s friends would be just like her Miserable and pissed off

Color uy that looked like so—full-on jock with perfectly grooirl with fire red hair opposite hi Galloway I sat down next to Skylar and instantly felt I had known these kids my entire life After that, ere an inseparable fourso to be a horrible reat

“Hey, boss man,” Todd Vandy called out as I crossed the road to the square My second in cos ofthereen space

The day pro so far, and it seemed ell on our way to susuckeddown rain or snowing

Since startinga one- five people I hired Todd and Jeff Givens first I knew both froh school and knew theether, but soon we had too much work to keep up with I eventually hired Mary Childers, who used to work at Sweet Lila’s, the only decent bar in town She was sick of working night shifts and wanted more sociable hours so she could spend ti on her brother-in-law Matt VanHorne who had recently moved to the area with his family Lucky Seacole was the last addition

“Hey, Lucky, did you get out to see your mother this weekend?” I asked the bronze-skinned olderholes for new posts

Lucky looked up, his expression always guarded, as if waiting for a punch to the face Which wasthe last twelve years in prison for breaking and entering as well as armed robbery Adam had told me I was crazy when I hired him “He’s not exactly the poster boy for trustworthy,” he narrowed his eyes and drahen I told him

Everyone in town knew Lucky He was the local troublemaker He was the black sheep of the Southport family But my dad had instilled in me the importance of second chances, and I knew the man in his late fifties was down on his luck with no one willing to hire a convicted felon

So, when I saw hi the bushes around the town hall, I i at first and threatened to knockwith him After I convinced him that I wasn’t, he joined my crew and quickly proved to be a hard worker and completely dependable

Lucky stopped digging and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand “I did She loved the rose bushes Thanks again for that I helped her plant them in the backyard” Lucky’s s for the other shoe to drop

I inclined lad she liked the hi they were extras froested maybe he should take them to his mother, who he had a strained relationship with

I took a cup from the cardboard carrier Mary had picked up from Coffee Cup over on Lane Avenue I took a sip and made a face I should have known it was herbal tea Mary was always trying to get the rest of us off caffeine We fought her every step of the way

“Hey, ?” Todd saddled up beside me, his dark skin slick with sweat already The bill of his hat was pulled do over his eyes

“Not bad Sorry I’ized

“I can’t believe that sweet baby girl was anything but angelic,” Todd retorted