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“Well, I found out it isn’t exactly a program Mr Hendricks just dropped the classes He said he’d just pass s for him”

I gasped, not totally surprised to hear this, I’d suspected such things

“Yeah,” he said He reached around, rubbing at the back of his neck “It’s complicated Not tostory”

I didn’tto hio home?”

“My sister spent all her ti care of me I wanted her to know I’d be okay without her I don’t need a replacerin and shook his head “Look, I’s aren’t okay, you can tell me”

I considered what he was saying If he knehat I was going through, not only at home, but with the boys, I didn’t know if he’d believe e hi with me

I was going to respond when a hand clamped down on my shoulder It wasn't Wil's

It was someone behind me

Our Unraveling Lies

Nathan

Erica peered at Nathan through the rain, wetting her short hair She put a hand over her eyes to block the droplets She shook her head in disbelief and then waved hi out here”

At least he had an excuse why he was soaked

His shoes were extre down a vehicle

Oh boy

Rather than running off, though, he got into the sedan It was the fastest way to get to a phone

Erica got behind the wheel She wiped at her face and hair and then looked over at Nathan

Nathan sat with his hands in his lap, his body feeling tight against wet clothing He was shaking a bit from the chill, maybe partially from shock

He could have died out there If not froators He should have been erous Willing to do crazy things

Erica waited in silence, still leaving the vehicle in the middle of the road “Well?” she asked “What happened?”

He spoke very carefully, creating a lie from pieces of truth “I was out in the lake today,” he said “I was on a boat Butback”

“Where did he go?” she asked

“I don't know He just drove off”

Erica sputtered and took the car out of park The car rolled forward as she pressed the gas pedal “And he left you out here? At this hour? How long have you been waiting?”

“For a bit,” he said

“Where's your cell phone?”

“It's in the lake Accident That's why I aiting”

“And you only decided noave someone down?”

He shrugged It was ludicrous The sun had set hours ago None of this o on “It's complicated”

“You're very complicated this week, Nathan Andrew Griffin”

He slunk down in the seat but was unable to go far with how tight his pants got He folded his arain over his stomach “I'm sorry about all that And this”

She shook her head and made a small sound between her lips “I don't even knohere to start I'd worried about all of theiven how ine you'd do that to her Or to Dakota”

He bit his lower lip “It was dumb I've told them both I was sorry” He paused “Why were you out here?”

“I was onas the rain started co “After work”

“Isn't the hospital off the highway?”

“I was going to grab soroceries,” she said It still didn't make sense This ay out of the way for her But before he could ask more, she turned the heat up a bit and then poked hi But I don't want to ostracize you to where you're hanging out with dumb kids who leave you behind for hours in the dark”

Nathan let out a big breath between his lips and leaned against the door, gazing out at trees They sped past neighborhoods he'd driven by earlier Many houses were dark now, as it was closer to hts dotted the sidewalks