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“You okay?” I asked, , since I could tell he wasn’t

“Stupid, huh,” he said “Soe afraid of storms”

“Nope,” I said as I sat down next to hi”

He didn’t need to speak for me to knoas on his mind “Clowns, for starters,” I said “And those troll doll things… with the hair… my sister had a whole bunch of those and they creeped eese, either Those fuckers are just mean”

Caleb laughed and buried his face in his knees “What did I do to deserve you?” He turned so he could look aton his knees “Why did you do it? Why did you get me out of the hospital that day?”

I liftedhis and then rested my arms on my knees “I just knew,” I said “I could see it in your eyes”

“See what?”

“That you didn’t belong there That you weren’t broken like the others At least not in any kind of way that those doctors could put you back together again”

Caleb jumped when more thunder rumbled above us I shifted closer to him and he automatically leaned into me

“And this is why I keep co back,” I murmured

He looked up at me in confusion

“The trust you showto trust I wish I had that kind of strength”

“I’ deal about , but the me who still feels shit knoouldn’t last five minutes”

I put my arm around him

“Being scared doesn’ton people again, even after everything that was done to you, that takes a kind of courage ”

Caleb pressed his head againstto me, Jace? It wasn’t really to protect me, was it?”

“It was,” I murmured

“I don’t understand What were you protecting me from?”

“Not what,” I said “Who”

“Okay, ere you protecting me from?” Caleb asked