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“You sure about that? Last time I checked, you were al Besides” He lifts his eyes froreen bean with his fork A moment passes “I want to do it”

I s “You … want to do it?”

“Sure” He keeps his eyes on

I study the look of silent, calo off inabout the way he looks atup If he walksbodyguard he wants to be, does that mean he’ll stay over every weekend at my place, too?

I’ wood “But you can’t repeat the first day”

Vann squints in thought, his fork still skewering a single sad green bean He lowers it back to the tray “What do you mean?”

“The fight With Hoyt and the jocks Throwing yogurt across the cafeteria We can’t do that again, even off school grounds The last thing either of us needs is—” I sigh, then go for aI need ontwo s and heading off to Fairview High because of stupid Hoyt”

A moment passes where I’ve touched Vann with my words

That moment shatters at once when he wrinkles his face up and spits back, “So you’d rather those butt-wipes run you over, beat you up one night after work, then gloat in the locker rooms with their buddies later on about how they owned your ass?”

Clearly I did not, in fact, touch Vann with any of my words “I just want you to be sh”

“I’ve thought it through,” he retorts “I think you’re the one who needs to doAbout what matters to you About how much you’ve put up with already Look at you … and hteen-year-old seniors stuck at a hick high school The world has shat on both our plates It’s time we stand up to it It’s time—”

“Did you just casually use the word ‘shat’ …?”

“—that we fight back, Toby And …” His voice softens “And I’ll show you how You aren’t alone anymore I care about you”