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I coht have to hold hily “Please”

“I’onna say this once,” Vann states “Just the same as I warned you in the cafeteria on the first day of school, Hoyt Stay away fro”

Hoyt’s eyes shift back and forth between ure out how much Vann knows, and the prospect of it terrifies him to the core

“Vann,” I try again

Julio, the strong and silent one of Hoyt’s friends, takes a step forward “You better get to your side of the locker room,” he tells Vann in his deep voice Benji only watches on, his face hanging in suspense with a wetness in his eyes that suggests a desperation to find soh

But nothing is funny on Vann’s stone-hard face He pays as nat in the air His eyes are locked solidly on Hoyt as he continues addressing hier on you”

“Oh, you’d better try to lay a hand on hi his chin, “and see what happens, city boy”

I grip Vann’s hand at once I feel like if I let go, it could end up through one of these guys’ faces, and that’ll be the end of it

The bell rings, but no one moves The locker room, I’ve also noticed, has becouys have come around the corners of either end of our aisle to pay witness to what’s going down It’s like we’re on a stage again, but with gri

“And what’s goin’ on here, boys?”

At the sound of Coach Larry’s sudden voice, everyone quickly scatters back to their lockers—everyone except the five of us, who remain deadlocked, tension in our eyes Only when Vann finally steps back and walks away do the others relax Hoyt’s gaze lingers on me as I follow Vann, suspicious and dark I don’t knohat’s on his mind, but whatever it is makes me uneasy

It isn’t until lunch that I finally speak my mind “Vann, I really wish you hadn’t confronted him like that in the locker room”

He’s barely touched anything on his tray “Hoyt should have kept his hands—and lips—off of you”

“I don’t want you getting into another fight”

“And what happened to you standing up for yourself?”

“What do you call what I did to hilish class? Not that I h “We shouldn’t … fight fire with fire”