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“Wait!” I co an inch away

“What?”

“I was going to go first” Asher sets his pen down and sits beside me He winks as the nurse removes my tourniquet and wraps it around him

Asher doesn’t bat an eye when she sticks him with her needle and draws four vials of blood When she’s done, she presses a cotton ball to his arm and wraps it with some sticky tape

The nurse opens a new needle and glares atthis Asher wraps his arm around ain I close my eyes and lean my head on Asher’s shoulder He takes my other hand in his and squeezes when the needle pricksoff and the nurse says she’s done

“You did it”

I opendown at ain The one that hints that hethat I a what I want

“We should probably go get your bike,” I say, noticing Asher is driving us towards my house and not back to school

“I’m not worried”

I look at hi home? Or back to school tomorrow? Am I supposed to pick hiate”

He chuckles and steals a glance at nolia Street “I can pick a lock, Ellie”

"Oh" I laugh nervously at the thought of Asher breaking into the school to reclais, feelingturned on Who kneas into bad boys? “Of course you can”

“And what is that supposed to ry, which is a relief because that could have been taken the wrong way Asher helpedexperience of s

“That even soo to school or have friends over there, can still be corrupted”

Asher parks in my empty driveway Dad is at the office, as usual, and while Moo into the office one week per month I purposely chose my appointment today because I knew she wouldn’t be ho was up