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“Elaine” Mr Fitzpatrick frowns “You have been through a traumatic event It’s is you may have”

“What negative feelings do you think I’ht now are annoyance and impatience

“Depression for being dumped," he implies

“I was not dumped!” It’s hard not to yell at Mr Fitzpatrick For one,dumped, as he so eloquently put it, is only the tip of rab my backpack and stand “I’m done here”

“Sit down, Miss Walker,” he demands “You’re not excused”

“What are you going to do? Send me home?” I wait for a witty response, but Mr Fitzpatrick doesn’t say anything I kneouldn’t Like I said, he’s useless

“You’re here!” Lia on in the cafeteria and pulls me into his ared in public and he is holding onto me like I was the one who died The past four years, all I wanted was for Liareetto hiirl he greith

Lias

The plan with Asher worked better than I could have hoped, but I don’t feel the sa with Asher tilted s with Liao back to how they used to be Minus the secret hookups

He drops one arm but keeps the other around my shoulder as alk to what used to be my table “I didn’t see your car out front”

It feels wrong to be so close to Lia anything wrong, but it feels like cheating “Maggie drove me”

“Oh” Liahs at hi funny “How about I give you a ride home then?”

I wiggle out of Liae of the table in the cafeteria I never planned to eat at today, let alone come into this daie kno to make me feel better Besides, the only place to disappear to this tiirl's bathroo the masses

Lia next towith each word I’ve tuned out My gaze drifts to the table across the cafeteria, the one Asher and I used to sit at

My stoer but froht of eating anything more today makes me want to puke, but Asher would have noticed Even if he didn’t have theHe did buythat piece of shit stepfather of his would give him hell for it later