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“How can this be your fault?” I entered his all-white bedroom Over his bed were six black-and-white photos of various attractions in New York City

“This is what happens when you lie to your current lover about having a mother who died in a car accident to build an emotional connection, and your ex-lover asks how yourin front of your current lover because she thinks he is a friend, and you tell her she has Alzheimer’s”

“Mark!” I smacked his arm

“I know, it’s horrible! But they—”

“Who or what are we talking about?” Cleo came in with a bottle of wine and sat on his bed

“The fact that Mark totally deserved getting clocked in the face,” I said as I shifted to make space for Cleo

“Thanks,” he snapped, reaching for the bottle He took a long swig before passing it to me

“Well, for the record, I’ht,” Cleo said e passed her the bottle “This wouldn’t happen if you’d just tell the truth It works for me all the time Usually while we are in bed, I just slip it in Don’t expect anything fro, and my father was an asshole who only cared about hioods, and I don’t want to be fixed They look at me with pity in their eyes, and that’s it”

“That’s so sad Keep drinking, sweetheart” Mark tried to put her head on his shoulder, but she rolled her eyes and laughed as she drank

“I’ht here, so I’ll drink to that” She laughed once lass to us

She was right All I needed was them It had been two days of fun, and noas back to reality

Theo

I saw his taillight, and as he slowed down, the stoplight changed froh the intersection and down the curve of the street The lights lining the street seeher if I just went faster So I did, pushing over one twenty I didn’t stop until I reached an area co out the stand of the bike, I took off h my hair

A few seconds later, Arty pulled up next to h his dark brown hair as he looked at iven to him by me ere twelve

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he hollered