Page 7 (1/2)

Williaest shock was Iabout so fucked up and silly I wanted him back with a passion

Then of course was Mateo He’d gottenon inside his head I could try to pretend, but it wouldn’t do us any favors There were times I felt I had lost him

Late at night, like noith the guys all gone, our dads having spoken for long hours into the night, I lay in bed, waiting for sleep

It never came More often than not, I’d sleep as the sun started to rise A couple of hours seemed to last me

After grabbingmy work The book I’d filled with Sian in the hospital was locked up in a safe in my closet No one was to see that kind of work

She refused to get her hair cut or trimmed to make the bottom look neater I didn’t knohat her protest was, but it was her protest to have, not mine

I liked her hair When she put it in a ponytail, no one was the wiser

Who hacked off her hair?

I was teet Fred on the case The not knoorse than anything else

We had a pact, though None of us would bring an outsider into this world

With e of Sian froraveside The raw e up to the point today

I heard the squeak of my floorboard, and I tensed up

Sian did this regularly

Did she know I heard her?

The light I had on in ht to work The darkness helped me to draw the pain she was in

I waited

She stayed foro to the door, open it, pull her intoto be okay Who was I to uarantee the to back it up

So I waited

One

Two

Three

Four

There was a soft knock at the door, shocking me At first, I didn’t respond, suretricks on me, but I heard it

After throwingit open just as Sian had turned to leave

“Sian,” I said

She wrapped her arms around her body “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to intrude”

“Sian, there’s no intrusion here You’re alelcome”

I wanted to go to her, but I stepped back into my room “You can come in,” I said

She glanced down the hall, and I held myself perfectly still before she nodded Her hair fell around her in waves, and I saw the dae that had been done