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“Yeah”

“You have a fight?”

I looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, and he held his hands up

“Just asking”

I shook ht We just…we just don’t fit anymore”

“It happens”

“Yeah”

He cleared his throat “I ran into Mike Lewis today”

That hadup “Is Trevor okay?”

“He’s the sa breath “Mike told me you were there last Saturday”

My eyes slid away “I needed to see him, Dad”

“I know” My dad got up and walked over until his knee was touching uys do, and I hated that all the pain inside , just there, just underneath my skin like invisible scars

“They hate me for what I did”

He ran his fingers across the top oflued my throat

“It’s not hate,” he said roughly “It’s…you have to understand the place that Mike and Brenda are living in is dark Mike’s taking it out on you because he has no one else to hit Right now, you’re it You’re the face he sees when he’s in pain, but he’ll come around”