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“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong”

“Don’t bullshit ? What happened? I can hear it in your voice”

“I kind of need a place to stay”

“What about F—oh Okay, let me knohere you are”

I glanced around at the street signs and told her the cross streets

“Getting dressed now, ordered a car, I can be there in twenty minutes”

Nodding, I looked for a spot to wait “There’s a coffee shop on the corner I’ll stay in there until you get here”

Concerned faces from behind the coffee shop counter made me want to turn around and bolt Instead I orderedfor Marisa I sipped on the black coffee and tried not to burn ht a look atat me like I was a sideshow freak My eyes were red, and my hair was a mess My brush was back at Ford’s

Marisa burst through the door like a superherotheir coffee and typing away on their coray sweatpants rolled up a bunch of times at the ankles and an oversize white T-shirt she’d knotted at the waist

The second she spotted et you out of here” She wrapped her aruided ht after the fire, like I looked like I was on the verge of losing it It was appropriate because I was

We got into the car, and she gave the driver our old address I glanced over at her

“Our landlord called We can go back into our place and salvage e can”

“Let’s go”

Standing in front of the building we’d called horatitude that we’dthe front were shattered, and char marks had licked their way up the brick exterior of half the building