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She sat in her seat and picked up the plate until I took a cookie “Noill you tellon?”

I started spilling out the entire story, and Mom stopped me halfway

“Okay, this calls for lasses of chilled milk later, she sat back in her seat “Woell that’s quite a pickle you’ve gotten yourself into”

Dragging h my hair, I sat back in my chair “After what happened with Dad, I defaulted to keeping secrets locked up I locked theht and tried to protect the people I care about”

“The pain doesn’t just co, sweetheart Souessing you dismiss because you don’t want to be that paranoid person who can’t open their heart up to the people around the ot some fences to et a second chance, but if there’s anyone who can, it’s you” She cradledmy scruff

“I don’t know if she’ll even want to talk to me It’s not just that I told him about med school I hurt him Even if she’s pissed at him, he’s still her brother, and worse, I lied to her about it She asked ”

“You’re going to have to get her to believe it will never happen again”

My head snapped up “It won’t This secrets thing…” I squeezed the back of my neck “That’s finished I’d rather face the fallout than have that panic, guilt, and worry in the back of my head”

“You’ll be okay, then It ht i

nto your heart and know you , practically babies You’re almost to your twenty-sixth birthday, and Liv’s only twenty-one There’s so much more to learn”

I left Mo to, I ended up back at Liv’s dance studio I gravitated there lance of her Pulling up to the curb, I keptI shut off the car and stared outin body-hugging clothes The warer needed I restedhere?

I turned the key in the ignition, and the engine purred I threw it into drive, swingingspot A horn blared froolden wisps of her hair stuck out from under the hat that ay too warm for the temperature disappeared into the dance studio She looked like so—from me I threw my car back into the space, bolted from the car, and crossed the street I raced after her into the building

Bypassing the front desk, I shot up the stairs Taking the closed, and I rushed to the s inside, I watched her take off her hat and stick it in her bag, shaking her hair out Sing against the rising fear clawing atif she was out there and never forgaveoff the doorknob, I walked inside

“Class isn’t for another twentyup frolanced over her shoulder, her polite s back to your car to find it had been rear-ended and there was no note in sight “What are you doing here?” She tugged her long-sleeved shirt off, balled it up, and threw it onto her bag

“I needed to talk”