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“There’s a first ti And Moees”

More like chosen to avoid the that perhaps a meteor would crash into the planet or I’d coue and have an excuse not to come

“I have a lot going on, and three full days away is tough at this point in the year Classes are starting I’ve got to start the job search” I dragged h my hair, acutely aware of how my messy bun contrasted with her every-strand-in-its-place mussed perfection

“But this is ”

“It’s your engageement parties”

“But this needs to be special An aet to celebrate the love between Chet and me”

It took everything in htly

She rushed in close and held h it was ninety degrees outside “You’reabout”

“No, it’s the engagement party”

“What would everyone say if you weren’t there?”

“I’et over it”

“Dad would want us to be together during these special ti them”

I fought against -eye So practiced and routine After all this ti for these ether, but when he’d been here it hadn’t felt like so over allon of lemon juice ready to slice me to ribbons

“Mom wants you there I want you there” Laura touched the back ofto reassure htest smile was turned up to eleven

Chet I should’ve known from the moment we met that he was trouble—just from the name alone My sort-of ex and now my sister’s fiancé I’daround the boy I’d been seeing with every kind of dodge I could think of, until he finally did meet them and the inevitable happened