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“His sister sounds like a heinous bitch”

“You’re not even half wrong I thought she was just a bit of a mess at first, but what she did was next-level awful Not just to me, but to Berk”

“Let me tell you from experience, familybus between you so easily if you’re not on the sas to learn when it comes to her”

“It feels like someone’s sawn me in half”

“Time That’s the only cure and even then, so” My eyes filled with tears again at her reassuring arm squeeze “Sometimes you have to think about yourself and put yourself first I learned that lesson the hard way You can’t be everything to everyone all the ti left of you And she’d have under seeds of doubt in his head if he wasn’t ready to see what she was doing You can show people all you want, but that doesn’t mean you can make them see”

My shoulders sagged, the power of her quiet reassurance reverberating through me

Max burst into the office with a cake knife in her hand “I thought I heard crying Who do I need to take out?”

Avery and I looked at each other before bursting out laughing

“I’ve never had ot you” I looked to Avery and Max

Max’s head jerked back when aze landed on her “Me, too?” She pointed the tip of the cake knife at her chest

“You did burst in here threatening to disembohoever made me cry with that, so I’d consider us friends”

“It’s not like I need a reason” She spun the handle of the knife over the backs of her fingers, lookingand wearing a tie-dyed bandana over their hair With a look at me, she squinted and lifted her ch

in “Yeah, I guess we’re friends”

“Don’t hurt yourself, Miss Emotional” I turned away from her and crossed my arms over my chest

The darting blur of her body was the only warning I got before she slame back and forth