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What could she say? Hadn’t she just been thinking the sao?

“Here’s another truth,” Kaden said, then paused, and Abby almost reached out and stopped hi was too much She couldn’t do it, and it wasn’t fair for hiuts while she remained silent

“Truth be told, I’ve never skipped school before either And it makes me a little jittery It’s not that I never break the rules but” He bit his lip, and stared out the , collecting his thoughts “Ever since my mom died, I feel like I need to be perfect for et in trouble or do any noro to parties or skip curfew Sure, I sneak work, but that’s about it I don’t go out I don’t even ask or try, and he prefers it that way I get straight A’s and help watch o to bed on ti to ask It’s what I do But maybe I’m tired of it When I’m around you, I question why I don’t try harder to have a life”

Abby sat in the silence, taking in everything he just said She shook her head, trying to understand “You joke and tease You don’t act like someone who has problems”

A gliaze locked on hers, and he shrugged “You can either make the most of the hand you’re dealt, or you can dwell on it and beto complain about Not really I kno I feel, and I own that It helps”

Abby drove in silence, wishing she could be so honest Her thoughts drifted frorew up thinking fa

Fah it see away friends and only keeping family close had exacerbated her innate inability to open up and let people in Family would always be there She could rely on theated to like her or want her around, keep her confidences, or rereater

And now, as she neared her grandparents’ house, preparing herself to retrieve GG’s safety deposit box key and unravel her family’s secrets, she found the situation reversed In this case, family was the problem GG had come across a secret, and Abby couldn’t turn to any of the at it alone And not for the first time since this started, Abby’s desire for a close friend, a confidant, twitched in her belly, hungering for someone to share this burden with

But letting someone in was a choice For Kaden, it wasn’t so siful interactions

She glanced over at hi it must be to try and u tiht went on He chose her over his father’s wishes So Kaden claimed he never did

“Why me?” she asked before she could stop herself “Out of all the people, why do I ht him?”

“Maybe you’re the first thing I wanted s are just worth it”

He turned back to hisas if he hadn’t just sent her heart into palpitations

Abby sed as his words sunk into her bones, and the air in the car shifted Soful settled between them

Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her head Now that she knew et him into trouble