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I turned away, ducking curious looks from Mrs Donal, our librarian

Muht, but I was ready for her

“Do you think it’s possible for people to change?” I asked “I s in the past Do you believe it’s common that those people turn their lives around and do better, or is that the exception?”

Muown cord “Tamara…”

“I’ for Callie, mostly,” I said quickly “Iback when it happened, but he totally crushed her before when he was screwing around with her, and I guess I’ain”

Mu the s that wasn’t o and do the sa they always have,” she said, “or ouldn’t have a rehabilitation-based prison system But I think that number is smaller than anyone realises When it coet aith doing over and over with no consequences… I’d say there are ale their tune”

I had a feeling the next question into really set her off, but at the sa “Mu to see what… what the sperm donor did, after you left hiain?”

“Never” Mu out of frozen lips “You know, Tamara, the colour of your walls actuallyit”

I didn’t believe that for one second: Muh she’d made some attempt to involve me in the process But I let her leave, because I felt bad that I’d asked that question in the first place, and I needed some time on my own to think about what had provoked it

Now the question was out in the world, I couldn’t put it back in my head and cover it up I hadn’t wondered before what ht be like, and now I did And it see out would help me decide what I was supposed to do about Steven My father had been about as bad as I could i e’d still lived with his around after we’d left, there had to be hope for Steven

Rationally, I knew there was no real connection bethat oing to do with his But I didn’t have any other way of deciding hoas going to move forith Steven There was no way to be sure

Even if I found out ivefor Steven With ht be able to help him turn his life around properly

I just had to figure out hoas going to find et in contact with hih Mike had never really been a dad to ot weirdly jealous when my birth father was mentioned I couldn’t trust him either

First I needed his name… somehow But that was just the first step… and I didn’t think the situation with Steven was going to hold off until I was through the rest

Unless… there e