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“What do you want him for?” she asked

That seemed to answer the question of whether she are of his issue with JM “I’m not here for any trouble, I just need to talk to him”

“He’s not home from school yet…”

“I’ll wait out here,” I told her

She shook her head, gri “No, you should come in”

Not exactly the welco it wasn’t me specifically as the issue here Still, I tried to keepSteven’s house as I walked into it, but there was nothing there that reminded me of hie woman’s place

“Tea?” I couldn’tat first, until she followed that first ith, “Or coffee?”

I shook my head “No, thanks I’et out of your hair”

“Well if you’re sure of anything with hi better thanhad bitten her “Oh, I suppose I shouldn’t be talking like this… Are you sure there’s not anything I can do for you, before he gets here? If it’s money you want, we don’t—”

“I’s had taken to be diploht away fro with this, and that ure out what else there could be

Then the door we’d just walked through ca, and Steven stepped in His unifor his head a little like he was trying to sneak, but this being Steven, there was not

He stopped when he saw me, and squinted like he couldn’t quite work out if I was real The answering throb in h to see through a guy’s bullshit after all Even when he’d told me from the start what he was, once he decided he wantedmyself lies And even with my life in tatters thanks to his interference, all I really wanted was to be able to go back and hide aith hiames

And that hy, against all logic, I was co to him when I needed help Somehohat I wished he could be was far more important to my mind than all of what he really was

“Hi, Steven” I took the initiative before so could screw it all up “Can we talk privately?”

He glanced at his“Steven, you—”