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Whoa Hold up "Avery, I wasn’t sneaking through your stuff The dah I looked before I could stop !"

I took a deep breath "Okay It rong I’e the fact that I saw that text"

She stopped in thethe look of panic darkening her eyes

"Avery," I said carefully Her gaze darted to et a text like that?"

She crossed her arms over her chest "I don’t know"

I didn’t believe her

"I don’t know," she said again, and then rushed on "Every so often I get a text like this, but I don’t knohy I think it’s a wrong-nu"

I still didn’t believe her "You don’t knoho that’s from?"

"No It says unknown caller You saw that" She continued on before I could speak "I’ out on you It just surprisedrong Then I thoughtI don’t knohat I thought, but I’, Avery" I hated it when she did that "I don’t need to hear that you’re sorry I want you to be honest with es like that, I need to know about that"

She took a step back "Why?"

Soe "Because I’ you a whore!"

Avery flinched

Taking another deep breath, I looked away "Honestly? It pisses me off, even if it’s an accidental text No one should be sending you shit like that" I paused, finding her gaze and holding it "You know you can tell et mad"

The moment those words leftfake I was Here I was telling Avery she could tellpissed off because I knew she wasn’t, and I was keeping secrets

"I know," she whispered, and then louder, "I know"

My heart kicked in ht?"

"Yes Of course I do"

"Shit," I growled, and my muscles tensed even further A ball of ice for her was a risk She could think I was a violent person and walk away, but I needed to be honest, especially if I expected her to be

I was scared shitless

Closing my eyes, I said, "I haven’t been entirely honest with you"

"What?"

I scrubbedht? "I tell you that you should trustthe sa to find out"

Avery hurried around the coffee table and sat on the edge of the couch

"What are you talking about, Cam?"

I could lose her, I realized, but I had to tell her the truth "You kno I told you we all have done shit in our past we aren’t proud of?"

She nodded "Yes"

"I can say that from firsthand experience Only a few people know about this" I paused "And it’s the last thing I want to tell you"

"You can tellcloser "Seriously, you can talk to me Please"

I didn’t knohere to start It tookwith Ollie, but I’ me you had to take some time off"

"It was sopho the su coach a soccer cao ho different I couldn’t put er on it, but she was super jumpy and when she was home, she spent all her time in her bedroo toheart, you know Picking up stray aniuys Even when she was a tiny thing, she always buddied up with the most unpopular kid in the class" I suy He was a year or two older than her and I guess their relationship was serious--as serious as they can be when you’re sixteen Met the kid once Didn’t like hiet withabout hi way"

I droppedinsidebreak and I was in the kitchen Teresa was in there and erearound She pushed me and I pushed her back, on her arm Not even hard and she cried out like I’d seriously hurt her At first I thought she was just being dumb, but there were tears in her eyes She played it off and I forgot about it for that night, but on Thanksgiving , Mom walked in on her in a towel and she saw it"

Avery took a deep breath, and I shook my head "My sistershe was covered in bruises Up and down her ars" I closed , but we all knew you couldn’t get bruises like that froet the truth out of her"