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I tasted blood in my mouth, and I took a minute to lick the wound and s the blood "It's already ht it" Then, aline not receiving a passing grade for this project, and if I did, I'd have to consult with the dean about the fairness of hed at"I know you aren’t averse to getting your hands dirty…literally All your previous fighting wasn’t on the up and up Don’t think I don’t kno you funded the purchase of your little project"

"I’m not interested," I told hi hard

I heard the scrape of a chair as Billings stood I turned to face hiodda here, and the dean would agree with ers like you to allow the administration to preen about its devotion to veterans, but the truth is that not one of us can stand you and your kind"

It was one thing to insult me and entirely another to insult the Corps and the men I served with, the men who died for this fuckstick "You're lucky that amble away your cash and still have an opportunity to make money in a stock market that is supported by the sweat and blood of s wisely stood behind his desk The physical barrier wouldn't be too difficult for me to cross, but it served as a reh every nerve in ainst idly in hopes thatacross the room and end his spat atyou an opportunity of a lifetiht, and you'll be a millionaire It'll be your only opportunity to sit with your little Central College friends and feel like you belong Otherwise, you’ll always be the dirty kid fro up at everyone else It’s not like you haven’t been willing to do illegal things for s the satisfaction of a response Instead, I turned and left without another word But his parting insults pounded in ally forI had ever thought before I wasn’t good enough for Grace, and I wouldn’t be good enough until my bank account stood up to her uncle’s

TWO

Grace

"HOW ABOUT THIS JACKET?" LANA Sullivan, my cousin, held up a double-breasted, heavy wool coat with a designer label We were shopping for Christift for Noah His winter coat was the one he’d bought when he was in the Marines, and I wanted to give him a nice wool one that was better suited to his desire to be a ul But Noah was very sensitive about my relative wealth co that was of good quality but that wasn't so expensive it would reinforce our economic differences I wanted ht with tension

"Too expensive" I turned back to the sale rack and rifled through the sparse offerings

"Everything in this section is expensive" Lana waved a hand around us

I winced "Well, I’ on the sale rack"

"Hoill Noah knohether you paid full price or got it on sale?"

Good point "Because I’m a terrible liar?"

"To the rest of us, but Noah doesn’t always read you very well" She shrugged lightly "Besides, why do you have to tell him?"

"True" I wandered back over to her "The jacket is nice"

"Cut the tags off," Lana advised, pulling the jacket off the hanger and taking it to the sales counter "He’ll never know Besides, what is he going to do? Google the price?"

"I know you think this is silly, but Noah has some crazy idea about the lifestyle he thinks I want to live I think he’s driving hi to deliver it" I paid for the jacket The sales lady handed ift wrap counter later

"This is more of Noah’s probleged "But why exacerbate his already-vulnerable feelings on this? I wouldn’t like it if Noah kept poking atto have to get over, or you guys are going to have a rough time"

"Is this your professional advice?" Lana was a psychology student and liked to dispense pop diagnoses and cures A lot of the time, she was scarily on point Other ti Likely because she made too much sense Sometimes I just wanted her to nod and offer soft sy that Noah and I were on the brink of another break up

"Just an observation" Lana stopped at a rack of ties "Besides, I think that if you were more assertive then maybe Noah wouldn’t feel as uneasy"

I bristled at Lana’s criticism "How exactly am I supposed to be more assertive? Should I cram my trust down his throat, sell his business out from under him? Demand that he either drop one or all of his extracurricular activities in order to spend tiets all worked up about the gift, just tell hiht out that he needs to accept you just like you accept hi finished her lecture, Lana moved on "What’s next on our list?"

"Your ht, darn her, but I didn’t want to risktrivial as the cost of a coat

"Dad said not to buy either of our rave;s for a ives that gift to the Noah feel bad by announcing that as a Christ spa retreat in the south of France"

"That gift doesn’t say that we are too good for Noah It says that our family is so fucked up he should run far away"

We headed toward the sporting goods depart on Lana and me to load him up at Christmas and his birthday We’d buy him a neardrobe by the tiifts to Noah seem paltry by comparison

"Even if that is true," I pointed out, "neither is a good portrayal I want to keep him, not drive him aith ostentatious displays of wealth or craziness"