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He drew a deep breath "Yeah, well, love sucks"

Elle didn’t even try to disagree "So is, once you’ve been hit over the head with it, it actually sucks a lot more to walk away and leave it behind"

"I’ away," he said

"Maybe it’ll pass," she said "Maybereen," he said

Elle blinked "Huh?"

"Colbie’s eyes are a clear, piercing green, but sometimes they’re more like jade when she’s sad or upset"

She was still staring at hi have I known you? And the others? And I don’t knohat color anyone else’s eyes are" Not even Clarissa’s "But I know Colbie’s I also know that she bites her lower lip when she’s trying not to smile That her comfort food of choice is mac and cheese That she loves and cares about her fah at herself and life Hell, she h at life, and we both know that’s a real feat in itself"

Elle was still just staring at hiet you to slon and notice the little things" She shook her head "I guess I have no choice but to let this go Or at least try"

"Try real hard," he suggested "And while I’ to ask this too--she’s alone out here No friends, no fa?"

"Like?"

"Like the chick nights you have where you all get together andI don’t knohatever it is you all do"

Elle looked amused "Just for curiosity’s sake, what is it that you think we do?"

"Look, all I know is that lastshow and ended up onstage When the club got raided by the police for soed don Archer, Finn, and Joe had to bail you all out"

"You want irlfriend arrested?"

"No," he said "I really, really don’t want you to get her arrested I want you to include her in your crazy-ass gang and make nice"

"I don’t ave her the look that he knew she could never resist "Just try For et the others involved, it won’t look like I h and hopped off his desk "The things I do for you"

When Spence was alone, he stood at theand tried to gather his thoughts Yeah, okay, so he was in deeper than he’d thought, or even planned on But what he hadn’t yet ad hi this work, he still wasn’t sure they could Could he change his habits? Let her in, all the way in? He wondered if these worries had anything to do hy his grandpa had picked up and left his farets?

Shaking his head--there was no use going there--Spence called Colbie He’d already told her Joe and Archer knew "Elle too"

Colbie was quiet for a beat "Okay"

"Don’t worry--they’ll keep it to themselves"

"They’re your people," she said "If you trust them, then so do I"

His people He had his people, and she had hers It already felt as though they were a continent apart

One afternoon Colbie riting away and getting lots of pages while she was at it, when Elle texted her to coot up there, she found Pru, Willa, Kylie, Haley, and Elle going through a trunk of costuht out," Elle said to Colbie

Kylie earing a headband with a feather in it, a flapper dress, and soood man when you’re as short as me," she said

"But can you walk in those?" Colbie asked doubtfully

"To be deter short, you know," Haley said

"True," Kylie said "There are actually great things about being short For instance, when you hug a guy and you feel his heartbeat against your ear, you know exactly where to stab hi," Willa told Colbie

Behind Willa’s back, Kylie shook her head No, she was not kidding