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By the tiuys left it was alht, and all I wanted to do was go ho to do At one point during the evening Roxy mentioned I could stay with her, but I needed to be alone I illing to take the risk to just be alone, because whatever started bleeding out of lanced at the doors oneand my lips trembled and the icy pain inupto break and that would be the icing on top of the fked-up cake

Whirling toward Roxy and Nick, I took a deep breath "Will it be okay for ot this, but--"

"Okay Thank you" I rushed over to her, grabbed a quick hug, and then skirted around her and Nick I snatched upback out, Nick was coested

"No," I said quickly, tipping my head to the left "I have lanced at Roxy, and I took that asho all over one of them I hurried out of the bar and the s my phone out of my purse, and smacked the button My screen popped up No h as I lifted ers itched to call hi lot across the street Of course, Jax’s truck wouldn’t be there, because he’d left mere seconds before Aiht He hadn’t tried to get in touch and he hadn’t responded to my call

I shouldn’t have let Jax in

I shouldn’t have fallen for hi underlot The Wal-Mart down the street was open I was going to put so toward one of the handheld baskets full of junk food and ice creao home and eat until I didn’t care Then tomorrowwell, I didn’t know yet I was a few feet from my car when I heard ers jerked around the strap of ing through aze darted wildly and landed on the source

She was standing under the flickering parking lot light Even in the low light, I could see her washed-out, bottled-blond hair with dark, dark roots, her gaunt face and fra froht but billowed out from the knees

She took a step toward ht and brittle "Baby"

I couldn’t believe it

Mo-out and calling me baby I was literally rooted to where I stood, absolutely dumbfounded I didn’t even knohat to say to her, because there were a thousand things I wanted to screas came out of my mouth

"Are you okay?" That hat I said

She opened hersound, like an engine gunning it My head jerked and I looked behindlot, stopping under the sign Arolled down on the driver’s side

Tiny sparks speared into the night

There was a popping sound

Moht she screa sounds, like a dozen corks being pulled at once, and lass exploded all around ed close to ers as a scream built in my throat

The sound never left e burn lit upinto a Jeep I thought I heard shouting, butin a funny way My hands shook as I pressed the wars I didn’t re, but the back ofup at the sky, but the stars were"Mom?"

There was no answer

Thirty-one

When I opened ht It was a ceiling, a white drop ceiling with a soft, diaze tracked to the opposite wall, I saw a pale blue curtain My thoughts were slushy and I felt funny, like I was floating, but I kneas in a hospital There was a dull sensation of soaze slowly trekked to where it rested on the bed, I could see an IV

Definitely a hospital

Oh yeah, that was right, I’d been shot Actually shot with a gun Seriously

God, my luck sucked

I started to sit up, but the dull ache turned sharper, piercing across s at the suddenness of it The walls spun like a bad acid trip

Moveentle hand landed on my shoulder I blinked the rooainst the surprising stack of pillows

"Awake for a couple of seconds and you’re already trying to sit up"

The heart istered the sudden increase in my heart rate as I turned my head to the left My beat skipped unsteadily

Jax was sitting in a chair next to the bed and he lookedhe looked like crap Dark ses bloomed under eyes that were nor his jaas thicker than norruff voice that was thick, "There you are"