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"Abby wants more than this life," I say, and I’m not sure why "Maybe she’ll talk to the police and cut so and he sucks in a breath like he’s trying to keep his ass fro--that’s her life"

"You don’t know that" My posture straightens, acting as if he’s the one attacking her "None of us, not even you, knohat’s going on behind the closed curtain"

Isaiah reads htening like we’re about to go to war "Her father’s a drug dealer serving a life sentence in a prison downstate Does that sound real enough for you? Want to kno I know? I’ve driven her there for family visitation weekendtwice Abby doesn’t have a mother Abby doesn’t have a father Abby has Abby We became friends because we understood each other She fed me when she had extra food when I was in a bad foster hoh to handle herself on the streets

"We used each other to survive, and in order to survive, Abby became what she understood She’s a dealer Abby won’t walk away from this life--it’s in her blood What you see when she’s flirting with you, when she’s laughing with Rachel, it’s a part in a play Abby’s pretending, she’s lying, and I’ve let the ga with all of you The real Abby would scare the shit out of you"

"So that’s it? Abby’s a dealer?" Her voice circles in my brain What? Am I not worthy of her friendship? Of yours? "She’s dirt and you’ve washed your hands of her? I thought you were a better man than that A better friend"

Isaiah closes the distance between us and I brace an You’reAbby the only way I kno You say the wrong thing, she goes to jail If the police act on what you say and her employer thinks she’s the one that snitched, her throat will be slit by sunrise This ain’t your world It’s her world and there’s a different set of rules"

I whip away fro to hit, sorows smaller with each pass "So I keep my mouth shut? I refuse to talk to the police?"

"You can talk," says Isaiah, "but you only offer ill help the about drugsyou gottathe law and living in Abby’s world I’ you to be careful It’s a slippery slope and once you start down Abby’s path, it’s easy as fuck to trip and fall"

I kick at the trash can "I want to protect her"

"So do I" Isaiah jams his hands into his pockets "But you can’t protect someone who decides to play with live explosives If you want me to be honest, I’d be impressed if the cops find who did it If this is a war between Abby’s employer and Eric, odds are it’ll be taken care of internally"

"Eric" I spit out his name Isaiah and Rachel had problems with him last winter I helped the two of them out as much as I could, but an accident laid me up for a feeeks