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"Angie"

"I don’t think I’ll ever get it"

"Angie" She was about to leave the bathroorabbed her arm I stopped her "It’s not like that"

"Then what is it like?" Her eyes seared me The hurt was so much, too much, in her "I really want to understand Maybe then it won’t hurt so goddamn much" Her voice had dropped to a hoarse whisper at the end

I flinched I hadn’t realized I’d been hurting her, but then I took a deep breath "You have loving parents"

"So? That means I can’t be in your little club becauseI’ht not understand because your parents love you You have a boyfriend who loves you You don’t get the other side, of when parents don’t love you or don’t treat you how you should be treated Your parents protect you They care about you, look over you Mine stopped a long tio" I sed more pain away and confessed, "They stopped even before Ethan died" It hy I had been partying so et it"

"I don’t cover for Marissa because I know all her secrets, but because I can guess at some of the did She wouldn’t go through guys like she does if she had parents like yours"

"Pat and Lorna are not like that They’re good parents They love her They’re best friends with entled my tone "They’re your parents’ best friends, but not all households are like yours And I’ that so happened to Marissa She hasn’t been the saed that year, reme that year

"She didn’t co her lip "I know She was so different"

"But re? She was quiet all the ti out with the older group?"

"She started dating Chad Lowerster" Her nose wrinkled up "He was so gross"

"Gross to us, but hot to her He was a junior Marissa was in eighth grade"

She rolled her eyes "I never understood why she was dating hi"

I reie had been I sobered at theThe Marissa before would’ve been revolted at the idea of dating so guys like hi about hoe needed to be better friends to her, but h ie mused as she inspected her teeth now in theto her about that?"