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One look at h, and they disappear I shut the door, and withbreath

I turn, and take in the red plastic cups scattered around the rooh it

"Sorry about that The Ping-Pong table is mine, so whenever we have parties, I let people use my room to play"

"You didn’t have to kick them out for me," she says

"If I hadn’t, you would have disappeared without saying another word to s in answer

I cross to the table and start stacking e to do withto Nell all day, but now that she’s here, I don’t kno to start

I can’t screw this up

When I go too long without talking, she says, "Listen, I’ up like this Stella and I were just planning to get in, check a couple things off my list, and be on our way"

That snaps ainst ht iswith ainst the wall behind her like she needs it to keep her froht In fact, I’ve just got one item left"

"What is it?" I ask, and she hesitates "Come on, you already cheated me out of two firsts today, at least tellon checking it off withoutThey’rethe rooing her in She sucks in a breath, like she’s trying to take up less space so on’t touch

"We’ve covered this before I called those firsts You were supposed to do them with me"

"Oh my God, do you hear yourself?" She tries to shove e "The world does not revolve around you, Mateo Torres"

"Oh, so first I was a puppet, now I think the world revolves around et to call my firsts They’rewhen I’ second choice, is it?"