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She’s been acting weird since last night,

Once the room is cleared out, the nurse prepares theMy thoughts are with Ella and what she’s saying to my dad

Ella

As soon as I lay eyes on Micha’s dad, it’s clear he’s an arrogant asshole He’s wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase, like he needs to prove he has somewhere important to be Micha hasn’t really talked to oes on between them, but it’s obvious that it’s been bad

After the nurse asks us to leave, I sit in the waiting area and Micha’s dad seats hi children and people coughing

"You’re that little girl who lived next door, aren’t you?" Micha’s dad asks with a disdainful tone He looks like Micha, with aqua eyes and attractive facial features, only older "The one who had the family with all the problems"

He hits me in my weak spot and it takes a lot of mental preparation before I retaliate "Aren’t you the asshole alked out on his family?"

The old lady besidee

Micha’s dad leans forward in his seat, buttoning up the cuff of one of his sleeves "I’d like to knohy you think you can talk to me this way You don’t know me"

"But I do know you" I cross s and rest reatest person you’ll never know And you knohat, I’ht have turned into a dick like you"

Micha’s dad looks at me like he wants to slap me and the old lady narrows her eyes at ets an opportunity

I wander around the hospital halls and pass the nurse’s desk, deciding to steal a lollipop froive to Micha as a joke The hospital is a sad place, full of crying and screaaround for so in the air It brings me back to the day my h she was pronounced dead on arrival I didn’t cry, buteach other while I stood near the end of the hall, watching the nurses and doctors walk by

I felt out of place, like I shouldn’t have been there Finally I ended up leaving and walked all the way ho until the sun rose, knowing my life would never be the same

When I reach the psychiatry services area, it feels like an invisible hand winds aroundinto a nurse wearing blue scrubs

"What are you doing?" She glances over my shoulder at the shut door "You shouldn’t be back here"

I inch away fro for the restrooht end up in a place like this and I return to the front desk area Micha is waiting for azine His skin is pale and his blond hair sticks to his forehead He has on a Rise Against T-shirt and black jeans and the leather bands that were on his wrist are replaced by a bandage

Hiding the lollipop in my hand behind my back, I approach him "You made it out alive"

He looks up at me and smiles tiredly "Of course I did, but where did you wander off to?"

"Nowhere really" I sit down in the chair beside hiet away from your father"

He searches my face "What did you say to hiive a one-shouldered shrug "Nothing but the truth"

Grinning, he stretches his legs out in front of himself and raises his aro back to the hotel room and sleep That took a lot out of et out?"

"Nah, not really" He drops his hands to his lap "What are you hiding behind your back?"

My rin as I extend my hand out to hi a very brave boy"

He laughs softly and takes the lollipop "God, I love you"

I get to ic as we head toward the sliding-glass doors

He peels the wrapper off the lollipop and puts it in his ift, there are a ton et back to the roo, because at thatfor him

Chapter 14