bet" revelation were

ies with Caleb,

heir usual hangouts, erased them

cial situation co

pitying looks, the smug satisfaction of t

utterly

ate ap

er to our suffocating

lege, working part-time at a coffee shop I

observant, w

e Thompsons' fall, or i

t saw

ympathetic word when I l

dgment when I vaguely

agile friend

esh air, untainted by t

rstanding, and he asked

ching idly in my notebook at the c

od," he said, nod

used to genui

ank

that day, about ev

ons, his struggles, his own f

g time, I didn't feel like

deepened into

rk contrast to the drama a

oyfriend, my con

l apartment when my pare

s when my car w

tarted selling my sketches

a flicker of hope for a future free fr

g to heal, or

t a local art fair whe

owing off my work t

liar voice cut t

Ava Thompson, slumming

li

b and Leo, their expressions a

mach c

nt of me protective

te, then landed on me, a pos

said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Qui

't take you long to

riosity, then back at me, a strange,

e felt suddenly fragile, threa