I throw on his old t-shirt, it smells of him; manly and musky. There are holes where it has worn, but I love it. I pad into the kitchen and put the co...fee on, he likes his strong and black.As I wait for the drip, drip, drip of the machine, my head begins to race. I feel so full of stories, they leech out of my skin and run onto the page themselves. I pick up the notes from the kitchen table and remind myself where we are, today we will write but not for an hour or so yet.He is still sleeping. Plus he’s always good about paying Ben for his time.”“He’s probably a perv, Mom,” Lucy snickered. “Probably gets a kick out of seeing Loser getting all sweaty doing odd jobs for him.”Ben just rolled his eyes. Mr Daniels had been friends with his grandfather way back and when he heard that Ben was taking a year off before going to college he was happy to offer the young man a part time job over the summer. Though he was a little weird, Ben liked the guy.“Just because everyone sees you as a. ”Lindie coaxed Michelle over to her lap and gently said to her, “We haven’t told Mikey anything yet. OK?”“Sure,” she answered, then added, “Can I sit on his lap while we talk?”I nodded my head and Michelle, scooted over my way and sat on my crossed legs as I was back against the opposite wall from Lindie. Her legs were crossed too. It was then I noticed something just a little different.Michelle still had her hair tied with that bright blue ribbon but as my eyes turned back to Lindie, she. I knew from the paranoid friend that you usually only lose consciousness for a few seconds at most, but the attacker must have done something to keep me unconscious for longer. Waking up felt like being hit in the head with a text book, full force to the front of my skull, and my throat felt like it was collapsing in on itself. For a full moment I thought for sure the attacker had crushed my windpipe, smashing the delicate cartilage together, but then I realized I was breathing, and with.