Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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community for the readers and me. You’re selfless, amazing, patient, andneeded. Thank you.To Vibeke Courtney—my indie editor who goes over every move I makewith a fine-toothed comb. Thank you for teaching me how to write and layingit down straight.To Elaine York and Christine Porter—the gifts from the gods who are alwayson call, work hard, and reply quickly whenever I need them. Thank you forediting, formatting, and going above and beyond with being available.To all the wonderful readers, especially on Instagram and TikTok, who makeart and videos for the books and keep us all excited, motivated, andinspired…thank you for everything! I love your vision, and I apologize if Imiss things while I’m offline.To all of the bloggers and bookstagrammers—there are too many to name,but I know who you are. I see the posts and the tags, and all the hard workyou do. You spend your free time reading, reviewing, and promoting, andyou do it for free. You are the life’s blood of the book world, and who knowswhat we would do without you. Thank you for your tireless efforts. You do itout of passion, which makes it all the more incredible.To every author and aspiring author—thank you for the stories you’veshared, many of which have made me a happy reader in search of awonderful escape and a better writer, trying to live up to your standards.Write and create, and don’t ever stop. Your voice is important, and as long asit comes from your heart, it is right and good.
Penelope Douglas is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journalbestselling author. Her books have been translated into fifteen languages andinclude The Fall Away Series, The Devil’s Night Series, and the standalones,Misconduct, Punk 57, Birthday Girl, Credence, and Tryst Six Venom. Pleaselook for The Hellbent Series (Fall Away Spin-Off) and the stand-alone, Motel,both coming next!Text DOUGLAS to 474747 to be alerted when a new book is live!Follow on social media!Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/pendouglasInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/penelope.douglas/BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/penelope-douglasFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/PenelopeDouglasAuthorTwitter: https://www.twitter.com/PenDouglasGoodreads: http://bit.ly/1xvDwauWebsite: https://pendouglas.com/Email: penelopedouglasauthor@hotmail.comAnd all of her stories have Pinterest boards!https://www.pinterest.com/penelopedouglas/
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Penelope DouglasCopyright © 2021 P
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Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapt
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Stream here“All The Things She Sa
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To Abigail
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“Yeah!” they cry out.“Then I
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“We love you, Clay!” some of my
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My mother rushes up to me as the ol
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happy when she’s out to hurt my f
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Kind of amused, but mostly a warnin
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The simple hoop skirt wraps around
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I rub my thumb over the small tatto
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I CLIMB OFF the back of the bike an
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the school. She’s only being nice
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into the trash can as I move ahead,
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smiles down at me, a clipboard in o
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A water bottle falls into the tin g
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I’m yelling at a teacher, but I
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changing audience. Firefights, car
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“If I consider your offer,” I a
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I RUN MY hands down my thighs, the
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can. Being that different from ever
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“I’ll be leaving again tomorrow
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her, my gaze catching the dimple on
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But she rises from her seat without
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that years ago when I first met her
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He bats his eyelashes, and I let ou
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He thinks theater is stupid. He thi
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“The hardest choices were never c
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promising more shitty weather to co
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She can protect her precious little
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my enjoyment as I lower my voice to
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overstock here for rehearsals when
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She stares at me, unblinking, and e
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I look at her through the water in
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“MISS CLAY?” BERNIE calls out.
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on my hand, I fist the underwear ag
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won’t fit like it’s supposed to
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don’t recognize coming into view.
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off you as soon as possible.”I lo
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stomach as I watch her watch me rub
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“What?” she taunts. “I just l
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sit back, shaking my head.But my sm
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My father, I only saw at the end of
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me to Marymount, I didn’t want to
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I thread her hair through my finger
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“Olivia?” I hear the leather se
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“Scared?” she whispers.I almost
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before everything is gone.Clay hesi
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I’m a little scared, but I’m a
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watched Gates stitch a gash from a
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I clutch the arms of the chair for
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dropping it to the floor.I mean, if
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“You wanted it up, so it’s back
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I know, all right? I know. I wasn
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She won’t meet my eyes.“Are you
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are necessary to the success of the
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heard of Biscayne Bay.Bay… Not Sa
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I look back to Iron.“Don’t you
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mumbles, more like she’s arguing
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to the right and assume that’s wh
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I stare at her, the world spinning
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“MACON!” SANTOS CALLS out as if
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move you.”Clay glances to me. A s
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down next to her, pushing her fucki
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“Fine,” I grit out, pushing awa
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himself. Army drives off, Liv next
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air boat, and one with Iron holding
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I slip into the kitchen, Amy lurks
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“What the hell?” someone bellow
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time. Ask me.But she just shakes he
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I SCROLL THOUGH Liv’s Twitter and
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I walk away, looking back at the bo
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So, she left. She let me win.She ju
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But still, I don’t let her go, gr
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needing to run to get rid of the ur
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“DID YOU THINK I wasn’t going t
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video of the assistant coach and me
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happened?I’ll admit, the prospect
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on.”Coomer always takes us out to
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But Clay just sits, her elbows on h
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I YANK MY rubber band out, letting
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I almost smile. In her rush to leav
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“I didn’t let you win,” she t
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I CHEW THE pizza, glancing up at he
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My mom had mental problems her whol
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But the door falls shut, and Amy an
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why hide anything else as if that w
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panties, shivering when I feel the
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between them. Our warmth seeps thro
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she gasps, her hands immediately di
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WE JERK OUR heads, seeing someone
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And without a moment to lose, Liv d
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freefalling.I collapse on top of he
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orders.A shiver runs through me, an
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looks over his shoulder. “Amy! Ca
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SHE DOESN’T GET over it.I called.
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amicably.I grab my test and pencil
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Like it’s inevitable, because he
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as long I shut up about it.Maybe th
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The lighthouse rises above us, a co
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spilling over the rim of her cup. I
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Except for Archie.Old places have a
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“A friend.”“Someone you’ve
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few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
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venom, and sometimes you need poiso
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direction as they bump into each ot
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Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
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But no one listens to me.The boys o
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of yours and your friends. This is
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the streetlights off, as well. The
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I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
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I push my finger a little more, her
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breathing hard as she loses her min
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in love. Jesus.”Clay stays silent
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“She was better than I’d dreame
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God, please.”I step back into the
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you weren’t happy. To support peo
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“Right.” I put my practice clot
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and from everyone except her who ti
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She leaves, and I bite my bottom li
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I don’t know if I’m relieved th
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We walk toward the dining room, dow
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bus here, but I’m filled with a s
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“I notice men.” I wave the air,
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minimum to get what she wants but n
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seems to close again, and she sits
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CAN’T WE JUST go park somewhere?
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Turning, she rounds the table and h
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can have problems.”I never though
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never getting away from me, Jaeger,
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I whimper, startled as she pushes u
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“Oh, God,” I moan.She grinds in
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“Don’t apologize, baby.” I ho
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“GOD, I NEED a shower,” Liv whi
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me understands why. And the other p
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appointments for mani-pedis next Fr
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Liv walks to the stationary bike, a
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the bleachers.The drumline beat fil
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gazing at her and seeing myself in
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call, jogging out of the workroom a
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not replying. She’s not even typi
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She gets me going, and while I may
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caressing me through my underwear.I
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I stop. Excuse me? I turn, glaring
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I check my face in my side mirror,
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tell her as I season two oysters.
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sociological, political, and theist
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eyeing my brothers. “Know anythin
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I whip the spoon, the glob slamming
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she peels off my tank top and helps
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God, she’s beautiful.Leaning down
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Wait…“You never did that with a
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“I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
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Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
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Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
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and I lose sight of her, but my bod
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I smile. She must be eating dinner.
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Letters were how old people communi
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“SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
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heart.She stands there, her chin tr
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“Have you ever kissed a man?” h
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She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
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“You’re going to leave,” he g
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Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
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“Listen to me,” he says.But I d
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Like Henry.“His brother was makin
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NEW YORK. WHY does the idea of bein
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Does my mom know that’s how I see
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that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
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“YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
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I hate it. I hate acting like this.
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But then I remember, I blocked her
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on.And then the door at the back op
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“YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
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God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
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But my dad pulls her back around an
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face falls.“In or out, kid,” Ar
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What do you mean, what? I know what
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that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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value won’t always look like them
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Page 367 and 368: I BREATHE HARD, sucking my hair int
Page 369 and 370: can track me, and there are four of
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Page 373 and 374: “Come on, Milo!” someone shouts
Page 375 and 376: I glance after Dallas for less than
Page 377 and 378: “Not here,” I whisper to my bro
Page 379 and 380: I just laugh, climbing into the cab
Page 381 and 382: Dammit. I grab it off the floor, kn
Page 383 and 384: lot of trouble, but of course, he w
Page 385 and 386: One Month LaterCLAY RUNS PAST me, a
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Page 391 and 392: Four Years LaterI’M GONNA BE sick
Page 393 and 394: He laughs, glancing to Army and the
Page 395 and 396: “Oh, I need a board, right? I don
Page 397 and 398: “What are we doing?” I ask.She
Page 399 and 400: Thank you so much for reading Tryst
Page 401 and 402: ErikaHE WON’T BE HERE.There’d b
Page 403 and 404: Trees rose above and all around me
Page 405 and 406: It was my fault I didn’t love him
Page 407 and 408: I tucked my hair behind my ear, not
Page 409 and 410: Other than that one night, he’d i
Page 411 and 412: smiled, pulling out a heavy steel D
Page 413: To the readers—Again, I want to t
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Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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