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to me, and I allowed myself to give the prick a small smile of thanks before lifting it to my lips. It tasted horrible, but I drank it anyway, because sometimes you have to endure horrible stuff to get to the good stuff. And I wanted something good. I needed it. I deserved it.
    “Where are we going?” I asked, my throat raspy from the bitter alcohol.
    “I tho ught we could go up to the lookout.” He kept his eyes on the road as we began the winding route that would bring us high over the city.
    “Is there a party there tonight?” I passed him back the flask which he balanced against the steering wheel as he took the sharp turns with skill. I should have been a little apprehensive because there were no barriers to stop us going over the edge if he made a bad call. But I didn’t care. Right at that second, nothing really mattered.
    He shrugged in response to my question. “Don’t know. Don’t care. I don’t feel like partying with those losers tonight.”
    I watched him, his jaw was tight. “You seem upset.”
    His eyes flicked quickly to me. “ So do you.”
    “Yeah. But what I feel doesn’t matter because I’m not the one that’s driving. You’re not going to drive us over the edge are you?”
    Something that may have been a smile tugged at his lips. “Nah. I love my car too much. How about you? You’re not going to throw yourself over the edge are you?”
    I took the hip flask back and took a sip. The more I drank, the less awful it tasted. “Don’t worry. If I do, I won’t take you with me.”
    I clutched onto the dashboard as he suddenly did a handbrake slide, sending dirt and dust up around us as the car skidded toward the edge of the lookout. I bit back a scream as the car skidded to a halt. Damon looked over at me, white teeth on display as a full on grin lit his face. “You should’ve seen your face!”
    “You’re a dick.” I got out of the car still feeling jittery, but I wasn’t about to let him know that. I walked over to the edge. Giant rocks had been placed around it to stop drunken teenagers from driving off it. I climbed on one of these and hugged my knees to my chest. The whole city was spread out before me; darkness had come in quickly and lights twinkled prettily now. But it wasn’t an uplifting sight. I thought about all the misery which existed in each of the houses that those lights lit up. Maybe they were filled with crazy mothers and desperate daughters.
    Damon hauled himself up beside me, lighting a cigarette. He offered on e to me, but I shook my head.
    “Health conscious?” he asked.
    “Looks conscious. Those things dry the skin and make you look like a hag. Have you met Diana Malone? They should put her on quit smoking billboards. She’d scare anyone.”
    He laughed softly. It was a nice sound, and then I frowned at myself for thinking that because I remembered that I wasn’t supposed to like him. I knew his type. But still, tonight was a night not to care about anything. Taking the hip flask, I stretched my head back and drank deeply. I was getting drunk, and it was a good feeling.
    “Why do you live with the Malones,” he asked, taking the flask from me.
    I giggled. “I fucked up with the last people I was with.”
    “How so?”
    I felt like laughing like a maniac. But I kept myself under control. “Can you keep a secret?”
    “Sure.” He passed the flask back to me.
    “I seduced my foster father and when everyone found out, he hung himself.” I didn’t feel like laughing anymore. I could feel Damon’s eyes on me. “Everyone blamed me.”
    A few moments of silence passed before he said, “That sucks. Is that why you were upset?”
    I shook my head. “No. I’m pissed at myself because I was such a bitch to my crazy mother. I know it’s not her fault that she’s how she is, but I’m still angry at— “ I stopped short. Why the fuck was I pouring my heart out to this stranger? “You know what? Let’s make a pact never to talk about feelings or