When he saw me, he looked up calmly.
“Hey,” he said. “Did I do something wrong?”
I sat down across from him on the floor.
“No, you didn’t. But I did.”
I placed the folder between us.
“I found this.”
Noah stiffened.
“It’s nothing. Just… plans. I was just being prepared. It’s not a big deal.”
I opened the notebook to the “Rules” page.
“Who taught you this?”
He shrugged.
“Nobody. I just figured it out. So I wouldn’t be a burden.”
For illustrative purposes only
The word broke my heart.
I pointed at one line.
“’Don’t make people choose.’ What does that mean?”
Noah hesitated.
“It means if I don’t need much, it’s easier.”
“Easier than what?”
“For people to love me. If they don’t have to choose between me and the stuff they want, or me and other people, I can stay with them longer.”
He looked at me quietly.
“I can stay with you.”
That was when I lost control.
I grabbed the page and tore it in half. Then again.
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