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Show All the Variables & Other Love Stories 18 "That's because I do what I want and don't care what anyone else thinks of me." He was losing his temper. "We can't all be as selfish as you, Kyle. Some of us have to do what's right." "What about your tryout for the minors? You got that." Brandon grimaced and looked out the driver's side window, away from me. "I ain't going," he said. "Sheila wants me to finish up my Associates, ASAP. Get a job with insurance for the baby." "Don't do it." If s all I,could think to say. "If you doit, you'll die of regret. You can't." ^"^yle, get out of my car or I'll hit you." I started to argue with him and he popped me. I threw the door open and jumped out before I was sure he connected, but walking back to the house my vision was blurry and my skull sang like grinding metal. Because of the awkwardness of the car, he couldn't get a straight beam on me so my eye didn't swell all the way. It was puffy blue where my eye socket met my nose, but Michaela held ice on it for a while and it was fine. She shook her head, face pale with worry, "I told you to leave him alone." It didn't bother me that Brandon hit me, though-he'd been doing that my whole life. But he hadn't said he hated me in years, and never with so much resolve. Michaela and I arrived for the wedding at ten o'clock in the morning. She teased me the whole way for looking like a Mormon missionary. I wore a suit because I refused to wear a tuxedo, and Michaela wore a sleeveless white summer dress I longed to peel off her. Dad had asked me not to bring Michaela in the interest of tact but I told him, tough, |