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When I was a kid, I used to name them.

Hungry Harry.

Cold Cindy.

Afraid Abigail.

Hurt Henry.

Lost Lila.

Lonely Lou.

Stupid Sandy.

Dumb Debbie.

Whore Wanda.

Slut Sonia.

Until there were too many to name. I was naming all the things I felt and identifying them as something outside of me. Naming them had been my way of distancing myself from everything. But the distance was an illusion, and I was still hungry, cold, and afraid. It still hurt, and I was still lost and lonely. Andtheystill called me stupid, dumb, whore, slut.

And now, when I glance at Tommy and the pained expression on his face, it hits me. Maybe, just maybe, he’s not as happy and carefree as he seems. And perhaps he has monsters of his own. Monsters with different names, but no less real.

I have a new monster to name. Add one more to the list.

Selfish Sam.

Chapter Twelve

Tommy touches my arm.“I’m sorry I went MIA. I really had some stuff to deal with.”

“That’s okay, Tommy. I’m sorry too. I’m cranky and took it out on you.”

He shrugs. “No biggie. Want to grab some coffee after your class?”

“Can’t, sorry. I have my practicum this afternoon. I’m working until five.”

His brows furrow. “What’s a practicum?”

We walk at a slower pace. “It’s like an internship. It’s the practical, hands-on part of the coursework. You need a certain number of hours to graduate and get a license.”

“Huh … How many hours?”

I smile, the anger easing with each step we take together. “It varies by state, but in Vermont, we are required to complete four hundred and fifty hours.”

“That’s a lot of hours.”

“That’s nothing. The master’s requires three thousand hours of supervised experience over a period of two years. I love every second.” My candor surprises me. I didn’t plan to be so open with him.

His eyes widen. “Whoa … how many more hours do you need to finish it?”

I adjust the straps of my backpack. “I’m over four hundred hours now.”

“Oh, so close.”

“Yes. I can almost taste it. I’ll complete the requirement by graduation, and then I can get my license and do some kind of entry-level human service job while going for my master’s.”