Page 68 of Kellan & Emmett
13. buy
14. look
15. only
16. —
17. sharp/sharpen
18. smirk
19. crouch
[2]South Carolina has no major professional franchise of the NFL, NHL, NBA so his father said he had to get out to be able to increase his chances of getting drafted
[3]need a better verb
[4]kellan, rick, kids high five or whatever ritual
[5]check chapter headings/number
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[12]It was supposed to be this:
Kids who are that close usually have one blow-up—maybe Emmett accused Kellan of ditching him for “cool kids” or girlfriends, but Kellan made it right. Shows their bond was tested early.
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[19]Emmett reached into his jeans, pulled out a small blade he always seemed to have on hand, and pressed it into my palm without a word.
The knife felt heavy with all the years between us. I set the tip to the bark, hand steady now, and carved a heart around the old words.
When I stepped back, the sun caught on the fresh cut wood. For a moment, neither of us spoke. The sound of cicadas swelled, the creek whispered behind us, and I let myself believe — really believe — that we weren’t hiding anymore.
They stand back, hand in hand, looking at the heart.
Kellan’s deep POV: “We were just kids when we scratched our names into this tree. Now, almost forty, I wanted to carve myself into him instead. To stop hiding, stop running, and finally stay.”
