"Christ," I practically growled, when the kid started begging, because I knew without a doubt that Derek wouldn't leave him there. He couldn't leave him, because that's the kind of person Derek was.

I felt sick, because I knew exactly what it was like to meet someone new, to think you had control over how quickly they got to know you, to think you had control over your own secrets and your own life, only to find out that it was all some big fucking joke. I felt sick, and angry, and so goddamn tired, because we never, ever stopped being fucked with. It was never going to stop.

"Can we get off the street, please?" I said sharply, "Then you can have your fucking tearful heart to heart."