Page 112 of The Dark Stranger

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Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t entirely true.

But I didn’t want to look at it too closely.

Because Izzy felt… different.

The shop was steady. Safe. Grounded.

Izzy wasn’t.

He was unpredictable.

There was something about him that pulled at me in a way I didn’t understand—but I didn’t try to understand it either.

I just let it happen.

And slowly—

Without me even realizing it—

Things started to shift.

I stayed later.

But not for practice.

For him.

My focus changed.

The things that used to matter the most… started slipping without me noticing right away.

Cody said less.

Not because he didn’t care.

Because he was watching.

Waiting for me to see it on my own.

But I didn’t.

Because when something feels good in the moment—

You don’t question it.

You don’t look at the patterns.

You don’t stop and think about where it’s going.

You just follow it.

Even when it starts pulling you away from everything that made you.

And now—

Lying somewhere I can’t even see—

I feel it.

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