It wasmine.
The only good thing I had that didn’t belong to anyone else.
“I dunno,” I mumbled. “She works a lot. You might miss her.”
He gave me one last look, something unreadable passing across his face. Then he patted the doorframe. “Just don’t let people get the wrong idea. Two boys attached at the hip all the time? Folks start to wonder about things.” He paused, eyes narrowing just a fraction. “All that time around a woman’s influence will make you soft. And softness doesn’t do you any favors out on the field, or in life.”
And then he was gone.
I sat there for a long time in the flickering light, soda can sweating in my palm, wishing I could peel off my skin and leave it behind like a uniform I never chose.
And for the first time, I hated this house for what itwasn’t.
Not because it was loud.
Not because it was broken.
But because it wasn’this.
Because I didn’t want to go back tomorrow just to visit.
I wanted to stay. To belong.
And I didn’t know how to want something like that without breaking it.
CHAPTER 3
TRU
If I’d known how hard he’d be to unlove, maybe I wouldn’t have promised forever.
The ceiling fan hummed above,steady as breathing, while tree branches scratched softly at the glass. The room glowed molten orange from the lava lamp, shadows sliding in lazy circles over the walls.
Darien lay in the trundle beneath me, arms tucked behind his head, eyes fixed on the ceiling as if he was waiting for it to crack open. I stared into the dark, just as restless.
The quiet between us was heavy, like it had things to say if either of us were brave enough to ask.
“You still awake?” I whispered into the dark.
“Yeah,” he whispered back.
I rolled onto my side, facing the wall, and picked at a spot on the edge of my pillowcase. “You okay?”
He didn’t answer right away. “I don’t know.”
His voice was tight enough to stretch through the room and snag me.
“My parents are fighting again. It's every day now. I can't take it anymore.”
“They'll work it out,” I assured him because I didn’t know what else to say.
“I don't think so. Not this time. I heard them talk about splitting up last night. I think they're getting divorced.”
Rolling away from the wall, I reached for his hand in the dark, and he slipped his into mine, lacing our fingers together.
“I'm sorry. That sucks.” I wanted to crawl down onto his mattress and hug him, but I guessed that would be weird.
“What if I lose one of them? If they move out. I mean, that's what happens when parents’ divorce. They move out. Right?”
