“Fuck you, Cricket.” He’s my best friend, but sometimes I want to throttle him.
“Dude, fairytales aren’t real. Girls like Zilphia don’t date, let alone marry, white trash.” I wince, rearing my head back as if dealt a violent blow. “Hey, no offense, man. Hell, I’m white trash too.”
I glance down, trying to rein in my emotions. “I love her.”
“I know, but you will never exist for her outside that tree house. The sooner you realize that, the better.”
“You done?” I snap, refusing to acknowledge the truth behindhis words. “I shouldn’t have told you shit. You throw the situation in my fucking face every chance you get.”
“Hey.” His voice softens. “I’m not trying to kill the dream, Sam. I just don’t wanna be scraping your heart off the pavement later.”
“Thanks, but I don’t need a goddamn watchdog. I’m fully capable of taking care of myself.”
“Hendricks,” Nolan calls, marching toward me. Redmond strides at his side.
“Here we go,” Jiminy mutters.
I grab the rusted metal handrail and push to my feet. “What do you want?”
Jiminy stands too, ready to throw punches if necessary.
“Damn, why so hostile?” he asks, his eyebrows dipping low in mock concern. “We just wanted to check on you. Make sure your mom’s okay.”
My jaw tightens, knowing exactly where this conversation is headed.
“Saw a video of her giving the whole neighborhood a show,” Redmond chimes in, barely controlling his laughter. “Shame there wasn’t popcorn.”
The fuckers cackle like they just heard the funniest joke on Earth.
“I gotta hand it to her, though.” Nolan leans toward me, his voice low and taunting. “For an old bitch, she looked pretty good.”
“Back off,” Jiminy growls.
“Or what, pussy?” Nolan sneers.
“I’ll smash your shit in,” I threaten, my fists clenched and itching to land a hit.
“Space and opportunity,” he goads me, spreading his arms wide. “Space and opportunity.”
“Hey!” the security guard yells. “Is there a problem?”
Nolan plasters a smile on his face. “Not at all. We’re just having a friendly conversation.”
“Save it for later. The bell’s about to ring.”
“You’re lucky,” Nolan mumbles, giving my cheek a quick slap before he and Redmond amble past us.
“Your future brother-in-law is a major asswipe.” Jiminy slings his arm across my shoulders. “Family gatherings should be a blast.”
“Shut up, Jiminy.” I shrug him off and stalk into the building.
I enter the tree house, surprised to find Zilphia curled up on the futon. She usually doesn’t sneak out until around eleven or twelve.
“Hey,” I say, smiling at her. “Eager to see me, huh?”
“Yeah.” She pads across the wooden floor and wraps her arms around me. “Rough day.”
I hold her tight against my chest, relishing the feel of her in my arms. “Wanna talk about it?”
