“Come on.” Chip dragged Trent away, mouthingsorryat us as he disappeared into the kitchen.
“Assholes,” Landon said.
“Trent is the worst,” I agreed. “But Chip’s not so bad.”
I don’t know why I felt like I had to defend Chip.
I was kind of mad at him too.
But I didn’t want Landon to be.
“Isn’t he the one who hit you in the balls, though?”
I winced.
“He’s nice, though. Usually.”
Landon stared at me for a long moment, biting his lip.
And then he let out this tiny sigh. “Hey. I better head home.”
“Already?”
“Yeah. I’ve got rehearsal tomorrow morning.”
“Oh.”
Landon kissed me and got off my lap.
Our encounter with Trent and Chip had removed any barriers that might have previously hindered that maneuver.
I waited in the kitchen with Landon until his ride showed up.
“You sure everything’s okay?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why?”
“Just checking.”
Landon kissed me on the cheek, zipped up his puffy coat, and left.
And I got this feeling. Like I had done something wrong.
Behind me, Chip cleared his throat.
“Hey. Sorry about all that.”
“Yeah. Well.”
I didn’t know what else to say.
I really did like Cyprian Cusumano, but he would never see Trent Bolger for who he truly was.
“I convinced the guys to switch to Mario Kart. Wanna play?”
“I guess.”
BIG RED ROBE
