Chapter Eight
Clark
“It was Rip! Rip Cirillo!” I said as I threw my arms in the air again. “How is it possible I ran into Rip Cirillo?”
I was sitting at the back of the comic shop with Ezra, hiding at the table and chairs people usually used to play tabletop games. Our coworker Arthur had gracefully offered to tend the register so that I could continue to freak out with a little bit of privacy. As we talked, Ezra sketched the storefront of Northstar in his notepad, and his eyes darted between the illustration and me.
“He must be back in town,” Ezra said. He looked down at the drawing, then stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth. “Wait, did he even leave town?”
“I think so,” I grumbled. “I mean, I tried googling him a few times, and I didn’t find any evidence that he was still here.” I felt a fresh wave of anxiety just thinking about seeing him. “He looked pissed. And then he said my name! I think he might have lunged at me or something if I had stuck around.”
“Didn’t he always call you something else when you were young? Something that wasn’t your name?”
I waved my hand in the air. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Listen,” Ezra said gently. “Almost all of our friends have been bullied a little, but I get that you had a lot harder time than most. Just believe me when I say—you can’t give too much time to this, Clark. You’ve moved on and found a better life. He’s probably still the same sad, miserable guy. He probably has some girlfriend he hates and a shitty job, and that’s that.”
I met Ezra’s gaze and remembered how kind he had always been to me. Even when he was wrapped up in a bunch of drama when he first started dating his boyfriends, he still always found the time to ask me how I was doing and to seem generally interested in my life.
“I have moved on,” I said. “But when I saw Rip standing there, I could have sworn I was just a kid again. And really, I know Valeria and I have both talked to you about it some, but the things Rip did to me screwed me up big time. Do you know I went back in the closet for two whole years because of him? I was convinced that if I came out, my life would fall apart again.” I pursed my lips, then let out a sigh. “Honestly, it’s why I haven’t dated anyone, too. I just get so nervous about things…”
Ezra leaned forward across the table with a smile. “Maybe I should get Brick and some of the guys from the Steel Rose to track him down and give him a scare. Make sure he understands that he can’t mess with you. Then you’ll know you don’t have to be scared anymore.”
I laughed to myself, enjoying the mental image Ezra conjured. “As long as I have about five guys between me and Rip, that should work.”
“Seriously, though,” Ezra said. “You should do something to remind yourself that he can’t hurt you. You’ll get over this in no time.”
“Like what?” I asked. “Because all I have planned is a sci-fi movie festival and game night with Valeria.”
The bell dinged above the door, and I pivoted in my seat to see who was coming in.
“Maybe there’s your answer,” Ezra whispered as Mars walked in the door.
“Mars!” I said quickly, jumping up to my feet. I had barely thought about him after running into Rip, but our afternoon date had been a lot more fun than I expected. The more time we spent together, the more he opened up about himself, instead of just relying on cheap pickup lines and flirtations.
And honestly, I had even started to let myself enjoy the flirtations. It was like Valeria said: having a sexy guy compliment me did build my confidence a bit.
Until that confidence came crashing down, thanks to Rip.
I crossed the store, my hands still a little shaky with nerves, and met Mars near theBattlestar Galacticadisplay. He had a pair of sunglasses pushed back on his head, holding his locks back, and his stubble was thicker than before, like he hadn’t shaved since we saw each other last. I realized how much he reminded me of Rip, actually, and wondered if I was making a mistake by even talking to him.
Guys like that…
“I was on my way home from checking out another piercing studio,” he said. “Thought I’d stop in when I passed by the store.” He winked, startling me. “Glad you’re here.”
“Oh, yeah, me too,” I said. Suddenly, I didn’t know where to put my hands, or what angle I was supposed to hold my head at, so I just kind of fidgeted back and forth. “Did you get the piercing job?”
He shrugged. “They took my number. But now I’ve got a couple of hours to kill. You stuck at work?”
“He was just getting done, actually,” Ezra said, appearing beside me. “I’m Ezra, by the way. We kind of met when you came in for the comic.”
“Ezra,” he said, and I found myself weirdly jealous when he gave my friend the same head nod he always gave me.
“I wasn’t actually done with my shift, though,” I objected. “Not for a couple more hours.”
“Nonsense,” Ezra said as he threw an arm over my shoulder. “The shop is slow today. Plus, a date with Mars seems like just the kind of thing you should do with a beautiful afternoon like this. You know, to get your mind off things.”
I took a deep breath. Ezra wasn’t totally wrong. I still had some doubts about Mars, but he had been a total gentleman on our last date. Maybe spending a little time with a guy who reminded me of Rip could be healing, in a weird way.
