“That’s his problem.”
“Well, he’s making it ours. Last season’s captain, Hank Corvin, picked up a car from one of the alumni and he wants one too.”
“That’s wrong, man.”
“Not sure I’d have turned down Hank’s Mustang,” he admits sheepishly.
“You’re a dumbfuck.”
“I know it. You coming to the party with us tonight?”
“No. We have a game the day after tomorrow. I want to be in the right headspace?—”
He pshaws. “Like you haven’t partied before a game, never mindthe daybefore. You need a couple shots and a blowjob. That’ll calm you right down.”
When he hooks his arm over my shoulders, I shrug him off.
“What’s crawled up your ass?”
“Aside from the fact I’m only a walk-on, you mean? I don’t wanna fuck this up so soon. You know if I don’t get ice-time, it’ll screw up the draft for me.”
He eyes me. “Nah. That’s not it. You haven’t been dipping your wick, and even Denny’s getting sick of your grouchy ass.” His expression turns concerned. “You know you can always talk to me about your mom, right?”
I grit my teeth but only because the reason I probably should be in a bad mood,grief, has nothing to do with my state of mind.
Denver’s driving me crazy.
And she doesn’t even know it.
“Did you know Denny’s leaving in January?”
“For her half-semester abroad? Sure.” His brow furrows. “You don’t think she should go?”
I shrug.
“Dude, what’s with you?”
“I’m being irrational.”
“No shit.” He gusts out his cheeks. “What aren’t you saying out loud?”
Maybe he’s not as dumb as he looks.
Because I see the cogs turning.
His brain working.
He shuffles closer to me and, in a low voice, murmurs, “You’ve always been weird about her.”
“Protective.”
“Weird.”
“She’s not just a piece of ass, Pecan!”
“Never said she was.”
“No, but you almost tried to sleep with her in sophomore year of high school.” I glower at him. “Don’t make out like you weren’t sniffing around her.”
