“Anything else happen?”
“No clue, man. We left,” his best friend said, leaving Ody staring blankly into the distance.
“What’s up? Something wrong?” Steve asked, snapping him back.
“No, nothing’s wrong. Let’s get going,” Ody replied.
They headed back to the others to start the game.
Later at home, he couldn’t shake Steve’s words. Mano and Kash talking? It didn’t make sense. There was no way something shady was happening behind his back. Still, his mind spiraled, even imagining the absurd possibility that Mano had been Kash’s friend all along, and everything had been a setup.
Get a grip, Ody. You saw him covered in blood. There’s no way he would ever do something like that.
His thoughts drifted to what Anna had told him the other night. She didn’t trust Mano. She didn’t like that Mano got intotrouble or that he might be mixed up with the wrong people. She didn’t want Ody anywhere near that. Her words echoed now, unsettling him more than he wanted to admit.
He rubbed his face.What are you thinking, idiot? You saw him bleeding with your own eyes.He forced the suspicion out of his mind.
But Mano had spoken to Kash. And he needed to know why.
He got into his car and drove toward Papagou. He parked outside Mano’s building, slipped inside as someone else exited, and climbed the stairs, scanning the names beside the apartments. On the second floor, he found it. Mano Jones.
He rang the doorbell.
Mano placed his guitar on the couch and walked to the door. One glance through the peephole froze him.
“What are you doing here?” he asked as he opened the door.
“Can I come in?” Ody’s serious expression only made Mano more tense.
He stepped aside. As Ody entered, he looked around. Dark furniture, neat space, bigger than he expected for a student apartment. His eyes landed on the guitar and open notebook.
“Is something wrong?” Mano asked.
“Other than what happened this morning, no.” Ody turned toward him, eyes hard.
Mano dropped his gaze, guilt tightening in his chest.
“I’m gonna ask you something… and I want a straight answer.”
Mano lifted his eyes, confused but alert.
“What were you and Kash talking about this morning?” Ody asked, voice firm.
Mano’s heart skipped. He couldn’t tell him the truth. If Ody did anything reckless, he would get hurt.
“When exactly this morning?” Mano stalled.
Ody exhaled, eyes closing for a moment. “I said straight and honest. Don’t play dumb with me. People saw you.” His stare was sharp enough to cut.
Mano looked away. “I asked him to stop bothering you,” he finally said, meeting Ody’s gaze again.
Ody didn’t blink. “You asked him. You.” His gaze didn’t waver. “You asked Kash to stop bothering me.”
“Yes.”
Ody stared at him. “When they punched me, you made them bleed. And now you’re telling me you asked him to stop?” He shook his head, clearly not buying it.
“Yeah,” Mano repeated.
