Page 106 of Mine

“I don’t,” he insisted even as his head bumped against my shoulder, his face buried there as his arms wrapped around me tight.

“Fine, you don’t. I love you.”

“I know you do, and I’m so thankful.”

“Don’t have to be thankful, it just is.”

“I could thank you in the car,” he said evilly, and I could hear the smile in his voice. “If you park, I’ll blow you.”

“How ’bout I blow you in the car,” I offered, both hands taking hold of his tight firm ass.

“Oh God, Trev, stop teasing me. Just take me home and fuck me.”

“Are you sure we can leave?” I pretended to be uncertain, biting my lip for effect. “I mean, coming to this party was your idea. I didn’t even want to show up and you gotta work early in the morning, but you were like, he’s your friend, we should go.”

He laughed at me. “Yeah, we can bail.”

We walked back through the lounge together, me leading, Landry behind me with a hand fisted in the back of my sweater. I sent him to get our coats, and when I turned to look for Robbie to say goodbye, Kent stepped in front of me, laughing, barring my way.

“You know, Trevan, you—”

My anger came roaring back. “Fuck you, Kent,” I spat at him, instantly furious all over again.

His jaw clenched as he put a finger in my face. “Listen, Trevan—”

“Just stay the fuck away from me and don’t even look at Landry,” I cut him off.

I got the two-finger poke in the chest then. “Fuck you, Trevan. I—”

“How come all you got was a blowjob, Kent? You weren’t good enough for him to fuck?”

“You conceited prick.” His face was starting to splotch red.

“You don’t get fucked much, do ya, Kent?”

He shoved me.

“Oh sorry, I forgot about the rent boys. You gotta pay to play, huh?”

Second shove, harder this time.

“I bet you gotta pay a lot.”

“Fuck. You.”

I laughed at him.

“You sonofabitch!” he roared and hit me.

I let him because my father always said the other guy had to be allowed to throw the first punch. You got in trouble if you started it, just like you did when you were in the fourth grade. The cops always questioned witnesses and asked the same question, “Who hit who first?” So he caught me under my ear, half on my jaw and half on nothing. With my adrenaline pumping, I didn’t feel anything. I heard my father’s voice in my head, instructing, and I raised my left hand to protect my face, dropped my right shoulder, and came straight up. I got him under the jaw, which was more luck than anything else, and he went down hard. People don’t sink slowly to the floor like they do in the movies, they just drop instantly. I had to step back as his face landed on the toe of my hiking boot.

“Oh shit,” I heard Robbie swear behind me.

“What the hell happened?” Landry asked, coming up behind me, his arm wrapping around my neck.

“I dunno,” I said with as much astonishment as I could manage. “He just came at me.”

“What?” Robbie yelled, crouching down beside Kent, who was already stirring. “You’re so fulla shit, Trevan.” He looked up at me. “What’d you do?”