Page 94 of Axe Marks the Spot

“You said we had to stick to the things we’ve done already.”

She’s got me there, so I gesture to her group of friends. “You were good at the axe throwing, but your stance needs a little work. Why don’t you go practice with your friends?”

She shrugs. “Nah.”

Alright, she’s not going to make this easy on me. “Then you’ll have to stay here and talk to me.”

She shrugs again. “You’re not so bad, Logger Dane.”

“Are you saying I’m Gucci?”

Kas giggles like she did at the diner, and I smile at the sound. “So embarrassing! Just say cool. That’s what old people say.”

“I’m not that old,” I retort.

“Your hair is silver.”

“I grayed early.”

Kas turns to me, her eyes squinting in the sunlight. I brought sunscreen for all the kids today, too, and made them all put on an extra layer even if their parents did. It makes me happy that her nose isn’t red today like it was last week.

“How old are you?” she asks.

“Thirty-eight.”

“You’re older than my dad, and he’s old, which means you’re super old.”

My laugh is tempered at the mention of her dad. I know Kas has one, obviously, and that Lindsey is no longer with him, but that’s most of what I know.

“When you’re my age,” I say, “you’ll realize it’s not that old.”

“That’s like a gazillion years from now, Logger Dane.”

I shake my head at her and cross my arms over my chest. A second later, Kas has gone back to looking at her friends. It takes a split second for the smile I put on her face to turn back into a frown.

My eyes follow hers, and I see she’s looking at Tyler once more. He’s holding hands with Sara as Moira throws one of the axes. Kas doesn’t look away from their hands, and a moment later, her eyes turn glassy with tears.

It doesn’t take a genius to see she’s feeling rejected, just like I made Lindsey feel. But in this case, Tyler has eyes for another girl, and I have no fucking clue how to make Kas feel better. How do you make kids feel better about their crush liking another person?

When I was a kid, my dad would’ve told me to get over it and stop being a pussy. He was an asshole and didn’t care about my feelings. My mom would’ve told me not to worry, that I was cute, and that there are plenty of other fish in the sea. That wouldn’t have made me feel better, so I don’t think that’s the right thing to say to Kas.

“Logger Dane?”

Her voice is small, not like that of the brazen kid I’ve come to know. “Yeah?”

“Do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?”

Her question surprises me, and what surprises me more is that I almost say yes. I think about what Lindsey and I are, what I told her in the bathroom earlier. We have a lot to talk about, but after thinking nonstop and seeing her today, I know, despite my earlier reservations, what I want with her. And it’s more than just a virtual relationship that includes sexual scenes over a computer.

“It’s complicated,” I say to Kas.

“Adults always say things are complicated.”

My lips twitch. “Life can be complicated sometimes, Kasadilla.”

“That’s your worst nickname yet,” she groans playfully.

“Made you smile, though, didn’t it?”