Page 52 of The Best Friend and the Shortstop

I’m too pissed to cry. And I know Alex isn’t going to do anything but take Alicia home. He wouldn’t. He’s not that guy. When he was with Alicia, he was faithful. Even when she wasn’t always. In high school, he was the best boyfriend to every girl but me. He’s a good man with a good heart and a lot of instant baggage and stress. But also, he knows that taking Alicia home right now is a slap in my face. And he’s doing that because I talked to Senior.

“Hey, you’re still here,” Brayden says from behind me. I shut my eyes as he’s the last person I want to see right now.

“I was just leaving,” I say, starting to walk. Alex’s car is pulling from the lot. I’m sure Brayden sees. I bet he loves that.

“Wait up,” he calls from behind me. I don’t slow, but it doesn’t stop him from jogging to catch up. He matches my gait.

“Brayden, we don’t have to do this?—”

“I’m sorry,” he cuts in.

I glance to my right and shoot him a skeptical expression.

His mouth drops into a flat line and he shakes his head.

“No, I’m being sincere. I’m sorry. I wanted to apologize for being a major asshole at the party. And we don’t have to be friends. Just, please accept that from me.”

I stop walking for a beat, and he halts as well.

Alex’s truck is long gone, but even still, talking to Brayden feels gross. It feels like a betrayal.

“Okay, Brayden. I accept your apology. But you owe one to Alex. And I’m not going to let that go.”

He holds my gaze for a second, and I catch the short laugh he lets slip, but I think he sees in my eyes how serious I am. Finally, he nods.

“Okay, Nik. I’ll work on that.” He holds out his hand, and I smirk and let my own little laugh slip. We shake, but I know in my gut he won’t work on shit.

“You going to Patty’s?” I ask.

“I am,” he answers.

“Good. You can buy my beer.”

We walk the four blocks in silence, and sometimes I’m a few steps ahead. But I let him keep up with me. And I’m doing that because Alex took Alicia home.

Maybe that’s what he has been warning me about with us. When you cross lines, people get hurt. If we were just friends, this wouldn’t burn through me the way it is. I still would have talked to his dad, though. Because that move? That was friend Nikki doing him a solid. And he’ll realize that eventually.

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Nikki didn’t deserve that. And she also had every right to question me taking Alicia home. It was a dick move.

Not wanting to completely incinerate my karma, I come clean to Alicia as I pull up to her apartment building.

“You should know, Nikki and I? We . . . we’re together now.” It’s strange that other than Cole, she’s the only person I’ve told. How wrong is that?

She laughs at first but I give her a look that admonishes her, my mouth drawn in on one side and my eyes narrowed.

“I’m sorry. You’re actually together, huh?”

She knows I was serious the first time.

“We are.” I shrug.

She looks out my windshield and blinks a few times with her mouth hung open.

“Wow. I actually called it. All those years ago, when I made you kiss?” She blinks her way back to me.

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