Page 4 of Conquering Conner

The crash was spectacular. She ended up sprawled across home plate, her face in the dirt. By some miracle, she knocked me off the plate and on my ass before the ball hit my glove.

When Tommy Davis called her safe, she rolled herself over and grinned up at me to reveal a jagged chip in one of her front teeth and a mouthful of blood.

It cost her half her tooth, but she won the game.

She didn’t even blink. Just wiped the blood off her chin and said, “Better luck next time, Gilroy.”

“Conner?”

I refocus and see Jessica standing in front of me.

“Yeah.” I nod, tightening my grip on the door knob in my hand. “I understand.” I shut the door in her face. I can see her through the glass, standing there like she’s confused about what she’s supposed to do or say next.

I know what I’m supposed to do. I’m supposed to open the door and apologize for being so rude. Tell her it’s okay, even though it’s not. Tell her we can still be friends, even though I’d rather play hopscotch on the freeway than spend another second with her. Because that’s what the person I pretend to be would do. That person doesn’t give a shit about Henley. He doesn’t love her. He wouldn’t give her the time of day. All he cares about is having a good time. Getting laid.

For the first time that I can remember, I hate him.

“Trouble in paradise?”

I turn around to see Declan leaning against the banister, a nasty smirk plastered across his face. Despite his easy posture, I can see it. He wants to fight. Wants me to start throwing punches. It occurs to me my brother hates me, has hated me for a long time and I have no idea why.

The kicker is, I don’t even care.

I stop at the foot of the stairs. “You won.” I say it without looking at him because if I do, I’ll give him what he wants. I’ll start swinging and I won’t stop. Not until one of us is dead. “You won, so, you can stop now, okay.” I can feel my fingers tighten around the width of the bannister. My teeth grind, fused together by a rage so strong I’m sick with it. “You got what you wanted. Henley broke up with me. She doesn’t want to see me anymore, so you can leave her alone now. It’s over.”

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