Page 14 of No Broken Promises

French fries and ranch dressing are the only happy spot of my week. Literally the only thing that can make me feel better after the shit show that is my life. While Nox is at school, I have nothing better to do than avoid every other responsibility in my life.

“Hey, Parker.”

I drop the French fry that I’ve been trying to shove into my mouth before the ranch spills, and it lands directly on the crotch of my black pants.

“Shit,” I mutter and silently curse the man who takes a seat across from me with a smile on his face.

“Sorry about that.” The apologetic shine in my neighbor Artie’s eyes takes the wind out of my sails. “I just wanted to check and make sure that you were okay after last night.”

He is rooting around for information on why the police had been at my house, but I also know that he isn’t stupid enough to think I’ll tell him. Unlike everyone else in Birch, Artie didn’t turn his back on me when they found out that I’d slept with Danny and ‘broke Remy’s heart’ like I had. Even if that isn’t the truth, what can I do to fight it? Danny died, and I was left picking up the pieces. Artie is one of the few who never make me feel like an outsider.

Unlike his girlfriend and her group of friends who never seemed to evolve after we graduated.

Artie and I have a weird relationship on top of that. We grew up together, played in the band together, and I even asked him to go to the winter formal with me in eighth grade. But we’ve never been anything more than friends. More than once, my friends called me an idiot for it, too, because Artie is built. Like, extremely built. The man has muscle on top of muscle and works out just as much as Remy and Linc and Danny had back in the day. The only difference is that when the guys joined the military, Artie was offered a scholarship to MIT. He went off to be a genius, and Remy walked away with my heart. Danny? Well, Danny went off to die for his country.

“I’m fine. Nox is fine.” I don’t bother making eye contact as I carefully load another piece of delicious French fry with just the right amount of ranch. Then I lean forward and stuff it into my mouth before it can spill. The same way I’d tried to do before Artie interrupted.

Thankfully, Artie waits until I am done chewing before opening his mouth again. But what comes out of his mouth next is almost as bad as the fact that he made me spill my ranch in the first place.

“You look tired, Parker.”

Four little words that make me want to grab the knife that sits on the other side of my plate and drive it into his eyeball. He is trying; I have to remind myself of that.

I bite my tongue, trying to stay calm. “That’s what happens when you don’t get to sleep at night because your life sucks.” A sharp inhalation meets my statement, and I sigh. “I don’t mean my life sucks. It’s just been a long few weeks, Artie.” I finally look up from the ridiculous white splatter on my pants that no amount of rubbing will help with and see him watching me with concern.

“I’m here if you need help, Parker. All you have to do is ask. I’m sure there’s not much I wouldn’t do if you asked.” His open and blatant honesty throws me off, and I don’t know exactly how to respond.

The last month had piled it on repeatedly, and I just… I can’t handle any more. I have nothing left in me for conversation. Nothing left for anyone else. I only have another hour or two until Nox gets off the school bus, and I still have payroll and a few other things I need to take care of in the office. Averting my gaze so Artie won’t know I am blowing him off, I gather my plate of fries and clear the table as best I can.

“I’ve gotta get back to work, Artie.” Sliding out of the booth, I shoot him a pseudo-apologetic smile. “We should catch up soon, though. You and Taylor should come over for a barbeque when everything calms down around here.” Artie’s girlfriend, even if she is a dick, is technically my neighbor too.

Her friends can suck a dick, though. They aren’t invited.

I almost get away, too. Until Artie coughs gently and steps into my path.

“I almost forgot why I came over in the first place,” he says. “I had my security company pull the video from my front porch. You know, the one that I have aimed at the street.”

My heart stutters in my chest, and for some godforsaken reason my palms start to sweat.

“You know, from the night Boo died.”

His words cause a lump to form in my throat from the memory of that night.

“Anyway, it finally came in the mail, so I thought I’d give you the jump drive.”

Numbly, I watch as he holds out his hand for me to take the small blue memory card. I can’t even reach for it, which makes me even more of a wimp than I usually feel like.

Seconds tick past, with Artie holding out the memory card and me not taking it from him. Finally, he smiles the same boyish smile he always uses and picks up my hand with his. He puts the memory card on my palm and closes my fingers around it.

“For when you’re ready to figure out what happened.”

“Did you—” I try to form the words to ask him if he’d watched it, but Artie is already shaking his head in the negative.

“No.” He swallows audibly. “I don’t have the stomach for violence or anything like that. Just wanted to bring it to you in case it was something you could use in case you want to prosecute whoever hit him, you know.”

He pauses, and I think about answering. Thanking him for giving it to me. I don't, though.

Instead, I shove it back at him with a grimace and wait like an idiot while he doesn’t take it.

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