Page 146 of Out of Bounds

"Do you know who Iam?!You want me to make a breadcrumb trail for HR?! Like some fucked up Hansal and Gretel?! I’m sorry, I’ve said I’m sorry, I messed up! What’d you want? Money?!"

"I don’t want your money. I want that apology."

"No. Who do you think you are? Get out of my hotel room! That’s—that’s blackmail, I’m not apologizing for everyone who gets their panties in a twist. I always knew something like this would happen to me—fuck you!" With a dash, he rushed to the door.

I stepped out of the way to let him and he yanked the door open.

"Hey, man." Adam offered him a grim smile. "We like Kassie and my buddy here is going through a rough patch. It’ll be better if you start typing."

King nodded.

"We’ve got two options." I held up one finger and waited until Henry Miller glanced back, mouth agape. "You write the apology to my girlfriend and we make sure you press the little CD button—"

"That’s to save something," Adam corrected me. "You're thinking of the wrong button, captain."

"We make sure you press thesendbutton and we leave. The send button? Is that what it is? Is that what it's called?"

King threw up a thumbs-up sign.

"You do that and you’ll never see us again." I raised my second finger. "Or, option two. You don’t send her an apology and I stomp the hell out of you."

The breath wheezed out of Miller. He took a moment to steady his breathing and walked a step back toward his dresser. "You’re a psycho. All for a fucking girlfriend."

That wasn't really the right word for how I felt about Kassie.

"I'm hoping to spend the rest of my life with her but it seems kind of early for that conversation," I admitted.

"What?!"

"Rest of your life?" Adam snorted. "Dude, you’re twenty-one."

It was like Miller didn’t hear him. "So you'rethreatening me? That's thenext step?!"

"Yes. I don't have a lot of experience with—she's got this warm glow about her. She makes everything feel brand new. I don't know." I shook my head, that familiar chest-tightening feeling taking over. "This has got to be what falling in love is. You know when you're asleep and you dream that you’re falling in the sky? And you’re falling, and you’re falling, and there’s no ground at all? It's that feeling, but all the time when I'm with her."

"Oh, man." Adam sighed.

King shrugged. "I think it’s nice."

TheBird Pantscreator stared at me, blinking slowly like I'd spoken another language. "This is pathetic," he finally snapped, shaking his head.

My fingers twitched at my side.

"No." Something new took over Miller’s voice, and instead of wobbling, he grew more and more pissed off. He straightened his shoulders. "I know guys like you."

Adam leaned into the door frame. "There's been other guys kicking your ass? No offense, how're you still walking around?"

"I know guys like all of you!" Henry hissed out. "It’s all steroids and needles and pills and shit. That’s what it is!"

Slowly, I cocked my head to the side, watching him flounder.

"That’s not real!" Miller gargled. "I’ll show you!"

"And that means…no apology?"

"I'll kick your ass!"

King and Adam took a few seconds to glance at each other.

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