Page 193 of Finding Delaware

“Go on, git!” With a shove from the broom, the filthy animal rolls out through the open front door and shuffles away, its claws scraping on the wood, making me shudder.

After it’s gone, I climb from Huck’s shoulders while we watch it leave momentarily, catching our breaths. Then theasshole throws back his head and laughs, a loud guffaw barreling out of his mouth as he holds his stomach and crashes to his knees, his whole body shaking.

“You screamed like a girl,” he chokes, eyes watering, and I seethe at him.

“Those things have rabies, Huck!”

“You’re scared of a little trash panda?”

“That thing was far from little. Fucker looked like he eats all the trash in the trailer park like some raccoon kingpin.”

That only makes him laugh harder, doubling over. “But they’re so cute!”

“No, they’re creepy. They have thumbs, and they eat cats.”

“They do not,” he gasps, gaping at me.

Yanking the broom from his hands, I nudge him with it. “Do so. I read it somewhere.”

“Sounds legit.”

“Stop being a dick,” I grumble, despite the smile pulling at my lips, and Huck grins as he wipes his eyes.

“Payback for putting that spider in my locker sophomore year.”

My gut twists at the memory of how awful I treated him, causing my smile to immediately drop.

“Guess I deserve that.” Turning toward the kitchen to hide my face, I spot an empty bag of cat food on the ground, probably left over from when Lasagna was alive. “Guess we know what he was living off of, that fluffy fuck.”

Huck’s arms envelop my waist as he holds me from behind, his stubble brushing against my cheek. “I forgive you, you know.”

“You shouldn’t.” My throat tightens as tears sting my eyes, my lashes fluttering to blink them away.

“I do anyway.” He pulls back after a quick kiss, turning with his hands on his hips. “So, this is where you grew up. Give me the tour.”

“Not much to see.” I clear my throat, spinning to focus on the broken window above the peeling leather sofa where the raccoon must have gotten in. “We need to board that window up before the rodent mafia makes this their base.”

“We can figure it out before we leave.”

Thankfully, all doors were closed when we dealt with the raccoon problem. I walk down the short hallway to my old bedroom. “This was my room. I used to sneak in and out of the window at night to hang with Christian and the gang. That one across the way was my dad’s, and here’s the bathroom.”

I open doors as I go, showcasing the empty spaces because I sold almost everything once my dad died—not that there was much to sell. All that’s left in the trailer is the sofa, my old mattress, a dresser, and a TV stand. The bathroom is the last room I stop at, turning to see Huck standing in the hallway, studying various holes in the drywall. His eyes flicker over to me, and I smile tightly, leaning against the doorway.

“Most of those are from his fist. A few from mine. Couple of the lower ones happened when he shoved my body into the wall.”

Stepping back into the bathroom without looking at him, I gaze down at the porcelain sink and run my finger over the chunk missing from the corner, wincing at the phantom pain that shoots through my temples. “That night I stole yourcar...this came from my head when he slammed me down. It’s why I had the concussion. That’s where I got the scar.”

Lifting up the side of my hair to show him, I find him closer than he was a moment ago. He wraps himself around me, pulling us flush as he buries his face in my neck.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t there,” he whispers against my skin, and I quickly shake my head.

“It’s okay. I forgive you, too.”

Honestly, there’s nothing to forgive, but I hate the thought of him feeling guilty about anything. I was the one who screwed up, not the other way around.

Huck’s lips gently trace around the tattoo on my throat. “He should have gone to jail for what he did to you.”

With a shaky inhale, I pull away, licking the dryness from my lips. “Jail sucked, to be honest. Did he deserve it? Yeah, probably, but it’s all in the past now. No use dwelling on it, you know? He’s dead.”

---