Page 32 of Fury

Perfect. He’d just exchanged one can of worms for another.

Get your head together.

“Davis, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He clenched his jaw for a second. “No sweat, Holly Hobbie.”

The use of her childhood nickname tugged out a grin, but her eyes were pained.

Both of their pasts were littered with too many landmines to count, but even her biological parents had been a step above his mom. At least they’d cared about her. Had tried to be better. Then the Reinhardts had come along. No comparison there.

They’d been everything Davis had always wanted his mom to be. Had known she never could be.

Hollyn stood and walked over to him. Eyed Fury as she sank down on the couch at Davis’s side. She rested a hand on his forearm. Heat burned between their skin.

Don’t move a muscle.

If he did, knew what would happen. Disaster a thousand different ways.

“What happened that day? You never told me why you weren’t at the game. Then suddenly you were off the team and basically enemies with everyone at school except me.” She tilted her head.

Davis swallowed. Bounced his foot. Gave a half shrug. “Not much to tell.”

Hollyn hmphed. One eye drew up like it always did when she wasn’t going to let something go.

All right, fine.

* * *

Hollyn watched Davis closely. He ran a hand down the back of his neck, corded arm muscles flexing. The image was more than a little intrusive to thoughts she was trying to keep on track. She reallydidwant to hear this story, though.

Looking back, it’d always felt like the beginning of the end for them. The one part of their story she constantly wished she could change—to be a better friend who wouldn’t just let him shut down.

“Grady’s folks were out of town. He spent the night at my place so he wouldn’t miss the game. My mom was supposed to drive us to meet the bus the next morning. When we woke up, she wasn’t around. We waited for an hour before she sent me a text saying she’d been asked out on a date and wouldn’t make it.”

“Davis,” Hollyn murmured sorrowfully.

“By that point, it was too late to catch the bus or even drive to the game, and neither of us had our licenses. You know the rest. Second-string QB couldn’t handle the pressure riding on the game and we lost.”

“So . . . what? The team just placed all the blame on you? How is that fair?” She was getting upset now. It hurt that, as close as they’d been, he’d never told her about this. “It was your mom that bailed, not you!”

Davis shrugged. “Should have predicted that she couldn’t be counted on.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Is it? Holidays. Birthdays. Sports. She wasn’t around for any of it. Always had a better offer.”

“Still!” Hollyn balled her fist. “For the team to blame you and not her is just?—”

When Davis smirked, it caught her off guard.

“This is funny to you?” She looked at him aghast.

“No,” he said with a seriousness that set butterflies loose in her stomach. “But this”—he motioned a circle around her face—“is exactly why I never told you.”

“I don’t get it. All these years I thoughtyouwere the one unjustifiably angry withthemand blowing things up so you didn’t have to stick with something. You could have told me the truth.”

He shook his head, features darkening in sunlight snuffed by clouds outside. “It took you a long time to make friends with other people, Hol.” He rested an arm over the back of the couch. “I watched it every day. And some of your closest friends were cheerleaders. The team was ticked at me. If I’d told you, you would have taken my side and likely would have been dropped by them too. I wasn’t gonna let that happen.”

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