Page 22 of Wrath

"Poor Mills. You wanna be a football guy?" I mock him.

"I can't play." He says it simply.

The words trickle through my extra slow brain. "Why?" I ask. But he's already speaking at the same time. "Ezra's just...it's unapproachable and...I don't know. Like, cold."

This guy is all about the laughs. I end up grinning at him, sort of high and really digging how damn cute he is—the slightly curly, dark brown hair with his blue eyes. He's got little dimples, and those freckles I noticed the first day we met.

"Unapproachable and cold," I say, giving a shake of my head.

"I mean, it does suit you,” he says, “but Masters is better. Maybe I'll go with NF."

"NF. What the shit does that mean?"

"New fucker."

I smile. "The new fucker. I'll take it."

"It's down to that or Ezzie. Bet your mom calls you Ezzie."

I inhale deeply, trying to keep my face neutral as I blow it quietly out. "Nah. She uses my middle name."

"What is it?"He asks.

"Who's asking?"

Mills laughs. "I am."

"I'm not telling you."

"What's wrong with me?"

My gaze moves to his face, where a soft smile tells me he's teasing."What's not," I toss back.

"Owww." He grabs his chest like I just stabbed him."Ezra it is."

I chuckle at that.

“I’ve seen your school papers on the counter,” he says. “So I know your mom calls you Christopher."

"She does.”

“Why that over your actual first name?”

I shrug, which makes the roof tilt. "Who the fuck knows."

"Sounds more like a kid name,” he says.

I take a drag of the cigarette. "Maybe that’s why."

"You get along?" DG asks.

"Did someone tell you we don't?"My heart pounds a little offbeat.

"No, I was just wondering. Since you moved and stuff."

"Just normal shit." It's all I can come up with.

"So that's a...sort of?" he asks.

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