Page 54 of Hits Different

“Maybe. I’m not so sure”. Simon smiles briefly.

That stuns me. I’ve only ever known Simon to be successful, driven. Determined. To hear him admit vulnerability is a different look on him. Not a bad one. “Besides, we were talking about you. And how I’d been wrong”.

I should feel pleased, but guilt licks away on the inside. Here’s Simon, telling me that he’d misjudged me, and I’m sat here knowing that I was involved in a brawl that ended with the cops being called.

I’d love nothing more than for the version of myself that he sees to be the real one, but I know that it’s not, and deep down, he does too. “The thing is, you weren’t exactly wrong about me”.

“If you’re talking about the incident at Carlucci’s, I already know all about it”, Simon clicks his pen decisively. “Whilst you could have used better judgement, I also know that you didn’t start it. From what I gather, you removed yourself from the situation swiftly”.

If you count being tackled by my best friend removing myself, then yes, technically that’s true.Simon slides open the top drawer of his desk and hands over a card. “Did you ever talk to anyone after Uncle Alberto died?”

There’s a sudden ringing in my ear. A swirl of missed grief counsellor appointments and unused referrals fight their way to the foreground. In my mind’s eye, my dad sits behind Simon.Tell him the truth, kid.

“Parker?” I realise Simon is still speaking to me. “Parker, are you all right?”

I manage to nod, and shake my head, at the same time. “Yes, I’m all right”. I swallow, “No, I never talked to anybody”. Simon places a glass of water into my hands. They’re shaking. When things focus, he’s staring at me in concern.

“I want you to give the number on that card a call”, Simon says, in a gentle tone that I’ve never heard before. “Tell them you need to work some stuff out”.

I glance down at the card. It reads ‘Zara’s MMA Basement Gym’. The address is in the middle of town. “I think channelling some of that energy into something productive might really help. You used to do a bit of boxing, right?”

A bit of boxing. That’s one way of putting it.

“Why would their gym let me in?” I flashback to being unceremoniously kicked out of Frankie’s place.

“Because business owners do favours for each other around here”, Simon says. “And Zara will do this for me”. He leans on the wordZara, and suddenly I’m reminded of the picture of Simon and an ex-girlfriend stashed away in an old drawer.

“Why would you do that forme?”

“Because we’re family. And more alike than we probably both want to admit”. Simon smiles, taking my shoulder. “And whilst we’re being honest with each other. Brandon?”

An uncomfortable chill runs down my spine. What else does Simon know? “You’ve got a good friend there”.

Ididhave, that’s for sure. But history has a habit of repeating itself. I just hope I still do.

It can’t be worse than last time.

Chapter 21

6:29

Three Years Earlier

Parker

My eyelids flutter open. I reach out, expecting to find Brandon next to me. My fingers curl around my pillow, and with a start, I realise I’m back in my own bed. No sand. No stars. No Brandon.

My laptop lies open next to me, and I blink as my eyes adjust to the light.

Today: 6:29am

Dodger14

I’ve written and deleted this a hundred times. Not just tonight. Other nights. All the other nights, actually.

Dodger14

The thing is, Parker. I care about you a lot. I know you already know that. Our friendship is the most important thing in my life. But there are times when I think about you in a different way. A way that’s more than friends.

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