Page 104 of Scrimmage

“Come join the party,” Penny tells him.

“Please don’t,” Koda growls.

He looks at him warily. “Everything good?”

“Fine.”

“You sure?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re…” Alexi looks between us quickly trying to figure out the right thing to say. “Micromanaging laundry.”

Koda swallows and bites his tongue. “Mhm.”

Alexi looks at me. “Can I talk to you?”

Koda stares straight ahead at the TV. “No. She’s busy.”

I’m getting a weird vibe, and I don’t like it. Penny and I silently talk through our eyes until she clears her throat. “We should take some of this to the car.”

“I’ll do it.” Koda jumps up and grabs one of the baskets of folded clothes, hauling it outside.

Alexi waits until he’s out of earshot to talk. “Listen, Ashy. I know you like to push people, but he’s got this whole thing—”

“We’re all mentally ill, Alexi. It’s no excuse. He’s been trying to manipulate me. He deserves this.”

“I don’t think that’s—”

I give him a look, and he shuts his mouth. “If Koda wants it to stop, then he knows what to do.”

He lowers his voice. “He’s fucking triggered. Look around.”

I laugh. “You think I’m not?”

Penny sits up straighter. “What do you mean?”

Fuck. Time to do damage control. “I told you Penny. I’m stressed.”

She’s not fucking buying it. “Can I talk to Ashland alone?” Her voice is even. She’s not angry, but she’s not happy.

“Yeah, I’ll go help him.”

As soon as Alexi is gone Penny starts in. “He said he’s hurting you.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Then what’s it like, Ash? Because Michelle said—”

I throw my hands in the air. “I know what Michelle said. Fuck Michelle. I should have never told you that.”

“I've let this go on for far too long. The sketches, Ash. The fucking sketches. Tell me what is going on. Brin said they’re—”

“You called Brin?” I ask incredulously. “You’re listening to my pyro ex now?”

“I’m listening to a pyro who knows you in ways that I can’t. Because I love you. I’m not your mom. I’m your best friend. I can’t take the internship if you’re losing your shit because he's triggering you. If I had known that, I would have told him to fuck off.”

I stab a meatball. “It’s not his fault. I told you Jeremy called.”

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