Page 101 of Puck You Very Much
JAKOB
“What’s the problem, bro?” Levi asked. “You look like someone came along and took a great big shit all over your face.”
“Lovely imagery, Levi.”
“I’m sorry. You look like someone came along, whipped out their enormous cock, and blew their huge gooey load all over your face.”
Okay, I laughed out loud at that one. In fact, it was the first laugh to spill from my lips since Zane marched out of my house. The shock had hit me hard and then I felt nothing. I figured he might text me and apologize. In a perfect world, he would admit to being a total idiot and beg my forgiveness.
No text came. He didn’t show up at my door in the pouring rain, dropping to one knee, and imploring me to take him back. I didn’t know how this was supposed to work. I’d never broken up with a guy before.
Here’s the thing—wouldI have taken him back? No. I couldn’t do something like that. After the way he behaved, I couldn’t have trusted him. I’d given him the benefit of the doubtand decided he was a nice guy once you got to know him. He thanked me by acting like a complete and utter asshole.
“So, what’s the deal?” Levi asked, leaning against the board.
“There’s no deal.”
“Come on, Jakob. I know I have a room temperature I.Q. but I’m smart enough to know when something’s going on.”
“Nothing’s going on. Now, let’s get back to practicing. We’ve barely got any time left.”
I started down the ice and our enforcer followed me. Yeah, yeah, I know that was nothing more than flimsy avoidance, but I had to at least try to change the subject.
Levi should’ve been able to handle knowing I’d been with a guy all this time, but I could never tell him aboutwhoI’d been with. That would be crossing enemy lines, and who the hell cared if it was over? I hadn’t been true to the Larkin Lions, and that was all he would give a shit about.
When our enforcer caught up with me, he said, “Lying’s a mortal sin, you know that?”
“That’s okay. I’m not Catholic.”
“But you’re still lying. And I can see through you like an old woman’s underpants.”
Again, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud. If you need a cure for the blues, just hit up Levi Dunn. He’ll take good care of you.
“Okay, so maybe I am lying,” I said. “Is that such a bad thing?”
He gave a tiny shrug. “I don’t know why you would lie or even withhold the dirt here. We’re a team, dude. A brotherhood. We tell each other everything, right?”
“Did you tell everyone you were doing the horizontal bop with Quinn?”
When he paused, I knew I had him licked.
Here was my real problem; Iwantedto tell the truth. When something bad happened to me, I wanted to tell others about it and get it off my chest. I didn’t want to keep things bottled up and drive myself crazy.
I’d gone through a couple of breakups with steady girlfriends. None of them felt like this. Of course, none of those girls were Zane Hirst. They were far and away easier to deal with.
“I never told anyone about Quinn for pretty obvious reasons,” Levi said. “But then I finally let it all out.”
“The question is what made you do it, Levi?”
“I had to. I couldn’t take it anymore.”
“But what was it? Like, a little voice inside your head that said you need to do this?”
“No, it was because I was going to lose him if I didn’t find a way to be honest about it. It came down to a choice. I hated to think about what my life would look like without Quinn Standish in it, so I did what I had to do.”
But Quinn didn’t play for the opposing team, the sworn rival. He hadn’t kept something likethata secret from everyone.
“Let’s just forget I ever asked anything,” I said.
