Page 19 of Puck You Very Much
“Shouldn’t lift alone like that,” I said. “Could be dangerous.”
“So that’s how you’re gonna do it, huh?” He sat up and rolled off the bench.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? Doing it this way wouldn’t be as messy. Yeah, there would be some witnesses, which complicates things, but at least you can make it look like an accident.”
He spoke in such deadpan style that I couldn’t help thinking he totally meant that. That was so beyond ridiculous, so Larkin Lions…so Jakob Martin. And yet part of me understood what drove him to think that. Certainly, he would remind me that I’d been the one to challenge him with payback on my mind. Still, I’d offered a truce, and I meant it. What would it take to convince this guy that I was on the level?
“Of course I’m not,” I said. “Murder couldn’t have been farther from my mind. Why would I want to kill you anyway?”
“I dunno, bub. You’re the one who literally picked a fight in a candy shop.”
See? I told you so.
“That was me being stupid, Jakob. I’ve already admitted to my mistake. I also told you Officer Humongous straightened me out about the whole thing.”
Jakob didn’t shrug, roll his eyes, or make any other moves to communicate his utter disinterest in this conversation. Only,disinterestfeels like the wrong word.Aversionssounds much more appropriate because that was the vibe I felt. Maybe Ishould’ve expected it, but part of me thought he would be glad to see me.
I realize how odd that must seem. How can I not? I didn’t know what’d driven me to approach him like I had, only that I needed to do it. It was theright thing. Like, if I didn’t make that move, I could regret it forever. When those moments arrive, you don’t fight the feeling. You go with the flow.
“You don’t believe me?” I asked.
“Why would I? You’re a Remington Riptide. When you look upshitheadin the dictionary, you’ll find your team photo.”
“Oh, you would not.”
“Would you like me to pull out the dictionary, bub?”
“No, I think I’ll be all right.”
Silence settled over us like a cold front that refused to simply pass through. I watched Jakob’s chest heave in and out, something I normally never did with anyone but now couldn’t help it for some reason. That Jakob wore an ultra-tight workout shirt didn’t help matters. It boasted the two well-developed ovals of his chest. I also noticed a pair of hulking arms that probably could’ve managed much heavier weights than what I was lifting.
I tore my eyes away from the sight. Like I said, I normally didn’t notice those things, like I’d never before stopped to notice someone’s dimples. I couldn’t help myself. Once my eyes landed on them, I’d sunk far too deep.
God, I needed to stop thinking like this in the worst way.
“Look, I made you a peace offering yesterday,” I said.
“Yeah, I know you did.”
“So, what gives?”
“What gives is I don’t know if I can trust you. For all I know, you can just be trying to soften me up, so I won’t suspect a thing. And then,BAM!!, you take a shot, lay me out flat, and you’ve had your revenge.”
He drove his fist into his palm at thebampart, like he couldn’t say anything without some kind of dramatic flair.
“You know,” I said, “if anything,youwere the one to sucker punch me, and?—”
I shut up before making this any worse. Allow me to add an item to the ever-growing list of things about Jakob Martin that drove me nuts—he could make me defeat myself without even trying.
“I’m not going to punch you, kick you, threaten you, or do anything else bad. You’ve got my honor.”
“You’re a Remington Riptide. You don’t have any honor.”
I gritted my teeth and felt my hands balling into fists. Jakob Martin would make me go sky high if he kept it up.
“I swear on my mother’s grave.”
