Page 81 of Extra Witchy

Titus:YOU? Did she diss the smell of your favorite weed?

Wow.Though he knew Titus was joking, that still stung. Trev took a breath and counted to ten, but he still sentFuck youa minute later, without remorse.

Trev felt even shittier when he rejoined Dante in the living room. The other man had a game on, but he didn’t seem to be paying it much attention since it wasn’t the Bulls. Sighing, Trev tilted his head back to study the imperfectly updated ceiling. He could see traces of where the popcorn had been scraped away then painted over, so it had a strange, textured look.

“Is this how you pictured your life as a little kid?” he asked.

“You kidding? Nah. Not even slightly.”

“Sometimes life is just…” Trev struggled to find the right words, ones that would express some of how he felt without alarming Dante too much. “So much effort, you know?”

“That’s one way to look at it. And you’re not wrong.”

“How are you viewing it?”

“You never know what’s gonna happen if you don’t stay in it. Sure, today could be the same as yesterday, but it’s not written yet. Tomorrow is…” Dante paused, maybe thinking of how to finish that thought.

“Endless possibility,” Trev offered.

“That’s exactly it. Bets is dating somebody new, and I think they’re serious. It’s weird for me because I’m not feeling great about Evonnie living with Tyrone and maybe one day calling him ‘Pop.’ But I want Bets to be happy. If I’m honest, I want it for me too.”

“Does this count as relationship talk?”

“Hell nah. We’re talking about Bets, not me.”

“I’ll let it go this time.”

“And besides, life isn’t just about that. It’s little moments where things worked out better than expected. Like getting the last roast chicken at the deli.”

“I never thought about rotisserie chicken as a silver lining,” Trev said.

“You should! It’s low effort and delicious.”

“True enough.”

Before long, Titus showed up with snacks and beer. First thing, he said, “I’m sorry. That shit wasn’t funny. I was pissy because Danica left me hanging, but I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I don’t even smoke these days,” Trev said quietly. “Just edibles now and then. And people do it for reasons other than fun, you know, to manage pain and stuff.”

Frankly, that was part of how he’d used it as well, though his wounds were emotional. He wasn’t trying to dig into any of that tonight, however. He stepped back so Titus could greet Dante, and Trev decided he might as well address the elephant in the room.

“Yeah, so you want to explain why you never told me Sarah was cheating on me before we broke up?”

Dante dropped the bag of chips, picked them up, and headed straight back to the kitchen as Titus froze, wearing a distinctly deer-in-headlights look. “How’d you find out?”

“She apologized for it a few months ago.”

“When did you see her? What was she even doing in St. Claire?”

Trev gave him a look. Those questions were deflections, and the answers didn’t matter, but he gave them anyway. “She was here for her cousin’s wedding, and I happened to run into her at Seven Grand. Youstilldidn’t answer the question.”

“And you’re just now bringing it up?” Titus asked.

“You’re one to talk.” Trev hated this stuff, so much that his stomach churned.Maybe I shouldn’t have mentioned it? I’m being sensitive, just like my family says. Wait, no, he needs to explain.That wasn’t how friends should treat each other.

“Hey,youlet shit fester.” Titus wore a defensive expression, but then he sighed. “I didn’t want her to hurt you more than necessary! I told her to make a clean break after I saw her—”

“Right, honestly, I don’t give a fuck what Sarah was doing.” Trev clenched his teeth around the surge of anger he’d been repressing. “You’re supposed to be my best friend—yourwords, by the way. And if I’d known back then that she was messing around, I wouldn’t have blamed myself so much. If someone else was involved, the failure wasn’t all mine. You don’t get that I could’ve—fuck. You should have told me,” he finished flatly.

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