Page 130 of Scrimmage

“I’ll fucking say,” she laughs. “No wonder she’s so pissed off.”

“What do you mean? Alexi said she’s been quiet.”

“Quiet equals pissed. Loud equals everything else.”

“How can I fix this?”

“What exactly do you want me to do, Koda? I don’t tell Ashland what to do. You brought me food. Great. Even an idiot like Cole knows to do that. What you don’t understand is that I see this for what it is. You’re trying to use me to get to Ash. I’ll reap the benefits. I have no problem doing that. Bring me food every single day, but it’s not going to change your circumstances with her. At this point, if she even thought for one second that you were trying to use me, she might kill you, and it won’t be while you’re asleep, Koda. It will be while you’re awake.”

Two strikes for idiot and zero for having a fucking brain. She’s right. I am trying to use her.

“I respect you, Penny. I don’t want to use you. I didn’t see it that way. I’m sorry.”

She gives me an impressed look. “Well, look at that. Koda Armory does, in fact, know how to apologize.”

“I guess I should apologize to her.” I shove my face in my hands.

“Oh no,” she giggles. “Do not fucking do that.”

“I don’t know what to do. Every time I think about it or do something, it’s the wrong thing. I fucking miss her. I miss her so fucking much that it hurts. I tried not to.”

I’ve finally admitted it out loud.

“Oh, I’m aware of the Stephanie situation. Don’t worry.”

Penny said her fucking name, too.

“You can’t tell me that she hasn’t tried to move on either.”

“I didn’t say that, but it’s a lot more complicated than your feeble mind can understand.”

“Goddamn, you really are a cunt.”

A smile blossoms on her face. “Now you’re on the right track.”

Cunt. Cunts of the Century. Another strike for stupid. I start to stand up to gather my things and go straight over to her house.

“No, wrong track. Veer back on. Right now is not the time. She’s got finals, and we only have two weeks before I leave. You’re not fucking with that.”

“Then what am I supposed to do?”

She gives me a sad look. “I don’t know what to tell you. Almost nothing hurts Ashland’s feelings, and you hurt them. Like, you really hurt them. I’ve never even done that.”

“You’ve never hurt Ashland’s feelings?”

“Nope.”

“That’s impossible.”

“It’s entirely possible. I mean, believe me, I tried, but the circumstances were different. You forced her to listen to you. You made her feel feelings, which is like kryptonite, and then you stabbed them. Even her ex didn’t do that,” she snorts.

A weird jealous panic tears through my chest. “Whose her ex?”

“Do you see him here?”

“No.”

“Then it’s irrelevant.”

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