Page 26 of No Romeo
There was a brief exchange of “fuck you’s,” mostly from Hendrix, followed by footsteps trailing away. Then a metallic bang rang out, followed by, “Shit.” I knew Hendrix, and if I had to guess, he’d just punched the slide.
Silence descended, broken only by the chirp of crickets.
I was about to crawl across the wooden fort and check if he’d left when my stupid phone pinged from my backpack.Shit.Then it dinged again.
The scuff of a shoe over gravel sounded. “What in the…”
I tried to unzip the pocket and silence it, but it chimed again and again like an alarm ringing out. Might as well have started waving a flashing sign above my head...
By the time I pulled my device out of my bag, I was ready to launch it in a bush just to throw him off the trail.
SATAN: You know, you could at least have the decency to say no thanks.
SATAN: I offered you ten bucks off!!!
SATAN: That’s like ten grand in Dayton!!!
SATAN: Manners, you sack of shit.
Jesus Christ. I jabbed the screen, trying to mute the stupid thing as a string of random emojis came through, one after the other.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me?” Hendrix’s head popped over the edge of the wooden platform. He brandished his phone like a weapon, then jabbed the screen again.
Another ping, and I flinched.
“You’relooking for a room. In Dayton?”
“Obviously.” I grabbed my backpack and moved to the edge of the wooden fort.
That should be enough to appease him. After all, he knew what a piece of crap my mom was.
Heavy footfalls rounded the structure, and by the time I made it to the exit, he’d blocked the ladder. “What? Did me nutting on your shirt screw up your little sleepovers at Chewyfuckface’s?”
Did he know I was living with Kyle? Is that why he had this absurd idea that we were dating?
“No,” I said. “You messed up any sleepovers in the treehouse, though.”
The smug grin on his face fell. “You were sleeping there?”
I didn’t want him to know how bad things were now. “Sometimes.”
On a huff, I crossed the fort again and took a seat at the top of the slide. The friction burned the backs of my thighs as I went down.
My Converse hit the dirt, sending a cloud of dust into the moonlit air before I pushed to my feet. I made it two steps from that slide before Hendrix barreled around the fort.
“What do you mean,sometimes?”
Like he cared. I swallowed the jagged ball of emotions, trying to work up my throat.“How could you destroy the treehouse, Hendrix?” I hated the little hitch in my voice, hated that he’d gotten to me so much with that one act.
“Like you’re one to ask ‘how could I’ anything…”
He was right, but I was not in the mood for him and our hate games tonight, so I walked off. Heavy footfalls followed behind me as I crossed the park and stormed through the gate.
“Why are you following me, Hendrix?”
“I live in the same direction as you, genius.”
I chose to ignore him as I made my way through the dilapidated streets.
