Page 38 (1/2)

A Lifetime Supply of Cookies and Le into my sweats when Henry texts me: Come to my room? 2205

I’onnaeverything fro with the in-room coffee maker, I lose patience and text him back: On my way

I knock on the door to his roo a T-shirt and ood, Woods?" I walk in to find aproviding a view of the university, and a pitcher of le on the table

His hair is as unruly as ever, hanging down to his shoulders He wipes a few curls off his face "So, it’s real y good to spend time with you," he says

"Yeah…total y" We just stare at each other for a long er than an overti him

He releases me a few seconds later, rubs my back, then takes a seat on the couch He leans back and crosses his legs After that hug, I don’t want to push it, so instead of joining him, I sit down on the bed and pul a pil ow to h hs "So, I, uh, know I should’ve cal ed to apologize after Ty and I got into the fight," he says Leaning over onto his knees, he focuses on the carpet

"I shouldn’t have hit him I’m sorry I was so stupid"

Tears rush to my eyes "We were best friends for ten years--it’s pretty unforgivable that you didn’t calThat you haven’t cal ed"

The tears fal freely, and I dig the heels ofto stanch the flow, but it won’t stop Suddenly I feel hi down on the bed When I can openout of theot both hands out as if he wants to play the hand-slap garin starts to spread across my face as first, I slap him upside the head, then I shove his chest so hard he flies back onto the bed Getting up ontoout to the side and punch hiut

"Fuck, Woods!" Before I can slap his face, Henry rol s over and fal s off the bed When he pokes his head up above theup

"Man, you deserved every bit of that, and more!" I say

"Are we even?" He crawls up next to me

"Not yet" I punch him in the jaw and I hear a crack

"Ow!"

I cringe Shit, what’s his jaw made of? Titanium? I shake out my hand "I’m so sorry, Henry! I didn’t , he rubs his chin "Finished?" He s lasses of lemonade, hands one to lass of leh so hard--just like before

Still holding the glass to his jaw, he shuffles his socked feet across the roo out a deck of cards He sits back down on the bed, puts the glass on the nightstand, and starts dealing the cards into two stacks "Let’s play sorab the plate of cookies from the table and set it on top of a pil ow He picks a cookie, puts it in hisWhen alWhen al the cards are dealt, he takes a bite of the cookie and wipes his mouth, then looks down at the plate

"Woods, where did al the cookies go?"

I’ve already eaten four "You snooze, you lose, man Cal room service and order soht He sweeps the cards away and up into his pile

"No way--I’m not made offor al this," I say, gesturing to the lavish rooe it to my dad" I thron a five, he thron a three I sweep the cards away

He grins "Fine" Grabbing up the phone, he orders ne too He opens his wal et and pul s out a fake ID, showing it off for lances up at me and takes a deep breath

"You’re the occasion, Woods I’vemy chin, I bite my lip A tear drops down my cheek I thron an ace, he thron an ace I deal three cards facedown, and he mimics me At the sa

He looks up at ainst his chest in one ainst the pil ow

"A your knee?" he whispers as I drop aze up at him

"No"

He closes his eyes "You knohat I regret ?"

"No"