Page 28 (1/2)

I keep htly and chews on his bottom lip while he studies me

"Her birthday is next Saturday," I say, picking up the sack "I got her this and I want you to give it to her I don’t want her to know it’s froot it for her I know she’ll like it" I take the e-reader out of the sack and toss it to him He catches it, then looks down at it

He stares at it for a few minutes, then flips it over and looks at the back of it He tosses it on the bed beside hi down at the floor I wait for hi I ca?" he says, lifting his gaze

I nod I figured he’d have wayto say after all that

"I think what pissed me off the most is the fact that I liked her with you," he says "I liked seeing how happy she was that day And even though it was just thirty minutes that I watched you with her at lunch before you went and flipped the fuck out," he says, waving his arht for her and she seeht for you andI don’t know, Holder You just don’t make any sense You didn’t make sense when you walked away froht now But I can tell you care about her I just don’t understand you I don’t understand you at all and it pisses ood at, it’s understanding people"

I wasn’t counting while he was talking, but I’ "Can you just trust that I really do care about her?" I say "I hat’s best for her and although it kills me that I’m not what’s best for her, I want to see her happy"

Breckin smiles, then reaches beside hiive her this awesoet all about Dean Holder I’m pretty sure it’ll be all about sawdust and sunshine once she dives into the books I’h I have no idea what he means by sawdust and sunshine

Chapter Thirty-and-a-half

Les,

Breckin is pretty cool You would like hiift I bought for Sky We talked things out for a while and I don’t think he wants to kick my ass anymore Not that he could have But that’s what solidified my respect for hiht h he knew there wasn’t a chance in hell he would win

I wasn’t sure how going over there would turn out, but I ended up staying until ala h I’m not sure how much of a break it took because Breckinup how much I talked about Sky He doesn’t understand why I won’t just apologize to her if I obviously like her as much as I do Unfortunately, I can’t explain it to him, so he’ll never understand it But he seeood idea to let Sky knoe hung out I don’t want her upset with Breckin, but now it feels like I’ friends with hiay parts

Chapter Thirty-one

"What do you want to do?" I ask

"I don’t care e do," Daniel says

"Me neither"

We’re sitting in his driveway I’m leaned back in my seat with my foot propped on his dash He’s in the sa loosely froainst the headrest He’s staring out theand he’s being unusually distant

"What’s wrong with you?" I ask

He continues to stare out theand sighs a heavy, depressing sigh "Broke up with Val again," he says disappointedly "She’s crazy She’s so fucking crazy"

"I thought that’s why you loved her?"

"But that’s also why I don’t" He drops his leg to the floorboard and scoots his seat forward "Let’s get out of here" He cranks the car and begins backing out of the driveway

I put lasses off my head and over my eyes "What do you want to do?"

"I don’t care e do," he says

"Me neither"

"Is Breckin ho Daniel froa real regular," Breckin’s mother says to me There isn’t any humor behind her voice and quite frankly, she’s a little inti