Page 51 (1/2)

“Noe’re getting somewhere You didn’t actually believe him”

“I… I wanted to believe him”

“Because he offered you an out”

Silence for a moment

I narrow lare at him

Finally, “Yeah He did I was seventeen Too young to die”

“They wouldn’t have killed you, dumbass Not until you paid up”

“I know that Now But they would have hurt me Hurt me bad”

“So better Katelyn than you, huh?” Anger wells withinhim to mush

It doesn’t escape s too To men To women

I’ll always carry that with uilt But I have a second chance now

Walk away

Just fucking walk away

I should take o

But the past…this fucking past… It affects Katelyn, and she’s become so important to me

I never wanted another relationship I was scared shitless that I’d fall back into my old ways, even if I stayed off the booze

Walk away, Luke

My legs don’t lued to the uncomfortable plastic chair

“Yeah,” DeCarlo finally admits “Better her than me I’m not proud of it”

“And that makes it okay”

God, I’ht about now There’s soht s

But I hurt people—a lot of people, soe that

“No” He shakes his head “It doesn’t make it okay I was a kid, man”

“Right Seventeen Way too young to understand right and wrong”

I never gave ive this idiot one?

“A good churchgoing kid like yourself You never learned God’s lessons How to treat people What was inherently good and inherently bad”

“Well, you know the priest I had”

I suppose he’s gotwoive you that one Except you still should have known better”

“Fuck off I was a kid I believed et aith shit? Because the kids are conditioned to think the priest can do no wrong That he knows God’s will”

Okay, so he has a point But, “Those are younger kids You were only ed adult”

He bites his lip Shakes his head Finally, “I didn’t want broken legs,scared”

“Yeah I get it” I get it more than he realizes

Doesn’t change anything, though

“What the hell made you think of Katelyn?”

“She was young and gorgeous, and no one would o to Colu her home any time soon”

“Isn’t she your cousin?”