“Sure,” Carter said.
“Fine,” Kelly said.
I stared at them. “That’s it?”
They tackled me even before I knew what was happening.
WE LAY tangled on the ground, Kelly with his head on my stomach, rising with every breath I took. Carter clung to my arm and hand, palm to palm, fingers gripped tight.
The anger was melting away.
I struggled to hold on to it, because I thought it was too easy to let it go.
That there should be more to it than this.
But it was green in its relief.
I hadn’t forgiven them. Gordo. The two wolves curled against me. But I would. Not today. And probably not tomorrow.
But eventually.
Joe, though. I didn’t know about him. Everything was wrapped up in him. It didn’t seem fair that I could find forgiveness in the others, but not in him.
Kelly sighed and buried his face against my chest, rubbing his nose back and forth.
“Okay,” Carter said. “I gotta ask, just because someone has to.”
That didn’t sound good.
“Jessie,” Carter said.
“Oh,” I said. “What about her?”
“You banging her?” Carter asked.
“Banging,” I repeated.
“You smell like her,”
Kelly said.
“I smell like your mother too, I’m sure.”
They both scowled at me.
“Holy shit, that’s not what I meant. Jesus, don’t tell her I said that. And no, fuck, I’m not banging Jessie. There hasn’t been anything between us in a very long time. She had a date the other night. With a history teacher.”
“So you didn’t bang her while we were gone?”
“Stop saying banging!”
“Seriously, Carter,” Kelly said. “That’s gross.” Then, “Are you banging Robbie?”
“Oh my god,” I muttered.
“That’s not a no.”
“No.”