“Nicole, I didn’t—”
“Do you have any idea how many people came up to me today?” she continued. “How many guys came and asked me out? Because suddenly I’m another chick who puts out for Thomas Malone, and now that’s he’s had me, I’m fair game to everyone else!”
“Ouch,” Sheriff Skye said with a whistle. “You know, since I already got the short version of this, I’m just going to excuse myself…”
“No!” Nicole and I both yelled at the same time.
“What the hell did he tell you?” Nicole said as she glared at me.
“I’m gonna let you two work this out…” He tried to escape again, but Nicole told him to stay. Then she glared at me again while I tried to figure out how to form words.
“There is nothing you could possibly say that I would want to hear.” Nicole turned and started to walk toward the door. “And I really don’t have anything to say to you.”
“Please, Nicole!” I said as I finally found my voice again. “Just let me explain!”
&nbs
p; “Explain? Explain how I’ve been trashed all over school because I felt sorry for you? Explain how all any of you jocks care about is bragging to your friends about what you’ve done with which girl? I’m really not interested!”
“If you would just listen for a minute—”
“Go away!” she screeched.
“You really should at least give the boy a chance…” Sheriff Skye started to say, but the kitten claws dug into him, too.
“Are you serious?” she screeched. “This is why I left Minneapolis, Dad! Or had you forgotten that? I left because of this kind of bullshit, and now, because I tried to help this jerk, it’s all happening again!”
“Don’t swear, Nicole…”
Now I was lost. I looked back and forth between them and watched the sheriff cringe a little.
“What’s happening again?” I asked. I couldn’t have been more confused. Sheriff Skye shook his head a little.
“None of your goddamn business!” Nicole yelled at me.
She might have been yelling, but the façade was broken. I could see it in her face and focused on her eyes enough to see that they were red and swollen. She wasn’t just angry, and she wasn’t just hurt. Not by this. There was something else.
“Rumple?” I questioned. “What is it?”
“What the heck is a Rumple?” her father asked as he looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“Never mind, Dad,” Nicole said with a sigh. “I just want to go inside and make dinner.”
“Please listen to me,” I said again. “I never said anything to anyone—I swear. I spent most of yesterday in the hospital and hardly talked to anyone! It wasn’t me. Someone just saw my car parked here…”
She looked over to me with deep furrows across her brow.
“Oh my God,” she muttered, and she dropped down to the porch where I had been sitting and covered her face with her hands.
“Good luck,” Sheriff Skye mouthed to me as he slowly opened the door and slipped inside.
I walked up to her and slowly sat down on her right side. I was in completely unchartered territory here. Aside from never actually trying to comfort a girl before, I had never really apologized to one, either. I had no idea which one I should do first.
I decided to try comfort, but I didn’t really know how to accomplish that. I remembered what she had done for me and reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear.
She punched me.
“Oh fuck!” I gasped as breath left me and pain shot down my side. She didn’t actually hit my ribs, but just below was close enough.