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“I notice you’re not denying anything.”

“Fuck you, Jared,” Brent said, standing up and walking away from me. “If you were a good friend, I’d have told you everything that was going on in my life, including what was happening with my business.”

“Okay, if you really do have a business, what is it?” I demanded.

“None of your fucking business,” he yelled, walking further away.

Incensed, I couldn’t stop myself from calling out after him. “Grow the fuck up, Brent. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to hold down a job.”

His response was to flip me the finger without even turning around. He walked right out of the court, turned the corner, and was gone. I sighed, realizing that Rachel had asked me to find out why her brother was so upset lately. I was pretty sure I had brought his mood down even more.

I was contemplating going after him and trying to get him to talk to me calmly, but I got a message on my phone and got distracted.

“I miss you,” Rachel wrote. “Can’t wait to see you tonight.”

And instantly, the rest of the world fell away, and I felt better.