Page 53 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“Well… Hmm… Let’s say… I’m sitting here in just a latex thong,” Will said after a moment’s thought, and then laughed at the absurdity of the statement.

“Ooh… Latex,” Oscar repeated, clearly suppressing a laugh. “Does it have that… hole in the front?”

“The hole is in the back, Oscar. That’s just how men are made.”

“Really?” Oscar feigned surprise.

“Yep.”

“I had no idea!”

“Come over, I’ll show you.”

Oscar said something back, but at that moment, the sound of a slamming door echoed through the house, and Will stopped listening.

“Sorry, I have to go,” he said into his phone. “I’ll call you back later.”

He hung up and got to his feet. Danny must have been in the kitchen, because now loud bangs were coming from there. Will wasn’t sure if their ancient cabinets could take that kind of treatment, so he went there quickly.

“Danny, is everything okay?” he asked with concern.

Dan didn’t just seem upset. He was furious and hurt.

“The guy turned out to be an asshole?” Will asked quietly.

“You’re the asshole, Will!” Dan exclaimed unexpectedly, turning toward him.

“Excuse me?” Will whispered, taken aback by the sudden outburst.

“Will, Will, Will!” Danny hissed. Tears glistened in his eyes. “Lately, everything revolves around you. Everyone’s talking about you. And guess what! Even the guy I went out with wanted to talk only about you.”

Will felt a knot of anxiety tighten in his stomach.

“Who did you go out with?” he asked nervously.

Dan didn’t answer. He strode past him.

“Danny!” Will ran after him out of the kitchen. “Who did you go out with?”

“What does it matter?” Danny stopped halfway up the stairs. “It didn’t work out! Nothing ever works out, as usual, because of you! Poor Willy, no parents, but with a huge house and a pile of cash. Poor Willy, who whines because the guy who’s totally out of his league isn’t giving him as much attention as he’d like. Poor Willy, who always plays the victim, even though he’s the one blowing off his best friend for a bunch of losers!”

Will was in shock. He realized something he hadn’t noticed before. Danny wasn’t just mad about his secrets, about Liam, Blake, the internship, and this whole screwed-up situation. That was just the trigger. He’d been resentful of him even before that. An irrational, senseless resentment.

And Will knew then that he couldn’t expose either of them to this risk any longer.

“Danny. You have to leave,” he said quietly.

“With pleasure,” Danny hissed.

“You don’t understand.” Will followed him. “You have to move out.”

Dan froze. He turned around, pale as a sheet.

“What?” he asked weakly.

“You can’t stay here,” Will said, forcing a firm tone.

“What are you talking about?”