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Kota sways and I see who it is—Guy.

Shit.

By the time I reach the Lexus’s front end, Guy’s pulling another disappearing act, speedwalking in the opposite direction. I debate throwing the mayo/ketchup mixture at his back and ruining that ugly polo.

Instead, I ask Kota, “What’d he want?”

When I don’t get an answer, I tear my eyes off Guy to look at her. Head bowed, she doesn’t even acknowledge me.

“Silver? You okay?”

Those stupid fucking huffs must be contagious because she does one. Except hers is followed up with a punch, a real punch, right to my nose.

My head jerks back and it takes me a few seconds to right it. Goddamn.

I can’t keep the pride from my voice when I say, “Now that was a good hit.”

“Is it true?”

Kota’s face is all blotchy and wet.

Oh, fuck. That motherfucker—that whiny bitch-ass motherfucker—told her.

I try to play it off for a little bit longer.

“Yeah, your punches before were terrible.”

“Stop!”

Her scream echoes throughout the parking lot, maybe the others, too. Hell, probably even the entire stadium.

“Your hand.” I don’t have anything to ice it with but…

I step closer to her but she mimics me, taking one backward. Away from me.

No, no, no. Not yet. I need more time with her. I want more time with her. I want all of time with her.

Blood starts to trickle down my nose, but I ignore it. I have much bigger problems right now.

“Kota, what did he say to you?”

“That you stole three thousand dollars from him.”

“I didn’t—”

“He showed me! He showed me the transaction.” Her eyes hold so much disappointment in them it nearly knocks my legs out from under me.

“Listen, he gave that money to me.”

“For me, right? For my operation? That’s what he was asking, if I was okay after the operation. Imagine my fucking surprise, Khaos, to hear that I had an operation.”

Now she’s traded in disappointment for something much worse. Disgust? Hatred? What does she think about me right now? If I had to guess, something close to what I feel about me right now.

“Kota, I—”

“I can’t.” She holds up her hands like the gesture alone has the power to make me disappear as quickly as Guy just did. “I can’t listen to you. You’re a liar. A fake. A fucking fraud!”

Now I’m kinda grateful she parked in another time zone out here in fucking no-man’s-land.