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Bobby grunted and flipped a page.
“So, listen, I wanted to talk to you about something,” I said.
“If this is about Andrea, I don’t want to hear it,” Bobby replied, squinting at the page he was reading as if it were the most important piece of literature he had ever come across. It annoyed the hell out of me.
“I know you’re not exactly thrilled with how much time we’re spending together,” I said. “Especially that you want her to lay low, what with Dennis and all.”
“She’s a big girl,” Bobby replied, still riveted by the book. “If she thinks she’s safe, then she’s safe. I can’t really do anything about that.”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. “But the whole safety thing isn’t what I wanted to talk to you about.”
Bobby didn’t reply and flipped another page.
“These past couple of days, I just feel like –” I started, and quickly snatched the book from his hands, frustrated at how childish he was being. “Could you at least look at me when I’m talking to you?”
Bobby glared at me, pursed his lips, then pushed himself up into a sitting position, giving me his full attention. I could see the rage boiling underneath the quiet surface. “I’m all ears,” he said through clenched teeth.
I nodded. “Like I was saying, these past couple of days, I’ve really gotten to know Andrea, you know?”
“You know she’s still married, right?” Bobby interrupted. “Crazy guy who beats her, probably driving around the state looking for her.”
I frowned. “Of course, I know that.”
“And don’t get me wrong, the guy’s a complete prick,” Bobby continued. “If I get half the chance, I’ll probably bash his face in. But he’s still her husband, and she still has a ring on her finger.”
I shook my head, confused. What the hell was he getting at?
“People here, they don’t know that, though,” Bobby explained, as if reading my mind. “I don’t share that kind of information with anyone, other than you, of course, because you’re my friend. Right?”
“I don’t –”
“So how do you think it looks when my sister’s hanging out with you all the time?” Bobby asked. “My married sister and my best friend? The guy who’s fucked half the student body at UCONN?”
“Wait, hold on,” I stopped him, a little ticked off at what he was saying. “Nothing happened between us.”
“I never suggested something did,” Bobby said. “I don’t think either of you would be that stupid. I can’t speak for everyone else.”
“Since when did you care about what everyone else thought?”
“Since she called me in the middle of the night, crying and scared shitless, running away from home,” Bobby snapped. “I can’t keep my eyes on her 24/7. I need the support system that is this town. Do you think I’ll get that when they think my sister’s out having a good time while her husband’s not around?”
“Dude, seriously, I think you’re overeating about –”
“And what about Crazy Hannah?” Bobby interrupted me again. I pursed my lips, holding back my anger at being scolded like a child. “You know, the maniac who threatened to cut off your cock if she caught you in bed with another woman? She sees you with Andrea, and then what? I’m supposed to worry that she might run my sister over at the first chance she catches her crossing the street?”
“
Hey, can you calm down,” I shot back. “I ended things with Hannah yesterday. Besides, crazy bitch is my problem, not yours.”
“Like hell,” Bobby yelled. “I asked you to watch her for a day. Her first day. Not encourage whatever the hell she thinks she’s doing.”
“I have no idea what’s gotten into you,” I said, his reactions driving me up the wall. Usually Bobby had a pretty good head on his shoulders, and worrying about what people thought, and what Hannah might or might not do, was unlike him. “Listen, I just came here to tell you that I’m really starting to like Andrea, and I think the feeling’s mutual. I just wanted to make sure that you’d be on board with it, but obviously, that’s not going to happen.”
“Of course, it’s not going to happen!” Bobby stood up, furious. “How the hell did you expect me to be okay with that?”
“Because of what people would think?” I asked. “Really? I would have expected –”
“Because of you, you jackass!” Bobby cut in. “I don’t want her hanging out with you!”
