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Busted.
“What do you think they’re saying?” I ask, and Theo sits up in the hammock for a better view.
“Ew, Finn, I can’t believe you used a dirty sock when we ran out of condoms,”Theo says in a high-pitched voice to imitate Louise’s, and a laugh rips from my throat.
“Would you prefer I use aluminum foil next time?” I reply in a strained, deep voice to imitate Finn. Ironically, our timing is spot on, and we snicker like kindergarteners.
It occurs to me, as I watch the scene unfold, that just a few days ago, Finn was playing with Lexie in this very yard, lying with her in the sun, treating her like his whole damn universe.
And now?
He’s stamping on a cheerleader’s heart.
“How in the fuck do you go from rolling in the grass with your dog to kicking a girl to the curb?” I wonder aloud, and Theo sags back into the hammock with a breathy laugh.
“Yeah, well, that’s Finn Richards for you. Only fucking thing he loves in this world is his dog. Oh, and Remy.”
My breath gets trapped in my lungs.
“R-Remy?” My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. “Who’s that?”
A girl?
A boy?
Theo snorts. “What do you think? His car, of course.”
Ah.
“Why’d he name his car Remy?”
“I think Remy is a friend of his. Not sure who. Whoever it is must be important, though.” Theo shrugs, lifting his hand to his forehead to block the sun.
“And Lexie? What’s the story there?”
“His mom gave her to him as a gift when he was a kid. Around the same time she gave him that chain he always wears…You know, before she…” Theo pauses, the term making him uneasy.
“Drowned?” I complete.
“Yeah, that.”
So, Lexie’s the only living reminder he has of his mother?
Not to mention she made the matching chains he and Xavier Emery have worn as far as I can remember?
“Does he… ever talk about it?” I question.
“Nah, but who would? His mom’s body is rotting at the bottom of a lake, and he thinks it’s his fault. Not exactly small-talk material.”
“Why would it be his fault?” I push my luck.
Theo opens his mouth to reply but closes it again almost immediately, staring at the fight that’s gotten way worse since we last checked. Louise is in tears now, smacking her palms onto Finn’s hard chest to push him.
Theo and I exchange glances.
“Oh, it’s bad,” I state. “Really bad.”
“Here comes the slap.” Theo guides his fist to his mouth as if to brace himself. “Three, two, one—”
