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“It’s your town,” he says.
The funny-not-ha-ha thing is that two hours ago, he was nervous about meeting Ryan’s friends. But with the possible exception of Staring Dez, they were all pretty cool, and certainly welcoming.
It’s Ryan who’s the problem.
“Do you mind if we go back to Footer’s? I just want to drive past, to see if they’re still there.”
Avery wants to say that, yes, he does mind. But what will that get him, really? He silently complies as Ryan tells him to turn left, to turn right.
There it is again. The abandoned mini-golf course.
The truck is gone.
Avery can’t tell if Ryan is disappointed or relieved. Maybe both.
“I think I know where they might be,” he says. He tells Avery to pull out and make a left.
Avery makes it through two green lights. When a redlight stops them at the third intersection and Ryan says to take another left, Avery decides he’s neither going to give in nor give up. He’s going to give Ryan one last chance.
Instead of turning left, Avery shifts to the right lane and makes a right turn, pulling over into the parking lot of a law office.
“What are you doing?” Ryan asks.
If this is going to work, Avery knows, he has to be able to tell the truth.
So he tells the truth.
“You’re ruining it,” he says. “You have to stop now before you ruin it completely.”
“Ruining it?” Ryan says. When he starts the first word, Avery can see he genuinely doesn’t understand what Avery means. But by the time he hits the question mark, he does. So before Avery can reply, he says, “Oh. Yeah.”
“I want to get the day back,” Avery tells him.
“I wasn’t the one who took it away,” Ryan flatly replies.
I know that,Avery could say. They could get into a whole conversation about right and wrong, about fairness and anger. But Avery doesn’t owe Ryan that conversation. Not at this point. Not yet. No, Avery needs the coil to unwind itself. Because if it doesn’t this time, he knows it won’t for all the other times ahead.
So all he says is “Please.” To Ryan. To the universe.
The word hangs in the air, as if it’s been rung on a bell.
Ryan hears it. He takes it in. Then he knocks the backof his head into the passenger seat’s headrest. After a few knocks, he turns and looks Avery in the eye.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “Truly, I’m sorry. I’m such a dick.”
Better,Avery thinks.
“It’s okay,” he says. “We haven’t passed the point of no return.”
Ryan shakes his head. “Yeah, but I almost put us there, didn’t I?” His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he takes it out. When he sees the screen, he laughs. He shows it to Avery—a text from Alicia.
You’re fucking this up, boy. Don’t be a dick.
“Guess she liked you,” Ryan says.
“I liked her,” Avery says. “All of them.”
“Even Dez?”
