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“Jake, I mean it. Guys like Troy are dangerous. You don’t fuck with them, and you definitely don’t fuck their girlfriend. I know you like this girl, but if she cares about you at all, she won’t be with you until she’s ended it with Troy. If she’s dating him, she knows what he’s capable of and won’t want to put you at risk.”
“He’s not going to do anything to me. And if he tried, I can defend myself. I’m bigger than him and in better shape.”
“Muscles can’t beat a gun, and I’m sure that Troy has one, or more than one.”
“I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“There are plenty of girls you could go out with. It doesn’t have to be her.”
“I gotta go. Bye, Dean.” I end the call, annoyed that he keeps treating me like a kid. I know Troy better than Dean does, and he’s not going to shoot me for hanging out with his girlfriend. Even if he found out I slept with her, he’s not going to kill me. He’d fight me, but I’d win. I’m stronger than him. And I’m taller, and more filled out. Troy is scrawny and weak from living on cigarettes and hard liquor, and I’m sure he does drugs, although I don’t know which ones. The point is, if he tried to fight me, I’d come out ahead.
“Hey,” Tara says, greeting me with a hug.
I don’t hug her back, and when she goes to kiss me, I turn away.
“What’s wrong?” she asks as I go into her apartment. “Are you mad at me?”
“I don’t know what I’m feeling. I guess I’m just annoyed that you’re still with Troy after what we did yesterday.”
“I told you I didn’t go see him.”
“Yeah, but you made up that story about the bus. Why didn’t you just tell him the truth? Why won’t you break up with him?”
“If you’re only here to talk about Troy, then you might as well leave.”
“That’s not why I’m here. I wanted to see you. I missed you.”
She smiles a little. “I missed you too.”
I walk over to her and hug her, unable to stay mad at her when I’m looking at that smile. She really gets to me. It’s like I lose control of my brain when she’s around and can’t think straight.
“I can’t stay long,” I say. “So I don’t want to spend what little time we have fighting.”
“What do you want to do?” she asks in a flirty tone.
She knows the answer, and as much as I want that, I think we should wait.
“Tara, I—”
“I know.” She pulls away from me and goes to the kitchen. “You don’t want to be with me when I’m still with Troy.”
I walk over to her. “Do you blame me? Troy’s a friend. Not a good one, but he’s still a friend. It’s bad enough you’re with some other guy, but it’s even worse when it’s a guy I know.”
She opens the fridge. “So you just want to be friends. Is that what you’re saying?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” I take the fridge door from her and shut it. “I want a relationship with you. A realrelationship, not just sex. But we can’t have that when you’re still dating Troy.”
“I told you I need time. I can’t just go over there and end it.”
“Which I don’t understand. Why do you need time? Are you still in love with him?”
“I’m not in love with him. I never was.”
“Then what’s the issue? Why do you need time to break up with him?”
She walks away from me and opens a cupboard. “I don’t have anything to make. I need to go to the store.”
“So that’s it? We’re done talking about this?”
