Page 71 of The Score We Never Settled

“And that’s somethin’ I’ve always triednotto do.”

He’s silent for a few seconds when he mutters, “You know you just ruined this for yourself, right, Short Stop. He’s gonna tell the town.”

Yeah.

I know.

But it’s finally come to a head. No longer can he taunt Briggs. I shut down his vague stories of Cruz and me being so much more because it was the only thing he had.

Me.

Now, I took away his ammo.

“He won’t be botherin’ you anymore,” I say instead, straightening my head, and stare straight into his chest. “You can keep yourself out of trouble now.”

“I have been. You said two hits, then it’s full-on.”

“But you’ve been waiting four.” I steal another look at him. “Double the amount.”

“My girl doesn’t like me fightin’. So, I give him extra.”

“You’re going to get yourselfhurt.”

Briggs huffs out a sound of arrogance. “I don’t think so, Short Stop. He swings like a bitch. You hit better than him.”

“I’ve never hit anyone.”

“You smacked me upside the head once when I told you I dyed Willowmere’s Pond red.”

“Because the whole town thought there was adeadbody in there,” I yell-whisper with a scowl. “Are you crazy?”

“Maybe,” he says without any remorse. “But then you laughed.”

I roll my eyes and avert my gaze, immediately wanting to stop the smile that wants to revisit that conversation. “You’re a menace.”

“Now, you sound like your Uncle Ben.”

Rude as hell.

Honestly.

However, I don’t continue on the back and forth. I just wait for the song to be over, but with each step and rock of Briggs taking the lead, it begins to dematerialize into thin air.

“You still love me, Short Stop?”

The question triggers me because he had to ask it. It trickles down and eats away at me because I’m a lot of the reason why we’re here.

I am.

Fake-dating Cruz.

Not fighting against my Uncle Ben’s prejudice against him.

Potentially leading Briggs into believing I was going to tell him and be done with this secret stuff, but I didn’t.

I kept it moving the way we were.

I married him, and I wanted to, but Briggs continued to hold on, waiting for the time he could finally be normal about it with his wife.