Page 154 of Fly's Path

She won’t understand me smiling now. I need to rein it in. I need to be calm and somber, not jumping for joy because I’m going to get my girl back.

Because there’s every possibility that girl is going to be on the back of my bike when all this is over. I might have found my old lady.

Stop. You’re getting ahead of yourself.

If you walk in like it’s a done deal that Lola’s going to forgive you, it’ll never happen. She will decide I’m an arrogant jerk. I am a little arrogant, but I try not to be a jerk.

Calm. You still need to get her to listen to you after two failed attempts.

That’s not going to be easier, but it’ll be easier than you trying to get her to forgive you based on a smile, and I want us to be together.

At her door, I freeze up. What if she doesn’t listen?

What if she has a three strikes you’re-out policy?

Don’t get in your head.

Just knock.

This could be all over in a few minutes.

“You’re back. They said you kept trying to get her to forgive you.” Maia stops in the hallway before the door.

“I did a bad job of it.”

She nods. “You really did. You hurt her.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

Maia tips her head to the side. “If you didn’t mean to, why did you do it?”

I stand there silently, wishing I could explain to her friends, but they haven’t been cleared. I just can’t risk my brothers’ lives on the hope that they’d be trustworthy.

“You could give me a lie, but you don’t. Why?”

“Because there’s no point in lying to you. I don’t need you to forgive me.”

Maia grins. “Very true. But I think Lola should. I have a good feeling about you. Lola, though, she’s been a good friend, but Idon’t know, there’s always something off about her. But that’s neither here nor there. You want to talk to her, not me.”

I want to hold Lola in my arms.

Maia walks up and sets a hand on my arm. “Don’t worry so much. Lola will see what’s in your heart.” Maia plucks the flowers from my hand with a grin on her face. She barely knocks on the door before it opens. “Look what Van got you.”

“Van, you came back.” Lola stares at me in complete shock.

If anything, she looks worse than she did days ago. When did she last sleep? Is she eating? Has she been going to class? “I wanted to talk to you. To explain, if you’ll let me.”

“Explain? Why now? Why wouldn’t you answer my question before?”

Because I couldn’t. “If we could talk in private, I’ll answer all your questions.”

“All of them?”

“No more secrets. No more lies.”

“Then why?” She puts her hand on her hip.

“Not here. Can we talk in private?” Somewhere without prying eyes and listening ears.