Chapter 30

“Why are you sitting in the dark, Jack?” he asked, closing the door behind him.

“Because if I look into your eyes, I won’t be able to do what I have to do.”

He sighed. He sighed and my entire body shook. “I saw it coming, Jack. I saw it coming, but ignored it just the same.”

“It’s not the right time,” I said, staring into the darkness.

“With you and me, it never seems to be. Not in high school, not now.” He moved closer toward the bed. I could feel him standing before me. I could smell my dad’s gin on him. “Promise me one thing, though.”

I could actually feel my chest clenching around my heart. Bing, I kept saying to myself inside my head. Bing. Bing. Bing. That was my mantra now. “You want me to promise that I’ll give this a try, us a try, if I can’t find Bing. Or if Bing is…well, you know.”

“Yes,” he said.

“My friend Monroe told me that if you and I were meant to be, then we’ll be,” I said. “That’s as much of a promise as I think I can make. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”