“She’s a pretty girl,” Dad said.
“Yeah, well, she’s not into me.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, kid,” Dad said sternly. Shane blinked. “I brought you up to respect girls. That’s a trait in short supply for lads your age, and it’ll make you stand out. A nice girl like Rebecca, she’ll have noticed you’re not a mindless lout.”
Yeah, Shane wanted to say. That’s why she holds my hand and lets everyone think we’re a thing. To keep the mindless louts away.
But—because he wasn’t a dick, and Rebecca had her own secrets as much as he did—he just shrugged and repeated himself. “She’s not into me.”