Chapter 46

—J

The best? That’s what he wished me? Coulda fucking fooled me. Buy him out? The sound of Thumper clacking away at the keys of Mikey’s computer receded into the same red fog that blurred my vision. I steadied myself against the desk so as not to collapse atop it.

* * * *

“Thumper?” I was lying next to him in our accommodations, staring at the canopy over us, feeling sorrier for myself than I had in days; which was saying something. I could tell by his breathing—and by the fact that he hadn’t set about his nightly fart agenda—that he wasn’t asleep either.

At least not totally. I waited fifteen seconds for his, “Huh?”

“Are you awake?”

“Huh-uh,” he grumbled.

Too bad. “How did things end with you and Jeremy?” I asked.

He waited so long to answer that I had actually given him up for asleep.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, did you see it coming? Did you really think there was something between you, or were you just fucking around?”

“Are you sure you want to talk about this?”