Chapter 47

“You can look,” Archie said.

“No, I can’t.” I stared at the wall.

It was a night of tragedy, however, just like the last time Dougie had tried to get me to kiss him and when Archie had tried to surprise me on Valentine’s Day. Whether mandated by decency or anxiety, romantic thoughts were fleeting. All I really wanted to do was offer comfort.

“Justice, you can turn around, now.”

I started to, but was stopped by a phrase of all things, that phrase being “Fool me twice, shame on me.”

I snatched up his shorts from the bank and turned away. “Here. Put these on.”

He took them. I waited.

“Okay, look,” he said.

“Damn it!”

 “Justice…?”

Like the scratch of a needle pulled across an LP, another outdated reference I was glad flashed only in my mind, the recollection came to a halt.

“I’m just…”

“Just what?”