Page 108 of Burn

“You are, but we love you anyway,” Ronan says with a playful tone.

Across the ice, a garage door churns to life, and aZambonirolls out. We watch it make its first few passes in silence. For a moment, I’m just a kid, captivated by the huge machine, sitting beside my dad. Ronan and Cally track it as well. Without looking away, Ronan asks, “Still nothing?”

I take a sip of my beer. “Still nothing.”

“Have you tried to call or text her?” Cally asks.

“Nah, I promised I wouldn’t and after every fucking way I deceived and betrayed her, this is the least I can do. Stay the fuck away.”

No words are spoken, but I can feel my best friends staring at me, so I pry my eyes away from theZamboniand find them exchanging a look before returning their eyes to me.

“What?” I ask.

Cally leans back and kicks his feet up onto the seat ahead. From behind the lip of his beer, he says, “Nothing.” It’s not a nothing expression on his face. It’s an ‘I’m up to something’ face, and I lean onto my elbows and turn to face him. The mother fucker feigns innocence. “What? What’s that look for?”

Ronan has returned his eyes to the ice and refuses to look my way.

“What is going on with you two?” I demand.

Cally chuckles. “Nothing, man. It’s gonna be a great game. I just know it.”

I’ve known these two longer than I haven’t, and I know there’s something he’s not saying. I punch his thigh, hard. He drops his feet and folds over his legs. “Ah! You suck!”

“What’s up with your fucking face, Colton? Why is it gonna be a great game?”

“I invited someone,” he finally says.

Under his breath, I hear Ronan say, “Subtle.”

I glare at Cally until he continues. “I’ve, uh, been hanging out with someone.”

I wouldn’t typically press him about his love life. The guy has commitment issues and goes through women like most people go through socks, but he’s being cagey and fucking weird. Clearly, Ronan is already aware, making me wonder why the hell I’ve been left in the dark.

Tension fills the arena, robbing me of the atmosphere I love so much. “Spit it out, Cally. You’re ruining my good mood.”

“You haven’t been in a good mood in months, and if you ask nicely, I’ll tell you.” He’s goading me. He wants to get hit.

Through gritted teeth, I say, “Please tell me about the person you’re hanging out with.”

“I’ve been hanging out with Rosie.”

He says it so casually, like it’s not a massive fucking deal. I shift my eyes from him to Ronan. “You knew about this?!”

Ronan barely glances at me and shrugs. “Yeah, I knew.”

“The hooker?!” I nearly shout.

Cally stiffens, and his smile falls from his face. “Call her that again, and we’re gonna be a lot less jovial.”

I clear my throat and rub my hand over my hair. “My apologies. The ‘sex worker’?” I lift my fingers to make air quotes.

Colton Calloway looks positively livid. In all my years, I’ve never seen him get fired up over a girl. ‘Easy come, easy go’. That’s what he’s always said, but now he looks ready to throw down over my comment.

“Sorry,” I say, not wanting to fight. “My first conversation was with this one,” I point to Ronan. “And it included him telling me she was the most expensive piece of ass he’d ever had. I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this.”

Ronan turns, his eyebrows pushed high. “It was one time!”

“Come on,” I reply, glaring at him.