Page 181 of Forgotten Rules (Rules 4)

“What?” he snaps.

Slightly trembling, she has the audacity to ask, “Do you have it? The m-money?”

Wow.

“Are you kidding me?” he hisses. “That’s what you care about right now?”

“Of course not. Y-you know I love you, baby. So much,” she backpedals. “But I need it. I’ll pay you back when I find work. Please just… give it to me.”

He huffs a scoff.

Climbs inside the car.

And speeds away.

We spend the rest of the day driving around, listening to music and pretending like our “lunch” with his mom didn’t go to hell. I don’t bring up what happened once, talking about anything but the elephant in the room. Will seems to appreciate it, entertaining my drivel without hesitation.

The sun is setting by the time Will drives us up the hill he first took me when he came back into town, snatching a parking spot that’s the equivalent of a front-row seat to Mother Nature’s show. He kills the ignition, leaving the radio on and keeping quiet for a while.

“Do you see it now?” he eventually breathes out.

“See what?”

“Why I didn’t want to bring you into this?”

Pain spreads through my rib cage.

“Jesus, your first time meeting my mom and she…” He throws his head back against the headrest. “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.”

He can’t imagine what I must think of him?

“I’ll tell you what I think.”

I unbuckle my seat belt, propping my foot up on the seat and hugging my knee to my chest.

“I think you’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

“Right,” he scoffs.

“It’s true. I think you were dealt a shit hand in life, and you did the best you could with what you had.”

He once told me he didn’t want me to look at him like he was broken. What he doesn’t know is…

I’ve yet to meet someone who isn’t.

“Listen to me.” I snatch his hand into mine. “You’re insane if you think this could ever, in a hundred lifetimes, make me look at you differently. Are we clear?”

He stares blankly ahead of him, drawing small circles on the inside of my hand with his finger.

“Are we clear?” I press.

He doesn’t give me words.

But he gives me a nod.

Small victories.

“Can I ask who that guy was?” I change the topic.