Page 29 of The Devastation You Reap

"You already know me so well, Red."

"Where are we going?" I ask, realizing that we've passed all the restaurants, the movie theater, and the arcade. I'm not sure where else he could take me.

"You'll just have to wait and see. Pretty sure you're going to like it."

"Verdict's still out as to whether I'm regretting getting in this car again."

"I thought I'd been pretty polite."

"Hmm…"

"So why MKU then, Red?" he asks, making my heart jump into my throat. I really, really don't want to have to talk about me or my past.

"My mom studied here. I always wanted to follow in her footsteps."

"Nice."

"What about you?"

"Obvious, isn't it?"

"Football," I mutter.

“My twin brother, Luca, and I have pretty much had our entire lives mapped out for us by our father."

"That sounds… restrictive."

"Like you wouldn't believe."

"You enjoy it though?"

"The game? Yeah. It's all I know. My entire life has been about football and making the NFL. If I didn't have it, I'd have no idea what I'd do, who I'd be."

"It's nice to have something you care about so much," I mutter, feeling sad that I've never really had that. My biggest focus has always been just surviving.

"You have any hobbies?"

"Er… reading, I guess. I've never really been the type to enjoy organized activities."

"Well, you sure make them sound like fun, putting it like that."

"I'm not really a team player. I've always been better at doing things alone."

He glances over at me, an understanding I wasn't expecting flashing in his eyes.

"That's a damn shame, Red. There's a lot of fun to be had with others."

"I'm sure. Seriously, where are we going?" I ask when he suddenly takes a right down a dark dirt road that's enclosed on either side by low-hanging trees.

"Worried you're about to meet your untimely death?" he asks with a smirk.

My heart rate increases until I can feel it in every inch of my body.

"I wasn't but I am now. What the hell, Leon?"

"Just wait. I think you're going to like it."

He continues forward, his pristine BMW bouncing into all the muddy potholes, branches scraping down the sides as the road gets narrower.