Page 44 of Black Hollow: Awakening

“I don’t want to talk,” Will grumbled without looking up.

“Mhm. On a scale of one to ten, your anger at Blake is a solid… eight and a half. Yep. I’m sure of it.”

Will glared at him, irritated.

“Very funny,” he hissed.

“I know he pissed you off, but he’s right.”

“So you were listening?”

“I wasn’t listening, but I heard. That’s what happens when you have sensitive hearing.”

“And you’re standing right outside the door,” Will added sourly.

The corner of Liam’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.

“That, too.”

“He’s an asshole,” Will snarled in frustration, still struggling with his damn shoelaces.

“He is.”

“A complete asshole.”

“Mhm.”

“The worst of the worst.”

“Let’s not get carried away, there are worse.”

Liam crouched down on the step below him, sorted out the knot in about five seconds, and then neatly tied his shoe. Will turned red.

“Thanks,” he grumbled, with a hint of resentment. “That’s just what I needed. Not only am I a talentless idiot, but I’m not even a functional adult.”

Liam straightened up, looking amused.

“Let’s walk,” he suggested. “It’s cold.”

“For you, maybe,” Will assessed, eyeing him. He at least had a jacket on. Liam had come out into the freezing cold in just a hoodie.

“No, I feel fine, but you’re going to freeze your ass off, and that probably won’t be pleasant. Mr. Surfer would be devastated.”

A shadow of a smile appeared on Will’s lips. He stood up. They walked down the stairs, then headed toward the sports field.

“KC is a bad option,” Liam stated.

“I know. I got it. If someone had told me earlier, I would have reacted differently, but I had no idea.”

For a long moment, they walked in complete silence.

“How can you be friends with him?” Will finally asked. “Seriously, how do you manage to put up with him?”

“Years of getting used to it,” Liam replied with a shrug. “The longer you’re around him, the less his comments affect you. We live close to each other, so we practically grew up together.”

“Ah.” Will gave a sour smile. “So he only respects his neighbors. You and Abby.”

“Abby is more than a neighbor. They’re cousins.”