Page 198 of The Way the Heart Breaks: Jade’s Story

He nods his head up and down slowly. "Yep."

"Why do you have to be such a dick?" I say, clenching my fist.

He exhales a long breath and shakes his head. "Could you just tell me what you need me to fix? I'd like to head home after I return these chains."

"So, yes, but you have to promise me you're not going to say anything to Alex." I hold out my pinky. "You gotta swear it, Ry."

He rolls his eyes as he hooks his pinky around mine and gives it a firm shake.

I turn toward the sky and yell, "Lucas Links is such a fucking dick!"

God, it feels so good to do that.

He doesn't say anything as I look at him. He just waits.

"Jade, come on now. There isn't a damn thing I'm gonna do about Lucas Links being a dick."

"Well, maybe not, because you guys have to win tomorrow. Because it's Homecoming, and it's our senior year, and you just have to, okay?"

He nods once.

"If you have a date for tomorrow night, you have to cancel on her."

He cocks his head to the side. "Excuse me?"

"I know you're not dating anyone, like seriously, so it's not like it's gonna be like, oh, no, will we break up. One of your little fuck buddies from IC or Cortland can handle you breaking things off for one night so that you can take Tessa to the dance."

He looks at me like I'm stupid. "You want me to take Tessa Ross to Homecoming because Lucas Links is a dick?"

I nod once, just like he does, hoping it earns me some favor.

"I've got fuck buddies, not dating anyone specifically, who live in Cortland, Lansing, and Ithaca?"

"Oh my God, just do this for her. It's not like I can ask Alex to ditch Phoebe." I scratch my head. "Actually, you could take Phoebe to the dance if you're so, oh no, I can’t take a Ross girl, and Alex could take his sister. And taking your sister, it could become a thing."

"I don't know what Tiger Beat, Teen Beat, whatever those girly magazines you read are telling you, but I want you to understand incest is never gonna become a thing."

"Ugggg, Ry, this is serious. It is Tessa's senior year. Lucas Links is a dick."

"We've established that Lucas Links is a dick."

"Ry, our friend needs you."

He scratches his head and lets out a long sigh. "I'm working after the game tomorrow. No plans to go to this fucking Homecoming bullshit. They're not saying I'm gonna ask Tessa if the date to go to Homecoming, but I'll let Alex know that if she feels weird about walking in alone, I'll walk in with her." He pauses. "But what you’re asking here, yeah, Links is a dick, but he's head up his ass about her, and we have a whole fucking season to deal with that shit. You made me be nice to these fuckers, and now you want me to rile shit up."

I stare at him. "Yes."

He shakes his head, walking to the shop, log chain over his shoulder. "The fuck Jade, make incest a thing?”

Okay, yeah, that was a stretch, but hey, Tessa can have pictures with a hot guy too.

Shit, “Ry?”

He looks back. “You got a suit?”

“Yeah Jade, I got a suit.”

“Perfect.”