To Adam With Love--A Gray Zone Novel

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 13

It didn't surprise Adam that Craige laughed. It didn't even surprise him when Jamie joined in. But Brian?

Adam hated to admit it, but everyone was right. His mother, Batu, Ean. He did not belong here with people like this. Adam turned and cut across the blacktop and out of the park. He knew Ean would head through the woods and take the footpath. But he wouldn't go home. Oh no, not looking like he did. Batu would have a fit if he saw Ean bloodied up.

Then the big Male would want to hunt down and kill whoever had done it.

Adam stepped through the gate and passed under the heavy-leafed oak trees. Beneath the foliage, Brian closed in.

"Wait a minute."

Adam didn't want to wait. He yanked away from Brian and kept going.

"Adam...."

"Piss off, Brian."

"I can't believe you're mad."

Adam turned around. Brian couldn't believe he was mad? What the hell?

Brian's eyes went wide. "Jesus, you're seriously pissed."

"Wow, you're just now picking up on that?"

"No, I mean...." Brian ran a hand through his short, spiky hair. "I've never seen you pissed. You're seriously... pissed." Adam didn't know what was worse, the fact that Brian was surprised or the fact that he had the nerve to make it a question.

"What the hell do you expect me to be, Brian? Huh? Craige smashed Ean in the face with a basketball. All because he beat him at a stupid game of one-on-one. Worse than that, you laughed." Adam turned to walk away. It was either walk or start hitting something.

It didn't take very long for Brian to catch up again.

"Why do you care?"

Why. Did. He. Care.

Adam stopped. Again.

He was at the edge of the green space now, where the trees were thick and the shadows thicker. This far away from the courts, Craige and Jamie could no longer see them. Better yet, they couldn't hear them.

Adam pegged Brian with a glare. "Ean's my friend, Brian. My very best friend." They were close in ways Brian and his friends could never understand, ways Adam was only just starting to appreciate. Looking back on the past six months and where he'd been spending most of his time, Adam couldn't help but be in awe that Ean still wanted to hang around him.

Still wanted to keep him.

"Adam...." Brian's hand closed around his wrist. "You don't need Ean. You're better than him. You can do better than him."

For whatever reason, that made Adam ask, "Why did you tell them?" Brian's eyebrows came together. "About the rocks and flowers he leaves on my window. Why did you tell them?"

"I don't know." Brian shrugged. "It's weird, that's all."

"You knew they would rag me about it."

"I didn't mean—"

"You meant something, or else you wouldn't have told them." Adam turned away and headed toward the green space. Halfway up the hill, Brian was at his heels.

Brian said, "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For telling them?"