Don't Hate the Player...Hate the Game(72)

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “And you thought you couldn’t tell me? I was your best friend, you douchebag! I had a right to know who you were in love with—not get some bullshit answer like, ‘I’ll tell you when I tell her’. I had a right to know you had some semblance of a heart. But what do you do? You hide her away like you were ashamed of her or something. What a dumbass!” The ache in my chest tightened, and I rubbed the place over my heart, trying to get rid of it.

I stepped forward. “Maddie is—amazing. She’s beautiful and sweet and kind and way too good for you! If you loved her, how could you not tell her every single day? Seriously dude, she deserved better!”

I started to stalk away, but then I stopped. I turned back as tears welled in my eyes. “Hey man, I gotta be honest. I deserved better, too.” Wiping my eyes, I added, “All those years through all your bullshit, I was by your side. Even though most of the time you treated me like crap, I was still there. When your dad was an ass, when you needed homework help, or a DD, I WAS THERE! But what about you, huh? Living some double life, going on mission trips, and volunteering and then lying about the whole damn thing! What the hell? Yeah, you were really acting like a Christian, man! WWJD, right? Well, I guarantee you Jesus wouldn’t be panty chasing and getting drunk every other night!”

I dried my eyes. “Yeah, I know what you’d say right now. What about me, huh? Yeah, I’ll admit I haven’t actually been playing fair. I’ve scammed on your girl, right? Well, it’s over. I’m telling her the truth about the ring just as soon as she wakes up. And if she wants you, I’ll walk away, man. You can have her in life and in death. But I am going to tell her how I feel. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from your death, it’s to be honest with the people you love.”

Turning on my heels, I headed down the hill to my Jeep. When I got there, I stood with my hand hovering over the door handle. I mean, what the hell was I doing here? What had possessed me to come out to the cemetery in the middle of the night to yell at Jake? Did I think he was going to talk back? I thought by confronting him in some way, I’d feel better. But I didn’t.

I shook my head and climbed inside the Jeep. Making a right out of the cemetery, I started the drive over to Jake’s house. It was almost five when I pulled into the driveway, but I didn’t care. I marched right up the steps and rang the doorbell.

The Asshole answered the door in his robe. He raised his eyebrows. “Good morning, Noah. Nice to see you up so early on a Saturday morning,” he muttered, sarcastically.

“Yeah, I know it’s early, but I need the ring.”

“Why?”

“Because I know who it belongs to.”

His expression softened. “You do?”

“Yeah, I do.”

He held open the door for me, and I stepped inside the foyer.

Mrs. Nelson appeared on the landing of the stairs. “Martin, who was at the door?”

“It’s Noah, Ev,” he replied.

She hurried down the stairs. “Is something wrong, Noah?”

“No, Mrs. Nelson. I’m sorry to wake you guys up so early, but I came by for the ring.”

“So you know who it belongs to?”

“Yes, I do.”

“Who is it?” the Asshole pressed.

I drew in a breath. I realized once I spoke the name, I couldn’t deny it or take it back. “It’s Maddie Parker,” I finally replied.

The Asshole literally gasped. “Pastor Dan’s daughter? The one who was tutoring Jake?”

“Yes.”

“That’s unbelievable.”

With a shrug, I replied, “That’s what I thought, but the more I’ve been with her, the more I see what he saw in her. The fact that he hid her away kinda goes along with the song lyrics too.”

Mrs. Nelson didn’t say anything. She appeared deep in thought. Finally, she glanced up at me. “Thank you so much, Noah. I know this wasn’t an easy undertaking.”

I wheezed out a frustrated breath. “No, it wasn’t. In fact it was pure hell.”

She gave a bark of a laugh before motioning me with her hand. “Come on up, and I’ll get it for you.”

I followed her up the stairs and then turned down the familiar hallway to Jake’s room. It was just the way it had been the last time I’d been in there. When she saw the look on my face, Mrs. Nelson smiled. “Martin wants me to pack up everything, but I just can’t. Not now.”

I merely nodded. She opened Jake’s top dresser drawer and took out the ring box. She handed it to me along with the song lyrics. It weighed much heavier in my palm than it should have.

“There’s something else I want you to take, Noah,” she said. She went over to Jake’s closet and took out a bag. “This is what he had with him at his grandparents when he was killed.” She dug among some possessions until she pulled out an ordinary notebook and handed it to me. “I think you’ll find some of the reading interesting.”

I raised my eyebrows at her. “I will?”

She nodded. “Jake was always a complicated little boy. A lot more than Jonathan or Jason. I shouldn’t be surprised that his teenage life was complicated too.”

I didn’t know what to say. She was trying to tell me something, but I was too physically tired and emotionally spent to understand. I merely bobbed my head and started toward the door.