“I’m not saying I blame you.” He clenched his fist around his metal coffee cup. “Go ahead and get out as soon as you possibly can. I would if I were able to blend in with normal fucking people.”
“That’s not even…” She started to contradict him, but he cut her off.
“Let's not kid ourselves acting like we're going to be friends or something.” He tossed the rest of his coffee onto the ground before storming off toward the meat-shed.
“I'm sorry about that.” Vincent continued serenely, turning the spit. “He shouldn't be taking out his abandonment issues on you.”
“Is he always like this?” She rubbed her forehead.
“When I was first getting to know him,” Vincent shrugged, “yeah, he was always kind of a prickly critter. It’s not all his fault.”
“I have to hand it to the guy. He doesn't tolerate any bullshit.” Jillian rubbed her arms. She could almost feel the sun dip below the mountain range.
“Yeah, he is one of the realist people you will ever meet.” Vincent shook his head with a nostalgic smile. “I like to look back and see how far he’s come. But there are some things I don’t think will ever change.”
“I wouldn’t want him to change.” Jillian picked up a stick and poked the logs on the fire. “I'd still like to get to know him, even if I don't plan on staying here forever. He seems like a cool guy when he's not being a moody butthead.”
“Yeah, he's not the easiest guy to get to know.” Vincent laughed softly. “But he's grown into a good man.”
“Excuse me really quick.” Jillian stood up.
“You should let it go.” Vincent sighed. “He walks away when he needs space.”
“I promise I won’t instigate anything.” She walked off. “But I owe him an apology.” Jillian stood and headed back toward the meat shed. This time she didn't go inside after knocking.
“You don’t know how to take a hint, do you?” The door swung open.
“Don’t be mean.” She held her hands up. “I can see you have a different way of interacting with people, which is cool. I didn't realize that small talk was a trigger for you.”
“It's not a trigger for anything.” He huffed. “It’s stupid. What's the point?”
“Is it so hard to believe that I want to get to know you?” She folded her arms, twisting her torso with a playful smile.
“God, people are all the same!” He paced away from the door, only to come right back. “I should have been able to tell by looking at you. You and your perfectly bleached blond hair and your manicured fingernails and expensive-ass jeans. You know those cost enough to feed a small country?”
“Hey!” She furrowed her brow at him.
“You show up here and crash into our lives, and on top of turning everything upside down, you want some superficial conversation to pass the time. Well, that’s more Conner’s department. So, if you can leave me alone until you actually have something to say…” He stopped ranting long enough to see Jillian looking down at her feet. He let out a heavy sigh. “Look, I’m not a nice person, okay. I didn’t mean all that.”
“No,” she sniffed and shook her head, “it only hurts because it’s true. Well, this is my natural hair color, but pretty much everything else was true. My life is full of fake people and superficial conversations. I wish I could say you’re wrong about me, but…”
“No,” he put his hands on her shoulders, “I was a dick. If I were really so far above all that superficial bullshit, I wouldn’t have passed judgment on you based on how you look, even though you do remind me of the mean girl from every teen drama I’ve ever seen.”
“Does that mean you think I’m pretty?” She smirked with a sniffle, and he arched an eyebrow. “I’m kidding.” She nudged him, and he cracked a smile.
“Don’t take it personally. I’m a jerk to everyone.” He shook his head. “I don't like to put energy into relationships with people when I know they’re not going to stick around.”
“A friendship doesn't have to last forever to be meaningful, you know.” She put her hand on his arm, and the energy in the air shifted. His eyes gave off an amber sheen in the twilight. “My friend Elaina goes on these Buddhist retreats where she learned about impermanence …” She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, realizing that she was doing it again.
“What?” He smiled.
“You know what, never mind. You're right; this is stupid.” She let go of him and turned around, muttering under her breath.
“No.” He frowned. “Wait.”
“I'm sorry for bothering you.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie.
“Wait!” He reached out and grabbed her arm. “I never met my real parents.”
Jillian blinked, turning around slowly to face him. Finn stood as tall as he could, taking a deep breath as if working up the courage to finish his story.
“I grew up in the foster system.” He glanced downward. “That meant I had a lot of families, most of which weren't good. When I was thirteen, I ran away and spent almost a year on the streets picking pockets and shoplifting.”
“Finn.” She took his hand.
“Then one night I picked the wrong pocket, snatched a watch that cost more than most people make in a year. The guy and his security detail caught up to me and dragged me into an alley between this pawn shop and a sleazy hotel.” His eyes drifted downward, and he stopped talking for a few seconds.
“You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.” She pulled him in for a
