Silence stretched between us.
I watched his face carefully, the tension in his jaw, the hesitation in his eyes. Something was happening behind them. Something he wasn’t saying.
Finally, he exhaled.
“Alright,” he said quietly. “You’re right. There’s more to it.”
I crossed my arms, waiting.
“I’m not like most guys,” he added.
“Clearly,” I muttered.
He glanced around the park, his eyes scanning the area as if he expected someone to be listening. When he spoke again, his voice dropped lower.
“I’m the captain of the school hockey team,” he said, “and I’m probably one of the strongest teenagers in the country.”
I stared at him.
“That’s what you’re going with?”
His expression hardened slightly.
“You asked for an explanation,” he said. “That’s the truth.”
“That is not the truth,” I re
