***

Since Drew wasn’t from around the area, Hector chose where they ate, keeping it simple: a deli near 5th Street where many of the boxers and trainers ate. Even though it was lunchtime and they’d be busy, there’d be plenty of room to sit and still have some privacy because the place was huge.

Drew ate silently, listening to Hector tell her all about his bully friends in high school. He tried to read her, make out what she might be thinking as he told her everything: the continual harassment of Walter, the robot, and Walter dropping out of school.

It wasn’t until he told about all the times he spent searching for anything about Walter on the internet, even after he’d graduated, that he realized just how obsessed he’d been about the whole thing. Looking back now, seeing three guys beat up on one guy was enough to make Hector jump to try and help out. But realizing who it was on the ground was what really made Hector deliver that knockout punch the way he had. Not only had it been an enormous relief to know Walter wasn’t dead but not having punched A.J or Theo out the day they took his robot or at least forced them to give it back was now one of his biggest regrets. That punch had a lot of weight on it. It had months and months of Hector lying awake late at night, wondering if he could’ve possibly played a part in Walter’s demise.

He’d even begun to wonder, since he hadn’t found anything on the web about Walter’s suicide, if maybe one day Walter would turn into one of those crazy dudes. Because of all the shit he’d been put through in high school, maybe one day he’d snap the way they did and do something crazy like shoot up a mall or school or something. Hector heard these stories on the news all the time. These guys were f**ked up in the head to do stuff like that.

Hector remembered how, for a second, Walter had snapped and gone off on him then suddenly came back to reality and appeared stunned that he’d told Hector off. So many times when Hector had watched the news of these kinds of tragedies, he wondered what had driven them to it. Where had the anger all begun? And every single time, he had the nagging reminder in his head that maybe one day he’d be responsible or partially anyway for another bitter and tortured soul doing something similar.

As often as Hector had gotten lost in his thoughts while he explained to Drew just why he felt so strongly about not betraying Walter yet again, he noticed she’d repeatedly looked as if she were lost in her own thoughts.

By the time he was done, she was chewing on the corner of her lip and appeared to be trying to put it all together.

“So if Walter were out of the picture, you’d have no reservations about giving up all your little girlfriends to try something different with Charlee?”

Hector wiped his mouth with his napkin and sat back in his seat. Of all the things Drew could’ve said about everything he’d just laid on her, this was the only thing she got from it? From her expression, he could tell she had an idea, but he didn’t like it already. He’d gone over all the possibilities, and the main reason he couldn’t tell Charlee his real grounds for not being able to offer her more was this: the last thing he needed was for Charlee or Drew to tell Walter that Hector was the reason he didn’t have a chance with Charlee.

If either of them thought that’s how easy it would be, they were wrong on so many levels. There was no way Hector would chance Walter dropping out of the chess team or even school again to spare himself having to see Hector and Charlee together. Hector had enough on his conscience already. And keeping his relationship with Charlee a secret was out of the question too. If Charlee were ever to become his girl, Hector would make sure everybody, including that ass**le on campus that was still trying to talk to her, knew it.

“What do you mean if Walter were out of the picture? How do you propose that would happen?”

She lifted her chin. “You answer the question first. Would you be willing to depart from your swinging bachelor life to try something a little more profound with Charlee?”

Hector stared at Drew now. She also had blue eyes, and while he supposed some might think them pretty, they were nowhere near as breathtaking as Charlee’s. Most importantly, with what he felt when he looked into Charlee’s eyes, they may as well be transparent. It wasn’t even about the color or how big her eyes were anymore. It was about what they did to him. He had to close his eyes for a moment. Hell, yeah, he’d be willing to give it all up for a chance with her, but . . . He opened his eyes and frowned.

“It’s impossible, but,” he shrugged, “sure, I’d be willing. I just don’t see how—”

She waved her hand in the air before he could finish. “Where there’s a will there’s a way. I have an idea already,” she leaned forward, lifting her brow and gave him a heavy dose of that hairy eyeball she’d brought out earlier, “if you promise me that you’re serious about this and you won’t dare break her heart or toy with her, Hector. I mean it. So help me you’ll have me to deal with, and trust me you don’t want that.” Drew paused, apparently waiting for him to respond to that before going on.

Hector almost smiled at the determination in her eyes. As delicate and small as this little girl was compared to him, he had no doubt she’d come after him with a vengeance if he ever hurt her friend—again. “I need to hear what this idea is before I agree to anything.”

He couldn’t even imagine what it could be. He’d had weeks to ponder this, and there was no way, not without Walter feeling betrayed again.