The Scumbag's Guide To Heroism novel Chapter 225

Chapter 225: 225 | The Metaphorical Smoke

I processed this for a moment. The ceiling was still there, still white, still completely unhelpful. But somehow the room felt less oppressive than it had a few minutes ago.

"I think my instructor hates me."

"Does she hate you specifically or does she hate underperformance generally?"

"The second one, probably. But she’s definitely noticed that I’m not showing everything I can do."

"Good instructors notice. That’s what makes them good. The question is what she does with what she notices. If she pushes you harder, that’s a gift even if it doesn’t feel like one. If she writes you off, that’s useful information about her limitations."

"She said she’s going to push me harder than anyone else."

"Then she sees something worth pushing. Take the compliment, sugar."

I hadn’t thought about it that way. Steele’s confrontation had felt like a threat at the time. A warning that my carefully constructed facade was going to crack under professional scrutiny. But Diane was right. Steele had essentially told me that she thought I was worth the extra effort.

"What about the girls?"

"What about them?"

"Sloane and Felicity. The whole friendship negotiation thing. I don’t understand how that works."

Diane laughed. A warm, genuine sound that made me smile despite the confusion I was expressing.

"You’re not supposed to understand it, sugar. Female friendship operates on wavelengths that men are fundamentally incapable of receiving. Two women can meet for the first time, have a conversation that sounds like a polite threat exchange, and walk away as best friends without either of them being able to explain how it happened."

"That doesn’t help me."

"It’s not supposed to help you. It’s supposed to reassure you that the confusion you’re feeling is normal and that trying to understand it will only make things worse. Your job is to stay out of the way and not do anything stupid that makes either of them regret the arrangement they’ve come to."

"So do nothing."

"Do nothing that involves the situation between them. Continue doing normal things that involve each of them individually. Be a good boyfriend to Sloane. Be a good friend to Felicity. Let them sort out what their relationship with each other looks like without your input."

"And if they start fighting?"

"Run. Literally run. Find somewhere else to be and don’t come back until the smoke has cleared. Metaphorical smoke in most cases, but with Sloane I suppose it could be literal."

I snorted. "She wouldn’t actually set Felicity on fire."

"She wouldn’t set her on fire permanently. But a little singeing? A small warning flame to establish territorial boundaries? I wouldn’t rule it out. That girl runs hot in every sense of the word."

The conversation was winding down. I could feel it in the rhythm of Diane’s responses, the way her pauses had gotten slightly longer. She was probably tired too. Running an agency and managing clients and doing whatever mysterious things she did to keep the Fitzgerald empire functional.

"I should let you go."

"You should come visit soon. The house is too quiet without you and Sloane banging around and making messes I have to pretend to be upset about."

"It’s only been a few days."

"It feels longer. Time moves differently when your nest is empty."

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