Even though Rodeo's words are heading in the direction of Sarge’s thoughts on the matter he can't help but be pissed about them, and the irritated frown he bestows his best friend with has an intensity Rodeo rarely sees directed at himself. It plays right into his fears - or what he would call knowledge - that he is nowhere near good enough for Adelaide Hawkins. Nobody will likely ever be in her big brother's eyes, but that factoid is overlooked because it does get in the way of his guilt.
There is a lot of time to think these days, and Sarge has spent a lot of time thinking about what happened, at least when he wasn't busy fighting, and that he can't seem to pry his thoughts away from Addie is the only reason he keeps on talking, head bowed like a stubborn mule walking against the wind. It is tempting to veer of his path by asking Rodeo just how many women he thinks Sarge has kissed in the past two decades, to drive home his point. This is nothing to laugh about, this is dead serious. Sarge, who doesn't even want to talk to most women kissing someone. Well, he hasn't gotten to that part yet.
"This ain't funny. We kissed again, at the carnival. 'n after you found the heads. We talked, was gonna tell you but then the cats shit happened. So I'm tellin' you now." For some unfathomable reason he can't seem to look at his best friend while he is talking, and it occurs to him that they are in a room full of people. But it doesn't matter, at least not compared to the urge to come clean, to be honest about this. Even if it tears him apart on the inside because he knows what will happen next. "Before you kill me hear me out. Unlike others, I ain't goin' 'round kissin' everyone. You know I ain't that way. Especially not with Addie. I like her," he says, the last sentence barely audible because he is looking down as if he is waiting for the ground to open up and swallow him.