Текст книги "Addiction"
Автор книги: Shantel Tessier
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ADDICTION
A Seven Deadly Sins novel: Book one
By Shantel Tessier
ADDICTION
Copyright © 2015 by Shantel Tessier
All rights reserved.
Editing by Jenny Sims of Editing4Indies
Cover design by Sommer Stein at Perfect Pear Creative
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For more information about the author and her books, visit her website– www.shanteltessierauthor.com. You can sign up for her newsletter on her website or you can click on the link below. The newsletter is the only place to get exclusive teasers, first to know about current projects and release dates. And also have chances to win some amazing giveaways– http://goo.gl/4wd9CV
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION
PROLOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
EPILOGUE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all those affected by addiction.
If you know someone who needs help, please contact the addiction hotline at 877-449-3618
“Addiction isn't about substance – you aren't addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings.”
~Susan Cheever
PROLOGUE
TAYLOR
My loud ringing phone wakes me, and I startle to a sitting position in bed as I dig around in the dark trying to locate it. The urgency to find it to shut the thing off has me forgetting where I last had it before I fell asleep. The ringing seems to grow louder as it continues, and I let out a cuss as my eyes try to adjust to the darkness. Shoving the covers off my body, I lean over and flip on my bedside lamp. I squint at the bright light as my phone rings one more time, and I see it has fallen onto my pink rug. I fumble out of bed to pick it up before it can ring again, not wanting the noise to wake up my brother and best friend in the other room.
“Hello?” my voice rasps as I rub my sleepy eyes. I answer without even waiting to take another second to check the caller ID.
“Took you long enough,” I hear a familiar voice snap on the other end.
“Dad?” I look over at the clock that sits on my nightstand and have to turn it upright from knocking it over while switching on the light. “Are you okay?” I ask after I see it's three thirty in the morning. I yawn as I realize I have to be up for my first class of the day in three hours.
“I need you to come bail me out,” comes his clipped voice.
I let out a puff of air. I should have known ... no one calls me at this time of the morning. “What did you do?” I ask as I lie back down in bed. I close my eyes to shut out the light because I’m too tired to lean over and turn off my lamp.
“What did I do?” he demands in shock. “How dare you ask me that!” I let out an audible sigh, and he continues. “I’m innocent,” he snaps. “They didn’t belong to me.”
“What didn’t belong to you?” I ask already knowing what he is going to say.
“The drugs. I keep telling them they are not mine. That they belong to the guy who let me borrow his car. But they won’t listen to me. I need you to come up here and verify that.”
“Dad, I don’t think that’s how things work. The cops aren’t just going to take my word,” I say softly. And all they have to do is look up his record; it will prove he’s been in this situation before.
“You don’t believe me?” He has the nerve to sound offended. “You believe them over me?” he snaps. “I’m your father, Taylor!”
I let out a puff of air as my chest tightens. “I know, Dad. But it’s never your fault.” I want to believe him. I want to save him. But all he does is run once he gets out. And you don’t hear from him again until he’s once again placed in this situation. It’s a never-ending cycle.
“I can’t fucking believe this. What would your mother say if she knew you left me in jail?” he demands and then hisses. “Pathetic.”
Tears start to sting my eyes as he mentions my mother. He always uses her. He knows that it gets to me. I could also throw his words back at him. How would Mom feel if she saw you like this? Throwing your life away?
My mom was a beautiful person inside and out. She would want him to live his life with his children. Fall in love again. Instead, the day we buried her was the day he buried himself in this dark part of the world. Drugs, alcohol, sex—they are the only things that play a role in his life now and the only things that matter to him. But if I had to be honest with myself, my mother would help him, not make it worse. She would do everything in her power to save him from this life. Not ignore it, as I try to do.
“Where are you?” I question biting the inside of my cheek.
“In Pekin, Illinois.”
“That’s over two hours away,” I whisper, opening my eyes and looking back over at the clock. “I won’t make it back in time for class.” It sometimes takes hours for them to release him once you pay the bail money. I know; I’ve done it several times before. And who knows if I can even afford it. It takes even longer if you have to get a bail bondsman.
“Taylor,” he growls. “I think I’m more important than some pointless college class.”
I go to speak, but my bedroom door opens. I see my brother standing in my doorway with heavy blue eyes, and I quickly wipe the tears from my face. “Who are you talking to this late?” he asks through a yawn.
“Is that Blane?” my father demands. “Let me talk to him,” he huffs.
I pull the phone from my ear. “It’s Dad,” I say quietly, and his eyes snap open and he straightens his back. “He’s been arrested …”
He walks across my room and takes the phone from my hand without question. “Dad. What happened?” He sounds like every child should. Worried. It’s not how I feel. Maybe jail is the best place for him because he can’t hurt anyone there. I’d hate for him to be intoxicated or on drugs while driving and hit a family. What would he do if he killed someone? What would we do if he killed himself? We’ve already lost a mom; I don’t wanna lose our dad. But in a way, he’s already gone.
My dad talks so loud I can hear him retell the story, and I have to give him credit; he has it memorized pretty well.
When he finishes, my brother nods to himself. “I’m on my way.” He hangs up without question and tosses the phone onto my bed.
“Blane …” I stand from my bed, pulling my oversized shirt down to cover enough of myself as he goes to walk out. “You can’t just go get him.”
He spins around and looks down at me; his blue eyes are hard and lips thinned. “I can’t just leave him there. He’s our dad.” Blane is a good guy; he always has been. He’s that big brother who stepped up and played the role of mother and father when our mother passed and our father decided his addiction was more important than his children were. I was only twelve and he was sixteen. He has always been there for me, and for that, I am grateful, but sometimes, his heart is too soft.
“What if you bail him out and he kills someone next time? That’s on you, Blane.” I lower my eyes to the floor. “Can you live with that?” I know I couldn’t.
He sighs heavily, running a hand through his dark hair. “I’ll take him straight to a clinic. I’ll get him help.” He sounds so sure of himself that it tears at my heart. We both know that won’t happen.
When I look back at him, he walks toward me and wraps his arms around me. I bury my head in his chest and hold back the tears that want to fall. “He’s gonna need both of us to help him.” His chest rumbles from his words.
I nod my head against him not wanting to talk due to the lump in my throat but knowing that he is telling the truth. The truth is that I gave up on my father years ago. But what my brother doesn’t understand is that he has to want to help himself. No one can force him to remain sober. Not even his own children.
BLANE
I unwrap my arms from around my sister and turn to walk out of her room when I see her best friend, who happens to be my girlfriend, Savannah, now standing in Taylor’s room. She’s tightening the robe she put on around her as she asks, “Why are you two awake?” She looks at Taylor, and her green eyes widen. “Why are you crying?”
Taylor quickly wipes the tears from her face. I hate that our father makes her feel helpless. I know she wants to help him, and yet, she feels as if it’s a lost cause. But I won’t let her give up on him. I just keep hoping that this time will be the last. He’ll see her and that light he used to have will come back. The one he used to have when he would look at our mother. I’m not sure it’s possible, but I have to keep trying.
“I’m fine,” Taylor says with a soft smile. Her long brown hair is a mess, and her blue eyes are bloodshot.
I walk up to Savannah and place my hands on her shoulders. Her sleepy green eyes look up at me, and her light brown brows pull together. “I have to leave,” I tell her, and she frowns.
“It’s three thirty in the morning.” She looks around Taylor’s bedroom as if confused. “Where are you going?”
“My dad called.” Her eyes widen. “He’s up in Pekin. I have to go bail him out.”
She pulls away from me and starts to walk out of Taylor’s room. “I can be ready to go in ten minutes,” she throws over her shoulder, now fully awake as she walks quickly down the hallway back to our room to throw some clothes on.
I follow her out into the hall and pull her to a stop. “You’re not going with me.”
She opens up her mouth to argue, but I speak first. “You’re not going. I don’t need you to go with me.” I slide my eyes over to Taylor’s room. “But she needs you.” I’m a big boy; I can go get my dad without help. But leaving Taylor here alone for hours and only her thoughts is not a good idea. There’s no telling what our father said to her. He always likes to bring up our mother because he knows it’s her weakness. When it comes to our mother, my father only tells her what he feels will benefit him when in need. “She needs you,” I whisper, running my hand through her soft blond hair. She nods her head.
Lifting up on her tiptoes, she gives me a soft kiss on my lips. “Be careful,” she whispers, and I nod my head.
“Always.”
CASE
I throw my head back and let out a moan as I push my hard cock to the back of the redhead’s throat. The sound of gagging makes me smile. “Fucking take it,” I growl as I move my hips back and then forward again. She whimpers as her body gives a little shake, and I can’t help but chuckle. Call me a bastard all you want. But every man wishes for this—a woman to fulfill his deepest, darkest, depraved fantasy. Rachel is that bitch for me. And my best friend, Brecken.
I look over her back and ass, slick with sweat, as she lies bent over my desk. My best friend and business partner, Brecken, stands naked behind her. His hands are on her hips as he stares down at her pussy, breathing heavy while he fucks her with a roughness that has her moaning around my cock. She loves this. When we take her at the same time. When we treat her like our own personal slut.
“Jesus Christ, you’re so fucking wet.” Brecken hisses between clenched teeth. “Like it when he tells you to fucking take his cock?” He slams into her pussy. “Especially when I fucking take your pussy?” Even when she can’t answer, he still likes to ask her questions.
She lifts her hands from my desk and places them on my naked thighs. I hiss in a breath as she digs her nails into my skin. She’s pulling me toward her as close as possible, which is her way of begging me to fuck her mouth harder. Who am I not to comply? Removing my hands from my desk, I wrap them in her bright red hair and quicken my pace.
“Fuck, baby.” Brecken growls, knowing that she wants it harder. It can never be hard enough for her. She tightens her lips around my cock to the point it feels like a vise. I don’t think I could get any harder than I am right now, but her mouth proves me wrong.
I can tell by her body that she is about to come. The muscles in her back tighten, and she tries to pull her mouth free from my cock. She likes to scream when she comes. She releases my ass and places her hands flat on my desk in an attempt to get leverage to push herself up. But Brecken reaches out and grabs her wrists. Pulling them behind her back, he holds them tightly. “Oh no, baby,” he growls, the muscles in his chest and stomach flex. “You wanna come? You’ll come while both of our cocks are in you,” he demands.
My dick vibrates from what I guess is a throaty moan and I feel it down in my balls. I speak through clenched teeth. “Fuck, I love when you moan while I fuck your mouth.”
I tighten my hands in her hair and continue my harsh treatment of her mouth. She opens her throat for me to push my hard cock as far as it can fucking go. Needing more than what she’s already giving me. Every time I reach the back of her throat, I hiss in a breath at how fucking good it feels. How hot and tight it is. A few moments later, her body starts to shake and her lips go slack on my cock as she tries to scream, but I don’t stop to allow it. It feels too good. She feels too good. I can’t pull out now. I’m a selfish son of a bitch.
“That’s it, baby.” Brecken slaps her ass hard with his free hand, the sound bouncing off the walls in my office. “Come for us.” He does it again, and this time her body jerks, rattling the desk more than it already is. But with Brecken restraining her hands behind her back and me holding her hair, she can’t go anywhere. She’s completely at our mercy. Our little whore.
“You’re such a naughty little slut.” I look down at my hard cock working in and out of her mouth. “And you fucking love it,” I say between clenched teeth. Those words do her in, and she comes and she comes hard. Her body fights us as she withers before us, spread out over my desk. This isn’t the first time we’ve taken her this way, and I pray it isn’t our last. She’s too fun to fuck.
Before she is even finished with her orgasm, I pick up the pace as my balls start to tighten. “I’m gonna come ...” I grind out, knowing that Brecken is close as well.
We’ve done this enough to have it down to a science. We know exactly what the other needs in order to get off. Once she gets off, we’re not far behind her.
I close my eyes and I fuck her mouth with so much force her throat will feel raw for the next couple of days. That thought has me smiling. Moans of pleasure and whimpers of pain come from her, but that doesn’t slow either one of us down. She got what she wanted; now, it’s our turn.
“Fuuuuccckkk!” Brecken cries out as he leans over her body, pressing her harder into the desk. He comes with his chest on top of her back, still holding her hands in place as he thrusts one last time. As soon as he’s done, he pulls off her and falls into the chair behind him. He’s breathing heavily, and his body is drenched with sweat. He looks down and removes his condom. After tossing it to the floor, he begins to stroke his somewhat hard cock while he watches me fuck her mouth. He likes to watch. We both do. He’s just as fucked up as I am.
The only warning she has when I come is my body jerking. It’s all I can do to breathe, let alone give her a verbal warning. I feel her swallow, and I can’t help but moan at how good it feels as she continues to suck every drop from me. It’s as if she’s draining all my energy out of me. As if she needs it to survive. “Shit,” I hiss through clenched teeth. Even after we use her, she still has the strength to finish the job. She’s such a fucking pro.
As I pull out of her mouth, her tongue darts out to lick what she missed. I release her hair and take a stumbling step back from her, as my legs are unable to hold me up. She gasps for breath as her head falls, hanging over my desk.
I fall to my knees before her; placing my hand under her chin, I lift her head to look at me. Pushing her bright red hair from her face, her dark brown eyes are heavy, her lips are swollen, and her makeup smeared. She still looks beautiful. “Such a good girl,” I whisper as I brush my lips against hers. She closes her heavy eyes and lets out a whimper as her body continues to tremble.
I kiss her. Soft and slow at first. She opens her lips, and I deepen the kiss. She doesn’t kiss back, but she doesn’t need to. I just wanted to taste myself on her tongue.
I pull away, stand up, and then fall back into my office chair. Brecken stands from his chair and lifts her up from my desk. He sits back down in the chair across from me, cradling her in his lap. Her head falls to his chest, and she wraps her arms around his neck as he softly runs his hand down her side.
“Fuck. You are amazing, baby,” he whispers as he leans down to kiss her.
My heart pounds in my chest, and I’m still trying to catch my breath when I hear my cell phone ring. Picking my pants up off the floor, I dig around in my pocket to find the key to the top drawer of my desk. Once I open it and move the little baggie of cocaine and my loaded gun out of the way, I pick up the phone.
“Hello?” I ask, still trying to catch my breath. I look up to see Brecken’s hand is no longer rubbing her side but is now between her legs as they dangle over the armrest of the chair. His lips are on hers, and he’s kissing her deeply as she lies there spent in his arms. I watch his hand move between her parted legs, and I know he’s now finger fucking her. He can’t get enough of her. And I can understand why. This is when she is most compliant—when she wants to be treated like a slut. Any other time, she’s just, well, Rachel—a pain in our asses.
I stand, needing a different view while I take this phone call. I turn to face the floor-to-ceiling window as I look down at the nightclub. We’ve been closed for hours now, so it’s just us in the building.
“Is this Cason?” a man’s voice asks on the other end of the phone.
“Yes.” I clear my throat when I hear Rachel cry out behind me. “But call me Case. What can I do for you?” I ask quickly, wanting to cut this conversation short since it sounds like they’ve started round two behind me. “Who is this?” I ask only half caring.
“My name is Blane. Blane Williams.” The name doesn’t sound familiar, but I didn’t expect it would. But whoever he is, I know it’s gonna be an important phone call. No one calls this number unless they have something big for me. “And I have an offer for you …”
CHAPTER ONE
Three months later
BLANE
I shut off my headlights as I pull into the empty and dark parking lot on this hot night in Chicago. I sit in the car as I take a deep breath. You can do this! I remind myself. This is what you signed up for. You said you could deliver, and now, you gotta prove yourself.
Wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans, I unlock the door and get out. I look around at this part of Chicago. It looks deserted, but I know better. Things lurk in the shadows out here. This is where the illegal exchanges go down. This is where one mistake can cost you your life. No pressure.
I jump when I hear my phone ringing. My hands tremble and my heart races as I try to dig it out. I quickly silence the phone to quiet the alert. I then place it on vibrate to prevent any further noise before I read the message that Savannah sent me.
Do we have plans tonight?
I ignore it and place it back in my pocket. Right now, the only thing I can focus on is being out in the worse part of Chicago this time of night. And I don’t need to make plans if I don’t survive what I’m about to do.
I look up when I see two shadows coming toward me from the other side of the parking lot. This has to be them, right? Case had said to make sure I wasn’t late. And if the clock on my phone is correct, I’m ten minutes early. I take one last deep breath and start to walk to them.
What am I gonna say?
God, I’ve never been so fucking nervous in all my life.
They’re getting closer, and I take a second to look around and make sure there are no cops. That’s the last thing I want to happen. I’d hate to have to call my sister, Taylor, to come bail me out. She would kick my ass as she cried. I don’t wanna do that to her. I don’t want to be like our father. Who am I kidding? I already am!
“Are you Blane?”
I straighten my back as I turn to face the two men who are now just a few steps from me. “Yes, I am.” I clear my throat as if I have to cough, when it’s really to clear the squeakiness from my throat.
They come to a stop in front of me and just stare. My heart pounds in my chest as they look me up and down. Assessing me. Probably trying to calculate how to take me down if I fuck this up. Should I tell them I’m not carrying a weapon? Would that put them on alert?
Instead of saying anything, I do what they seem to be doing. Just stare. One man looks pretty clean-cut. I wouldn’t think twice about his lifestyle if I were to pass him on the street. He wouldn’t look like some big known drug dealer in the state of Illinois. His black jeans and white t-shirt doesn’t scream look at me; I spend my days getting high. Whereas the other guy, he looks homeless. His ripped jeans are beyond repair; I don’t think they are the kind that you spend a hundred and fifty dollars on at the store to look that way. Even in the dark night, I can tell his black t-shirt has stains, and he reeks of bourbon and tobacco. And the snake tattoo that is wrapped around his neck looks like it is going to jump out at me. Case told me what they would look like, but he never mentioned a tattoo …
“Are you Cricket?” I ask stupidly. I mean hell, of course, he is. If he weren't, he wouldn’t have known my name. Maybe Case just forgot to tell me that part.
“Cricket sent me,” the one with the neck tattoo answers.
Shit! This is not what was set up. Where in the hell is Cricket? Okay, think. It’s not your fault that Cricket didn’t show. Just make the deal and get the hell out of here.
I shuffle from foot to foot as I feel sweat bead on my forehead. I’ve never felt like more of a pussy than I do right now. I shouldn’t even be allowed to have a set of balls.
“Got the cash?” he asks.
“Oh, yes.” I start to dig into my pocket for the hundred-dollar bill.
I reach my shaking hand out and place the bill in his hand.
He looks down at my hands and then back up at me. “Nervous?” That one word has me on high alert. I take a quick look around. Now, I’m hoping that we’re not alone. If someone is watching, they’ll see me get shot and call for help, right?
“Uh, no. Not at all,” I ramble. He cocks a dark eyebrow in question.
I wrap my arms around myself. “I just … uh, it’s been so long …” I say. “I need it real bad,” I add quickly. What the fuck? I think I’m about to have a heart attack, my heart is pounding so hard in my chest.
After a few long seconds, he places a clear baggie in my hand. I quickly count ten pills. “That won’t last you long,” he informs me, and I shove it into my pocket. Fuck! Just breathe.
“You know how to get in touch with me if you need more.” And with that, they turn around and walk back off into the darkness.
I run to my vehicle, get in my car, and lock the doors. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial a number, not wanting to wait another second. I need to get rid of this shit as instructed. I pull away from the curb as it starts to ring.
“Did you get it?” Case demands, not even bothering with a hello.
“Yes,” I respond as I look into my rearview mirror. There’s a reason people come over here in order to pick up their drugs, and it’s because the cops stay away. But that doesn’t make me any less worried about being caught with drugs on me.
As I wait for my directions, I listen to the music coming from the other side of the phone in the background. Case and his best friend, Brecken, own the biggest nightclub here in Chicago. It’s known for illegal activity. But that’s to be expected when the owners are the drug dealers of Chicago.
“How soon can you be here?” he asks after a long second.
“You give me a time and I’ll be there.” I check my rearview mirror again. Still clear.
“An hour.” And with that, he hangs up. I toss my phone over into the passenger seat and let out a long breath.
I loosen my shoulders and stretch my tense neck as I tilt it from side to side. Then I lift one hand to unbutton the top two buttons of my shirt because I need to breathe. I actually let out a laugh as I shake my head. I can’t believe I just did that and actually survived. Now that I’m in the clear, I start to feel the rush, the adrenaline running through my veins, and it feels good. I laugh at how nervous I was over nothing. There was nothing to it.
I get out of the car still laughing and smiling when I walk into the house I share with the girls.
Savannah jumps up from the couch with a frown on her face as I walk into the living room. “I texted you earlier.”
I smile down at her as I pull her into me, enjoying her scent. It’s fresh and relaxes me even more. “Sorry, my phoned died,” I lie.
She runs her hands up my back. “Where have you been?”
“I had to work late.” Another lie.
“Well, you’re home now.” She leans up on her tiptoes to kiss me, but I pull away. I don’t have time to give her what she wants right now. I need a shower. For some reason, meeting with those two guys makes me feel dirty. And then I gotta get to the club.
“I gotta get ready,” I say pulling away from her.
“For what? You just got home,” she huffs.
“I’m meeting Dillon out tonight,” I say lying once again. God, is this gonna be my life from now on? Nothing but lies?
“Oh, I’ll start getting ready too,” she says sounding happy about a night out.
I spin around in the hallway and look down at her. “He wants to have a guys’ night.”
Her big green eyes narrow on me, and she tosses her blond hair over her shoulder. “I know you don’t expect me to stay at home while you go out with Dillon? He is the biggest whore of a friend you have,” she declares, and I hate that I have to agree with her. Why didn’t I pick a different friend? Hell, I could have just made one up.
“But you trust me,” I remind her with a smile.
She snorts. “You’re not going out without me,” she states before she spins around and heads off down the hallway to our room.
I let out a sigh of frustration, the tension returning to my body. Now, what the fuck am I gonna do?
TAYLOR
“Wake up.”
I sit straight up, looking around frantically when I hear my bedroom door bang against the wall. I fall back down to the bed and close my eyes when I see it’s just Savannah being more dramatic than usual as she storms into my room.
“Go away,” I mumble; wanting her to leave me alone so that I can finish my nap. Today was a very long day for me. I had finals, and when I got home, all I wanted to do was catch up on all the sleep I had lost while studying the last few weeks.
“No. We’re going out. Get up.”
Her cheerful tone annoys me. “I don’t wanna go out tonight,” I say as I roll onto my stomach. I grab the pillow and cover the back of my head to drown out the light that she rudely switched on.
I squeal as she slaps my ass over my jeans, since I fell asleep still dressed. Hard enough for me to hiss in a breath as I try to rub the sting out of it. “Get up and get ready. I need a night out, and you deserve a night out.”
“You’re wrong. You just wanna get laid,” I mumble.
She winks at me with a naughty smile playing on her Barbie doll face. “I don’t need to go out to get a piece of ass.”
I almost vomit at the reminder that she is sleeping with my brother, and she laughs at me as she watches me shiver from that thought. Gross!
I shove the pillow off the bed and look out my bedroom window. How long have I been asleep? It’s dark outside. I look over at Savannah. She has her blond hair down, and I can tell she’s straightened it. She’s done her makeup as well. Glancing at my phone on the bed next to me, I see that it’s ten. “It’s too late to go out,” I say happily. “By the time I get up, get ready, and we get there … It’ll be closing.” I smile inwardly at that thought. I sure as hell don’t wanna get up and get ready for nothing. I had a date with my bed tonight. Maybe a little Netflix and some Ben and Jerry’s.
She places her hand on her hip, and the six silver bangles around her wrist clink together. “I swear I don’t know how you have survived three years of college.” She sighs heavily. “This is when everyone goes out. If you get there early, you look desperate,” she says in her duh voice. As if it’s common knowledge to show up late to a club. “This is the perfect time.”
“You guys go.” I lie back down. “I’m going to stay here and sleep.” I pull the covers up and over my head. “Don’t wake me when your drunk asses stumble in,” I inform her with a soft laugh. Their drunk sex is the worst. I swear the neighbors can hear them. And no amount of pillows can drown out the sounds.
She rips the covers off me and throws them to the floor. I growl in protest. “You need a social life. Now, get your ass up.”
She walks out of my room, and I holler after her. “You forgot to turn the light off.”
“Get your ass up, Tay!” she yells back.
I sigh as I look up at my ceiling. I haven’t been out in months. My brother, Blane, and Savannah go out all the time, and I don’t know how they do it. Work all day and then party all night long. I need my sleep. I can’t seem to function without it.
But it could give me some time alone with my brother. I never see him anymore. He hasn’t been the same since he came back from Pekin without my father a few months ago. Just as I had expected, they wouldn’t let him out on bail. I can tell it bothers my brother that he’s still in there. He needs to realize that he doesn’t owe him anything.
