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“Thanks,” I say.
She flips her hair over her shoulder. “For what?”
“For helping me with Eric. ”
“He’s an asshole. ”
“Yes. He is. ” I hesitate. Eric called Isaiah an addict. He called her a drug dealer. Drug dealers are bad and Abby isn’t. She’s good. “Why?”
She shrugs, not even pretending she doesn’t know what I mean. “I inherited a mess, and someday, I’m not going to do this anymore. But right now, there are problems with my family and I’m the only one who can fix them. ”
I understand inheriting a mess. My birthright is to make up for Colleen’s death and as for family problems, I understand those, too. “Can you come with us tonight? It gets lonely sitting in the stands by myself. ”
Abby stares at me blankly, as if she never heard me speak. “I don’t use the drugs. I swear to God I’m clean. And I never bring them around you. ”
“I believe you. ”
She narrows her eyes. “Why?”
Because she stands by me. Because I think she loves me like I love her. “Because we’re friends. ”
Abby smiles. “I knew there was a reason I chose you to be my best friend. ”
Is it strange that that just made me incredibly happy? “Me, too. ”
Abby and I both take interest in anything else but each other. I think this whole friend thing is completely new to both of us. From the open bay of the garage, Isaiah watches us with his hands shoved in his pockets. Logan stands right behind him. They’re a strange combo, but so are Abby and I.
There’s so much I thought I understood, but that’s not the truth. I avoid issues more than I try to understand. “Abby?” Deep breath. “Does Isaiah use drugs?”
She tucks her hair behind her ear again. “I think you should talk to him. ”
It’s as if my soul became too heavy for my heart. That’s a conversation I don’t want to have.
Chapter 55
Isaiah
RACHEL’S LIGHT FOOTFALLS CAUSE THE wooden stairs to groan. “Seven hundred dollars. If you asked me two weeks ago if we could make seven hundred dollars in one week, I would have said yes, but after tonight. . . I don’t know. ”
As predicted, we found plenty of guys willing to race us, but not as many who were willing to place bets. I carry her overnight bag in one hand and hold her fingers with the other. “Logan and I knew that this could be a problem. But I think we can make seven hundred in the next week. It’ll be tight, but it will happen. ”
She continues to stare at the floor as we walk to my apartment. “I could hock more of my jewelry, but Mom figured out I got rid of one of the pieces. I told her I lost it. I’m not sure if she’ll continue to buy the excuse if I ‘lose’ any more. ”
I let go of her hand, unlock the door and push it open. She enters first, flipping on the light as she goes. I love how she feels comfortable here.
“It feels hopeless,” she says. “Like we get two steps forward and take a trillion back. ”
I can’t help but smile. Rachel does this sometimes—wallows, but I don’t mind. It never lasts long, and she’s usually repentant when she’s done.
“Do you trust me?” I ask as I close the door and lock the dead bolt.
Rachel blinks and the crimson on her cheeks tells me she snapped out of wallowing. “Yes. ”
“Then you know that when I say I’m going to fix something, I do. On my life, Rachel, Eric will be paid back in a week. ”
She fidgets with the ends of her hair. “I’m sorry. It’s just that everything seems so big all the time and. . . ”
And here comes the repentance. I wrap my arms around her waist. “I want you to forget about it. At least for tonight. ”
