Drugs maybe?
Yeah I haven’t talked to him in a while.
Jenna still keeps in touch with him though. Maybe ask her?
Okay. Good idea
Thirty seconds later, Jenna’s chipper yet threatening voice answers my call, right as I open my car door.
“Hey stranger, to what do I owe the pleasure? You better not be fucking things up already with Ken.”
“Hey, Jenna. No, things are good with me and Ken. How are you?” I ask, attempting to make small talk.
“Things are good. Amir and I are doing well. California is gorgeous and sunny and about as perfect as you’d expect it to be in early March. But let’s cut the bullshit. I haven’t talked to you in ages. So, what’s up? Spill the tea, my guy.”
I sigh, resting my head against the steering wheel. “I was wondering if you’ve heard from Aiden recently?” There’s a pause so long I begin to wonder if she hung up on me.
“Why?” Her tone shifts from bright and cheery to deeply concerned in a matter of seconds.
“I don’t know. Things just seem off with him lately. I was just at his apartment and he was acting really fucking weird,” I reply. I didn’t even really know how to explain his behavior and what I just witnessed, but it definitely was out of character for Aiden.
“Look, I'm not sure if I should be the one to tell you this. But I guess if you’re calling me, you probably already know.” I hear chatter in the background and then it suddenly goes quiet, like she’s moved to somewhere more secluded and private. “Aidenwas in California last year for work. He stayed with Amir and I for a day and he didn’t leave on great terms.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the morning before his flight, he asked me for a loan and I honestly thought he was joking at first. But he wasn’t. He told me he needed the money and that he would pay me back,” she explains.
“Did he say what it was for? I’m assuming you didn’t give him the loan.”
“Ah, beauty and brains,” she jokes. “I didn’t give him the loan. But I had a feeling he was in trouble. I didn’t have that kind of money to blow without a guarantee I would get it back. I mean, I’ve loaned him money once or twice but never this much,” she admits, her tone somber.
“How much did he ask you for?” I wonder.
“Five thousand dollars,” she answers quietly. I realize with sobering clarity that this is way worse than I thought it was. Fear settles in my gut while cold dread slithers across my skin.
I mutter a string of expletives under my breath. “What do you think it is? Drugs? Gambling?”
“I think it’s probably both. And I think he’s in over his fucking head, Kai.” I can tell by her tone that she’s serious, that she’s already come to terms with the gravity of the situation. But then why wasn’t she freaking out like I was?
“Fuck. So, what do we do? How do we help him?” I ask, panicked.
“I don’t think we can. Not yet anyways. Not until he’s ready to accept help. You of all people should know you can’t save someone that doesn’t want to save themselves,” she answers firmly.
“What are you talking about?” I demand, confused about the detour this conversation had taken.
“Kai…”
“Jenna…”
She sighs heavily. “I know you stopped drinking your first year on the Bucks. Kendall told me.”
“So? What does that have to do with Aiden? I’m not an alcoholic. This isn’t the same thing,” I respond defensively.
“Maybe not. But I saw the headlines. Your very public fall from grace. It seems like you were trying to drink yourself out of a tough spot, or maybe into an even worse one—"
“Are you nearing the point, Jenna?” I interject.
“Yes Kai,” she says curtly. “The fact remains that you decided to stop drinking and you’re still sober. But would you have listened to anyone if they asked you to stop drinking? Aside from Ken?” It’s a question, but she asks it with such unwavering certainty that it sounds like an accusation. And we both know that she’s right, that she’s got me. Because I was in such a fucked up place at the time, that nothing would have stopped my downward trajectory, aside from the threat of losing my career. Aside from hitting rock fucking bottom. Which for me, was a DUI that almost got me killed.
