Page 136 of Under the Influence

I shake my head in agreement but don't get up right away, waiting for him to leave us alone again.

"Think about what I said," I whisper, kissing the top of her head. “I only want you, Corinne.”

Jovie appears in the doorway, "Dad said that you need to go."

I push by her forcefully, causing her back to hit the wall opposite the door, "Leave her alone." I warn. "If anyone is going to hurt her, it's going to be me."

She looks at me in shock, following me down the hall to the stairs. "Are you kidding me right now! Do you think she's going to forgive you for what you did? The second she finds out, you will be nothing."

"I've done a lot of bad things," I grit out. "But so have you, Jovie. Remember that. One conversation, and you are kicked out of Legacy for good. So keep your mouth shut, unless you’re on your knees."

She uses her palm to hit my chest, "Fuck you, Nash."

I laugh, but there isn't a hint of humor in it, "Been there, done that. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone."

I wake to my alarm at nine o'clock and get up off Carson's couch in the basement. We did an Xbox live stream until we could barely hold our eyes open. It was good to keep my mind off of things.

Carson is still passed out on the other end of the couch, so I leave him there and head out. I need to run home and shower before heading to work. It's just down the street, but my irritation grows when I see Drayton's Jeep where I usually park and Madden's Honda in my fucking way.

And lucky me, Madden and Lainey are walking out to it.

I push my door open, "Enjoy your threesome, ladies?"

Before I even blink, Madden charges me. "This ends here. Right now."

"Now Madden.” I tsk. “Let's not get our panties in a wad."

I shrug his hand off my shirt and leave them both standing there.

I don’t have time to deal with this right now anyway. Plus, I'm trying to not be an asshole at the moment, so I do my best to avoid Drayton. He's in the bathroom, though. The guy spends more time fixing his hair than a chick. I slip past, trying to get to my room without a confrontation.

"Stop," he chases me into my room. "You can't keep us apart, you know."

I roll my eyes, "What makes you think I'm keeping you apart? Maybe Lainey just needs someone to blame because she's too scared to pull the trigger to break up with you herself."

He backs away, and I show him how uninvested I am in this conversation by shutting myself in the bathroom. I wasn't nice, but I didn't tell him I knew about his dad. So progress, maybe?

An hour later, I'm walking into the Marina, and half of my shift goes by before I know it. It's busy on Saturdays, and I've tied up and fueled boat after boat.

Carson's Halloween party is probably in full swing by now, judging by all the pictures gracing my Instagram feed. Avery and Jovie wear skimpy outfits, dressed as an angel and devil. Lainey and Drayton are Bonnie and Clyde, and then Madden and Lainey. The skull makeup he's got on is actually pretty badass. No pictures at all of Corinne. She doesn't like to be in them.

I click through everyone’s Instagram stories, watching as the world moves on without me in it. When I make it to Carson's, I nearly spit out the Red Bull I'm drinking. A skin-tight Spider-Man suit? What the hell? I watch his stories one by one.

Everyone dancing to some banger that Madden and the band are playing.

One of him kissing Avery on the cheek, but the next one makes my eyes widen. What the?

I squint to make sure I'm seeing what I think I am and for once in my entire life, I feel betrayed by my best friend. My fucking brother.

I watch him kiss Corinne. I stare as he pulls her in by the small of her back. This video isn't from the party, though. They aren't in costumes, but they're close. Too close. The video ends, but whatever happened after that is what makes my blood boil.

A cruel reminder that as long as Carson is around, I'll never be the one she wants. Not really.

I'm not sure how—or why—this was posted to his story, but it's clear that someone wanted to get it out. My DMs blow up, and I click to see who it is. Hundreds of followers…

Can you comment on Carson's story?

Who's the girl with your bestie Nash?