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“She’s waiting outside at the fence,” Ed said, slamming his head back against the seat. His fierce brotherly instincts had Jack catching his breath. He reached over and rubbed Ed’s thigh.
“We’re almost there. She’ll be okay.”
“She’s never done this before. Never been drunk.”
“It says a lot that she trusts you to call when she’s stuck.”
Ed pinched his nose. “She was sobbing, Jack. What if something else happened?”
Jack tightened his grip on the wheel. “Take a deep breath. She needs you to be calm and supportive when you get there.”
Ed hauled in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. “Okay. Calm. I’m calm.”
Only just.
God, Jack wanted to wrap him up and soothe his worry. “Hilldale Road. What was the number?”
“There she is. Right there. Stop the car.”
Jack halted, and Ed ripped himself out into the dark street studded with dim lamplight. He charged over to his sister, slouched on the ground at the fence, another girl lying with her head in Becky’s lap.
Jack double-parked, grabbed a spare bottle of water he had from the back, and jumped out to help.
“Becky, are you okay?” Ed caressed her bangs out of her sleepy eyes.
She groaned. “Too much punch. Threw up in the bushes. The boys were laughing.”
Fucking moron teenage boys.
“Casey drank more. She cried for me to get her home. I didn’t know what to do. Called you.”
Jack checked Casey’s vitals. She seemed fine, just sleeping. He stirred her awake anyway to check she was all right. “How much did she drink?” he asked Becky.
Becky’s drowsy vision struggled to focus on him. “Jack? You brought Jack, Eddy?”
Now wasn’t the time for Ed to freak about possibly being found out. “We were catching a movie. How much did you both drink?”
“Five cups. Casey had six or seven.”
A lot for petite sixteen-year-olds, but they should be fine.
Jack helped Casey to her feet, and Ed sighed as he scooped his sister into his arms and pulled her off the damp ground.
Becky curled her head against Ed’s chest and sniffed. “I’m so sorry I ruined your night. I—”
“Shhh. Let’s just get you both home.”
They bundled the girls into the back seat and strapped them in. Ed chose to sit between them in case they needed attention. Jack tossed him an old plastic bag, should the contents of those five, six, or seven cups make a sudden reappearance.
Given directions to Casey’s place, Jack drove her home first. Ed took her to the front door, and Jack winced as he watched her parents stumble out in their pajamas and the row begin. Casey safe, Ed stole back to the Jeep.
“You all right?” Jack asked as Ed climbed into the back seat once more.
“Certainly been a night of heightened emotion.”
“Eddy?” Becky said in a small voice as Jack drove them toward home.
“You going to chuck?” Ed asked, plastic bag rustling.
Her voice came out small, meek. “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad? They’ll be so disappointed.”
At the stoplight, Jack looked at Ed through the rearview mirror. He was looking at his sister, frowning. “I have to tell them, Becky. They might be disappointed, but they have to know.”
Becky started to sob. “Can’t we just keep it a secret? I promise I’ll never get drunk again. Please, they don’t have to know….”
Ed leaned back in his seat and stared out the window. “I understand wanting to hide it. Understand how much you’re afraid of them finding out….”
“They’ll hate me.”
“No. No, they won’t,” Ed said quietly. “They love you; they care about you.”
“Please don’t tell them.”
“They’ll find out eventually.”
“Maybe they won’t.”
“You don’t think Casey’s parents are going to call?”
“So you’re going to tell them?”
“Better we do it than they find out some other way.” Ed looked up, and his gaze snagged with Jack’s. They stared at each other until it was time to drive. Ed didn’t respond, and when Jack finally arrived back in his dorm room an hour later, he fell asleep praying Ed told his parents.
Chapter Fifteen
Outside the house, Jack pulled his hoodie up against a cool drizzle.
“Jack, wait up!” Marcus called from behind him. “Here.” An umbrella was thrust into Jack’s hand. “You’re gonna need it later.”
“You went up to get this for me?”
“Not just yours, I forgot mine too.” They walked through campus, rain tapping on their umbrellas, shoes splashing through shallow puddles. Marcus slowed as they approached the humanities building.
“Brittany dragged me back to the café where Loch Ness works yesterday.”
Yesterday being three days after his birthday evening at Studio 63. Two days since Jack had snuck over to Ed’s.
Jack nudged Marcus. “I thought you weren’t going to call her that?”
“I didn’t do it to her face. I did what you suggested; I was nice to her.”
Jack laughed. “Or at least as nice as you could be.”
“Ask Brit, I was good.”
“And how did Vanessa react?”
“Like her normal psychotic self.” Marcus shook his head. “She glared at me, huffed while taking our order, practically threw the food at me, and her one attempt at nice was to thank me for not bringing my bag with me for her to trip on.”
