AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Well, there’s an opening if ever there was one.“That wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain red-haired woman, would it?”
He side-eyes me but doesn’t say anything else.
“What’s the deal with you two anyway?”
“We were best friends, she moved away, and then I guess we weren’t.”
“Simple as that, huh?”
He turns to me, his shoulders sagging.“Is it ever as simple as that?”
“Not in my experience.”
He heaves a sigh signaling resignation.Thank fuck, because I am not good when it comes to pestering someone until they finally cave—that’s always been Trent’s strength, not mine.
“I used to pull her hair until she kicked my ass in first grade.She had a hell of a right hook for a seven-year-old.Somehow, we kind of became inseparable after that, to the point where people always knew if one of us was near, the other wasn’t far behind.She was my best friend.”
“So did you guys have a falling-out?”
He redirects his focus to the game, but I don’t miss his frown.“No, she ghosted me.”He pauses and then adds, “Or at least I thought she did.”
There’s more to it, but I don’t want to push him if he’s not ready to talk about it, so I focus on the biggest issue.“Is it going to be a problem that she’s managing the tour?”
He adamantly shakes his head.“I’m fine with it.I think she’ll be good for us.”
“You’re sure?Because now’s your last chance.”
“I’m positive.”
Switching gears, I ask him something else I’ve wanted to know since he first came back.“How are you doing?Staying sober, I mean.”
He stiffens slightly before relaxing.“Sometimes it’s hard.Sometimes it’s not.More than anything, it’s been…difficult to find my footing again.”
I frown.“What do you mean?”
He shrugs.“I was the party boy, the good time guy, but you can’t be that guy sober.”He stares at his controller.“All the people I thought cared about me haven’t reached out once.You guys have been the only ones.”
“Are you worried about tour?”
He rubs a finger over his eyebrow.“I honestly don’t know.I’ve been trying not to think that far in the future.One day at a time and all that shit.But now that I’m thinking about it, I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t scare me a little bit.We both know how easy it is to score drugs during a tour.”
“It’ll be a dry tour.”
“So was the last one, but I still got drugs.”
Fair point.We could control our tour bus, but that was about it.I need to talk to Trent and Miles so we can come up with a game plan to better support Kasen this time around.We’ve learned from our mistakes, and I know none of us are willing to watch him go down that road again.
“I know what you’re doing,” he says.
“What’s that?”
“Trying to avoid getting your ass handed to you.”
I laugh.“So that’s how it’s going to be, huh?”I get his unsaid message—he doesn’t want to talk about this anymore.“Alright.Then get ready to getyourass beat.”
He smiles wide.“Fuck that, Bridger.I’m going to wipe the floor with you.”
For the first time in a long time, I can see the old Kasen—the Kase he was before drugs took over.We end up playing for hours like old times, and the nostalgia combined with reconnecting with Kasen makes me feel like maybe our new normal won’t be so bad.
