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“Fine,” I push to my feet abruptly. “I’ll just get another one.”
I start for the kitchen, tugging the door open so hard it bangs against the cabinet. Without even looking, I pull out the first bottle I come across.
Vodka.
Not even the good kind, but oh well, it’ll have to do.
There is a soft ping behind me.
“What the—” Taking off the lid, I take a swig from the bottle and turn around. Nixon is crouching down. I watch in slow motion as he picks up the pill bottle Jade threw at me mere minutes ago and looks over it. He slowly lifts his gaze, those hard eyes meeting mine. “Pain meds? Why the fuck are you taking pain meds? And mixing them with alcohol? Are you fucking insane?”
My fingers tighten around the bottle as the anger boils inside me. “What I am, is inpain. I’ve been in fucking pain ever since the first injury,” I yell, smashing the bottle against the counter. Nixon’s eyes widen, surprise written all over his face. “Not like anybody else noticed,” I laugh humorlessly.
“Prescott, I—”
“Save it,” I snap, not in the mood to listen to his excuses or apologies. “I didn’t do it for you. I didn’t do it for the team. I did it for me.”I did it for Gabriel.Just another secret. Just another lie. “I did it for me, so I could play this one last year.”So I could keep the promise I made to my brother. But even that, I couldn’t do right. “A lot of good that did us.” I shake my head. I’m done with this, so fucking done. “So yeah, I might be insane, but I’m dealing in the best way I can. The only thing that kept me relatively sane just walked out that door, and she’s not coming back.”
You and me, Prescott? We’re broken. Everybody is counting on me to be strong and to beat this thing, and I can’t do that if your broken pieces are mixed with mine.
Tightening my grip on the bottle, I tilt my head back and pull a long swig. My eyes fall shut as the vodka burns its way down my throat.
She’s not coming back.
“What happened, Prescott?” Nixon asks, his voice softer.
“She left, but maybe it’s better that way.”
You kill everyone you love.
I try to take another pull, but once again, Nixon grabs the bottle from me.
I lunge for the bottle, kicking it out of Nixon’s hand. It shatters on the floor, the alcohol splattering everywhere.
“You can’t drink anymore.”
“Try and fucking stop me.”
“You’re insane.”
“We’ve already established that. Go back to your perfect little wife and your perfect little world, Cole.”
“Perfect?” Nixon hisses. “Nothing about my life is perfect.”
“Try dealing with my demons for a day, and we’ll see what you think.” Grabbing a new bottle, I shove him out of my way. “You know where the door is. See yourself out.”
With that, I go to my room, shutting the door firmly behind me.
* * *
JADE
“Jade, what are you doing?”
Brushing away the tears, I look up to find Nixon marching toward me.
“Is he okay?” I ask, wrapping my arms around myself as another shiver runs through me.
Nixon stops in his tracks and just stares at me like I grew another head. Maybe I have. “You’re asking about him? After everything that has just happened?”
