Page 54 of Prince of Pain

“Shut up,” I muttered, stabbing some of the fruit with my fork and shoving it in my mouth.

We made small talk while we ate, and I wasn’t surprised when Landon wandered out from the kitchen and sat beside me. He was becoming good friends with Penn from what I’d heard, so of course he had to come and scold me.

“Hey. Can you be nice?” he asked with a raised eyebrow, eyeing Mason. “Who’s this fuckboy?”

“The fuckboy is called Mason,” I deadpanned. “Mase, this is my cousin, Landon.”

“I’m not a fuckboy,” Mason clarified, making me snort.

“You’re just some guy I fuck. Close enough.”

I didn’t miss the wince, and neither did Landon.

“You’re a bitch. If this one says he wants you, I’d just agree and let him have you. He seems nice,” Landon stated.

“You don’t even know him.”

“If he’s putting up with your bullshit, he’s good in my book,” he scoffed, getting to his feet. “I’d better get back to work. Say hi to my dads before you leave. They miss you.”

“They’ll survive,” I muttered, waiting for him to walk away before speaking to Mason. “Sorry.”

“What for? For having family who care? How dare they,” he teased, leaning back to watch me. “You’re lucky, you know? At least they try. The only one of us who ever speaks to our parents is Channing, and his dad only seems to give a fuck about his wife’s kid. Chan is a lost cause to them. Maeve could never do a damn thing wrong though.”

“Sounds like you guys are the lucky ones. I wish my family would leave me alone. I didn’t know Channing had a sister.”

“Don’t tell him I told you. He fucking hates her. She lives alone in Mount Mercer to avoid everyone, and it’s rare she visits. She stopped by four months ago, but it didn’t last long, it never does. It’s not like they grew up together, their parents got married when they were both in high school, and by then, Channing was already living in his own place.”

“I wish my dad would let me have my own place.”

He smiled but it looked sad. “You could move out today if you wanted.”

“Dad won’t help me.”

“You think Channing’s dad set him up in a house? Temp, we slept in abandoned houses and on park benches. We stole food and sold drugs to afford the things we needed. We only have that house now because we did a lot of fucked up shit to get it. You want your own house and independence? Earn it. Hell, sleep in your car if you want, at least you have that.”

I frowned, my appetite gone. “Why were you all living like that?”

“Not everyone has parents who give a fuck. Until you’re starving, living in dirty clothes, lying bloodied on the floor, or sold, you can’t claim you have bad parents. You don’t have to like them, but they’re not bad. You didn’t see your dad when you left the room this morning. He’s devastated that he can’t help you. A bad parent wouldn’t give a shit.” He pointed to my food, his voice hardening. “Now eat.”

Not knowing his finances, I started eating again, not wanting to waste it, and he relaxed as I changed the subject. “What are your plans tonight?”

“Sorry, babe. Chan needs me tonight,” he answered. “Weren’t you supposed to go home for dinner anyway?”

“I don’t have to.”

“Just do it to appease your parents. They’ll lay off if you meet them in the middle a little. Besides, you can take some sexy photos for me when you’re in bed tonight,” he grinned.

“Or you could sneak in my window later tonight and fuck me?”

“Pass, your dad scares me,” he laughed, taking my hand in his. “Seriously, give me something to watch when I’m alone. Practice for your new porn career.”

“I’ll think about it,” I winked, taking my coffee and downing some. My hand shook slightly, and Mason frowned as he eyed it.

“What are you coming down from?”

“Alcohol. I didn’t take anything else last night, it’s just tremors,” I said tensely.

“No wonder you’re twitchy then. Smoke some weed or something,” he suggested, tangling his legs with mine under the table.

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