Page 20 of Resist Me

I already knew I wouldn’t get much sleep, even though I was exhausted. I was a stomach sleeper, but with the pain in my body, I could only lie on my back. Hopefully, the vodka would end up making me tired enough to manage.

*****

“We got the keys,” I announced.

Willow shrieked in my ear, making me wince. I turned the volume down and readjusted my earbuds before I swung the door open to my room. It was basic, just some boring gray carpet and not enough outlets on the walls, but I told myself I wouldn’t complain, so I imagined all the ways I could spruce it up.

“I just want to come now,” she whined.

“Have patience. I need time to prepare for your crazy ass.”

“Shut up. I’m mad they didn’t have any spots for earlier tests.”

“You’ll be fine. And once you pass, you’ll be the proud new owner of a GED certificate. It’s every brother’s dream.”

“Not everyone is perfect,” she said in a mocking tone.

I scoffed. “I think you’re mistaking me for Kai.”

“He’s more fun too.”

“Yeah, yeah. When do you plan on telling dad?”

There was a long pause while I checked out the walls, trying to find anything wrong that I should put on the form they gave us. My nose wrinkled when I saw they’d painted over some strands of hair, making them a permanent addition to my space. Gotta love the landlord special.

“I was thinking,” she drawled. “He’ll figure it out when he comes home and all my stuff is gone.”

“Willow, you have to tell him.”

“Oh, come on. I thought you’d be all for giving him the metaphorical middle finger.”

“He actually cares about you. Besides, I even told him that I was leaving as soon as I got everything finalized.” Leaning against the wall, I closed my eyes. “Just tell him, please. Either way, I’ll get the angry phone call, but it’ll be worse if you just disappear.”

“Fine. What if he cries?”

“I doubt he’s capable. It’s you, though, so maybe he will.”

“He cares about you too, you know.”

Opening my eyes, I put up the familiar wall in my head. “Not for a long time.”

“It’s not your fault. You know that.”

“Doesn’t matter. He has to blame someone and he’s too afraid for it to be himself. Look, I don’t want to talk about this. Warn me before you tell him so that I know to silence my phone.”

“Okay.” Her voice had become small and it made my chest ache. “I love you, West.”

“Love you too.”

I took a moment to breathe, pinching the bridge of my nose. When I was sure I’d be fine, I left the room. Kai and Sen were examining the kitchen, opening each of the cabinets and peering inside. Sen made a sound of disgust as he pulled out a Ziploc full of unidentifiable crumbs.

“Are you sure they cleaned this place?” he asked.

Kai grimaced. “Allegedly.”

“We have to clean it again. You invited a bunch of football guys here tonight.”

“Yeah, football guys. Most of them don’t wash their uniforms in-between games.”

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