Page 107 of Catch the Sun

I was frozen with shock.

“You son of a bitch,” he snarled through yellowing teeth. “You have no right to be in my goddamn house after what you did.”

I grabbed his wrists in an attempt to stop him. “Dad, don’t!” I begged, confusion strangling me. “Nobody’s there. It’s just you and me.”

His eyes were feral as saliva dribbled down his chin and he struggled out of my grip. “You’re a bastard, Rick. A no-good parasite who stole everything from me.”

I reached for him again before another plate left his hand and shattered near the front door. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

“The hell you are!” Dad sliced an arm through the air and everything on the kitchen table went flying: a vase of poinsettias gifted by Ella’s mother, two half-filled mugs of cocoa, and a candle that caught on the lacy tablecloth and quickly bloomed into a deadly spark. I raced to put out the traveling flame before it burned the entire house down and looked up at my father as he headed to his bedroom, knocking the tree down along the way.

Smoke billows now as my heart dismantles, one horrified piece at a time. “McKay!Fuck,” I seethe, knowing my brother is in his room, right down the hallway. I yank the cloth from the table and wad it into an angry ball, the acrid odor of burning fabric making my stomach roll.

McKay slogs down the hall looking like shit. Dark, glossy eyes meet with mine as my chest heaves. I toss the tablecloth aside and fist my hair. “Something is going on with Dad,” I tell him, kicking at the mess all over the floor.

My brother sniffs, glancing around at the destruction. “You sound surprised.”

“He’s sober. He’s beensober,” I insist. “Something is wrong. I don’t care what he says, I’m taking him to the hospital.”

“Good luck with that.” More crashing sounds blast from the other side of Dad’s bedroom door.

Frowning, I narrow my eyes at McKay. “Areyousober?”

“Nope.”

“Awesome. Fucking brilliant.” I scrub a hand up and down my face. “I need you, man. I can’t keep doing this alone.”

He lets out a humorless chuckle. “Alone?” he parrots mockingly. “You’re not alone. You have a pretty redhead on your arm who thinks you’re the center of her universe. You have Dad’s undying love and always have. You have a shining future ahead of you.”

I gape at him, still frowning.

“You have everything and I have jackshit.” His jaw tenses as he folds his arms. “Brynn dumped me.”

I can’t help the stab of sympathy that hits me, despite it all. Swallowing, I look away, down at the scattered glass. “I’m sorry.”

“I’m sure you’re devastated.”

“I am. I was hoping it would work out between you two.”

“Mmm.” McKay steps forward, his balance wobbly. “You knew it wouldn’t. When does anything ever work out for me?”

Anger overrides the sympathy. “Knock it off with the self-loathing bullshit. You’re better than that.”

“But not better than you.”

“It’s not a competition!” I shout, throwing my hands up. “What happened to you? What happened to us?”

“Youhappened.” He shoves a finger in my face. “You and your good luck, your moral high horse, your inability to ever see me as your equal…andher.” His finger shoots to the front window, aimed at Ella’s house. “Your happy ending is written in the stars, isn’t it? You get the girl. You get the fairy tale. And I get nothing. The-fucking-end.” He punctuates each word, his fury climbing.

Mine does the same.

His words aren’t fair.

“Guess so,” I mutter. “I’m leaving after graduation.” My heart palpitates at the admission because it’s not something Ella and I have discussed yet. But I know it’s what she wants…and I think it’s what I need. Stepping closer, I cross my arms and stare him down. “I’ve held down the fort for years, ever since Mom left. I’ve sacrificed everything for you, for Dad, for this house and this family. Now it’s your turn. You can take on some fucking responsibility for once. Youcan take care of Dad while I try to live a semblance of a life.”

McKay’s teeth clack together as he processes my tirade. “You’re leaving with her?”

“Yeah, I am.”

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