Page 131 of That's Too Pucking Bad

“This is him,” I say quietly, more to myself than to her. “This is Zane’s dad.”

My mom looks at me, confused. “What are you talking about?”

I shake my head, not ready to explain. “This is all my fault. I’m sorry, mom.”

Chapter 29

I sit on the edge of her bed, pulling my shirt back on, but I’m only halfway dressed when I hear voices downstairs. Remy’s voice carries up, soft but urgent, and then another voice— her mom’s.

I don’t mean to eavesdrop. I really don’t. But I can’t fucking help myself when I hear the tone in Remy’s voice.

“Mom, please, we’ll figure this out,” Remy says. Her tone’s shaky, trying to sound strong, but it’s not working.

“Figure it out?” her mom snaps, her voice breaking. “Remy, we’re behind on the mortgage! Do you know what that means? The bank’s not going to wait forever. They’ll take everything! Everything your father and I worked for… God, I can’t lose the house.”

Shit. I swallow hard, my stomach twisting. This is because of me. My father did this. He’s the reason they’re about to loseeverything. And me? I fucking came into Remy’s life and made it worse. She’s in the middle of trying to fix the mess I caused.

“Mom, please, let’s… let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s not panic,” Remy says. Her voice drops, quieter now, but I can still hear her. “We’ll call the bank tomorrow, okay? Maybe we can work something out.”

“And say what?” her mom snaps again, harsh. “That we’ve got nothing? They’ll laugh in my face. I knew your father had problems with his gambling, but I didn’t think… God, I didn’t think he’d leave us like this.”

Fuck. My chest tightens, a lump forming in my throat. I should go down there. Say something. Do something. But what the hell can I say? ‘Hey, your house is in foreclosure because my dad’s a prick and decided to fuck you over in some petty power play’? Yeah, that’ll go over great.

Her mom’s voice breaks again, sobs muffled through the walls. “I’m sorry, Remy. I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with this.”

And just like that, I’m back to being fifteen, sitting on the shitty vinyl couch in my dad’s office while he paces back and forth.

“You didn’t get into the junior league? Seriously? Useless,” he’d sneered, his voice dripping with disgust. “Do you have any idea what I’ve put into this? The money, the time? And you… you just… fuck it all up?”

“I tried,” I’d mumbled, staring at the floor.

“Trying isn’t good enough!” he’d roared, slamming his fist on the desk. “You’re a goddamn investment, Zane. And right now, you’re a bad one.”

The memory slams into me like a freight train, and suddenly I’m that kid again. A useless investment. And now, here I am, screwing up Remy’s life, too.

I shove to my feet and grab my hoodie, pulling it over my head. My hands are shaking, and I’m furious with myself. I need to fix this. Somehow. Remy doesn’t deserve to be stuck cleaning up my mess.

She comes up a few minutes later, her face pale, her eyes red-rimmed. She looks at me, startled, when she sees I’m dressed.

“Where are you going?” she asks, her voice tight.

“I have to talk to my dad,” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.

“What? No. Zane, wait. We can talk about this. We can figure it out together,” she says, stepping closer, her hands reaching for mine.

I shake my head, pulling away. “No, Remy. I have to. He’s the one who caused all this, and I’m not… I’m not going to let him ruin your life. I’ll fix it.”

“Zane, please,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “Don’t make this worse.”

I take her face in my hands, pressing my lips to hers. It’s soft but desperate, like I’m trying to pour everything I can’t sayinto that kiss. When I pull back, she’s staring at me, her eyes shining.

“I’ll fix this,” I say again, my voice rough. And then I’m gone, climbing out the window and dropping down to the ground below.

I make my way to where I’d parked my car earlier. The gas light’s on, so I stop by the nearest station, pulling up to the pump. I swipe my card, but the machine beeps angrily. Declined.

What the fuck? I try again. Same thing.

My stomach sinks. I’ve never had to think about money before. My dad’s always handled that shit. But now…

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