Page 9 of Twisted Minds

“I’m not sure yet.” He rubs his jaw. He’s sporting a fresh black eye and my mind goes back to Hunter the night before. “I’ll let you know.”

I don’t like the vagueness. A quiet Derrick is dangerous. “I have to get to class,” I lie. I can’t sit here anymore.

“Keep your phone on.”

“What?”

Derrick’s lips widen in a smile that makes my skin crawl. “I have an idea. I just need to work out the execution.”

“What do you mean?”

Derrick stands, grabbing his duffel bag and towering over me despite us being nearly the same height. Derrick is bigger and just feels so dangerous. He’s one of those people you can feel how bad they are. I just wish I’d realized it sooner. I wish I’dlistened to my gut and not my desperation for friends. “I’ll let you know tomorrow. Keep your phone on.”

Great. Just fucking great.

four

Hunter

My house comes into view, and I nearly sag into the sidewalk. What I need is a car, but to get a car I need money, and to have money I’d need a real job. To get a real job, I need time, and I have zero time right now between hockey, school, and keeping an eye on Jamie.

Luckily his mother lets me live here for free and supplies food as a thank you, because coaching young players on the weekends makes me some money but not anything substantial. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t. I need to play hockey to qualify for a scholarship, but I also need to maintain a high GPA to keep that scholarship. If I lose either, I lose my free ride.

I am lucky I have a found family that takes care of me if I ask for help, but lately things have been so fucking hard for all of us. I don’t want to add to it.

When I was sixteen my mother died and within a week my father had kicked me out. Lia had been close with my mom and took me in without a thought. I’d practically grown up with her. And then there were her adopted kids, Xavi and Luci, and Jamiewhen he was adopted at sixteen. Lia is an angel, and I’ll do anything she asks of me, especially watch her son Jamie after the tragic accident that killed her daughter and destroyed his body and mental state.

It’s weird to think it’s been almost a year since Luci died. We’ve all been living in this void that doesn’t really seem real. Living but not. Sometimes when I visit Lia, I almost expect Luci to greet me at the door with one of her big hugs. I haven’t seen much of her girlfriend Bri since, though. Xavi says she’s doing a little better, but I’m not so sure. Luci and Bri were as close as two people could be. They laughed like friends, fought like siblings, and loved like the strongest couple I’d ever seen. I should call her soon.

Walking into the house, I spot Xavi on the couch seemingly asleep. Xavi has a boyish look that’s just too cute. Definitely won’t say that to him, though, he’s a little self-conscious that he hasn’t shed his baby face. It’s weird to see your friend’s baby brother now as a fully grown adult when you remember him being so little just yesterday. Time, man, it comes for us all.

His curly black hair sticks out from under the hood pulled up around his head. His arms are crossed over his body, and it’s hard to see his face. Shit, he looks like he’s sulking. Guilt hits me like a brick. I should have just walked here, though logically I know that makes zero sense. It would have taken hours. “You look like shit.” His sleepy brown eyes lift to me.

“Thanks. Back at you.”

“I’ve been calling you all morning. What the fuck happened to you?” Last night I’d texted Xavi and asked if he could stay with Jamie until after the party. I hadn’t counted on the fight, or my phone being broken. “What’s with your eye?”

“Sawyer got arrested. A fight broke out and I tried to pull him off. Broke my phone in the process and caught his elbow to my eye.” I drop down beside him, putting my arm around hisshoulders. Without any struggle he sags into my touch, and I hurt for him. I don’t like leaving him alone here more than I have to. This is hard on all of us, but Xavi feels it the worst, even if he is the best at hiding it. I squeeze him to me, offering what little comfort I can. “Sorry, I didn’t have a ride. I had to wait for the bus. Decided to skip the afternoon.” I plant a kiss on top of his head. I look around and it’s eerily silent. “Where is he?”

“I drugged him,” he says simply, pulling out of my hold and sitting up. Dragging the hood off his head, he runs his fingers through his curly hair.

“What?”

“He was being a dick, so I drugged his OJ.” He shrugs. “I think he’s sleeping now. Or he’s dead. I didn’t exactly measure.” I laugh as Xavi sets his phone down, taking a deep breath. This part breaks my heart. Xavi is one of the most carefree, positive people I’ve ever known. Even through all this tragedy and losing his birth sister he’s refused to let life get him down. I know her death affects him in ways he tries to hide, and today he looks so tired. I feel like shit.

“I shouldn’t have—”

“Hey, no, I don’t mind. You’re allowed to have a life too. He’s my pain in the ass brother. He was bitching so much last night, though, I got irritated and snuck his painkillers into his juice this morning. For someone in a lot of pain he sure as fuck keeps making it my problem. Take your meds. Stop being a dick.” He sinks further into the couch. Xavi’s only twenty, but he seems to have aged years in the months since his sister’s death. “You okay if I get out of here? I need some sleep.”

“Yeah. Thanks again.”

“He’s my brother.” He shrugs. “Unfortunately.” He sticks his tongue out teasingly. We all love Jamie so much, even if he has made it his mission to make us hate him. That’s why we stay, though. Jamie’s childhood was filled with abuse and neglect, so Iknow he’s trying his best to push us all away because he doesn’t believe he deserves our love right now.

Not getting rid of us that fast, asshole.

Nearly a year ago, Jamie, along with three other people in his friend’s jeep, got into an accident when some asshole who was well over the legal limit blew a red light. He hit their jeep, killing the other three people along with himself. Jamie was the only one who survived—if you can call what he’s been like since the accident surviving. Some days . . .most days, it’s like he died too. At least, the person he’d been. “It’s just hard being around him sometimes,” Xavi says. I understand what he means. None of us blames Jamie for the accident, even though we know he blames himself. But he wasn’t the one who blew through a red light drunk.

“Thanks again.”

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