Page 74 of Twisted Minds

I fall to my knees, and it feels like forever before I finally feel arms around me. I register Noah—leaning into me, holding me, giving me comfort I do not deserve. I don’t register anything else. Not when Noah calls off the party. Not when Noah and I take a ride back to his dorm.

Not when I cry.

Not when Noah holds me.

Everything hurts.

twenty-six

Hunter

“Can I come in?”

“No.”

Swinging my legs over the side of my bed, the world spins, which is strange since I haven’t been drinking. At least I don’t think so. This last week has been an absolute shitshow blur of bullshit, so it wouldn’t surprise me if I have and I just forgot.

All the same, I stumble to my door. Honestly, a bottle of Jack sounds so damn good right now, and if it wouldn’t cost me my hockey career, I’d ask Jamie for some weed. I wince with a stretch as I stand. I don’t think I’ve moved much since the party, but I know tomorrow I’ll have to go to class. You can only have food poisoning for so long and my excuse is about to run dry. Luckily Coach excused me from practice, but tomorrow night we have a game I have zero desire to play in. I need to talk to Sawyer, to look my best friend in the eye and tell him what happened to his family’s restaurant. He thinks I have food poisoning too, because I just couldn’t tell him right away. Thecoward part of me hoped Mark would come clean, but nope, that asshole kept quiet, waiting for me to do his dirty work.

Mark.

Shaking my head, I try to shove his name, his face, out of my mind. He doesn’t understand the real-world problems that accident caused. It was an accident, right? I can’t believe, no matter how much I try to hate him, that he did it on purpose. It’s hard to come to terms with Mark doing any of this on purpose. Now, after having time to think, I wish he’d just told me what happened.

I’m so pissed I can’t even think straight. Either way, no matter if it was just an accident, for months afterwards, Sawyer’s mother had been paranoid, thinking the person who set fire to her restaurant would be back to burn her house, or worse, hurt her children. Even though both Jane and Sawyer are adults, they’re her entire world, and she was sick with worry for them.

All for some asshole to do this without a single thought. “Hunter?”

Oh, whatever. Swinging the door open, I glare up at my roommate. “What?”

“Oh, shit. You look terrible.”

“Twinsies.”

“Fuck you.” Jamie scowls. “The fuck I do to you?”

“Exist.”

“Oh. Good one. Came real close a year ago, though.” He grins.

“That’s not funny.” I watch his red-rimmed eyes as they study me. “High?”

“As the sun. Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

Whatever. Going back inside my room, I pull on sweatpants. Fuck it. Maybe I can take another day off. Coach would understand, right? What’s one game? “Not in the mood right now. Go away.”

Jamie ignores me and sits on my bed. He’s wearing boxers and an oversized sweater, and the dragon tattoo on his leg pops, full of intricate detail. Maddox. That man was so fucking talented. I never see Jamie show his tattoos off anymore, so maybe this is a good day for him.

Although by how red his eyes are, I’m sure he doesn’t know what planet he’s on. “Stop looking at my ass. It’s not for you.” I shove down the urge to strangle him. “I made breakfast. I haven’t seen you eat much. Why don’t you shower and come eat,” he says.

“What drugs are you on?”

He shrugs, sprawling out on my bed. “Brianna hooked me up. Said I was a good boy.” He grins. Doubtful, but I know Brianna tries her best to take care of Jamie now that Luci isn’t here to do it. “Your sheets smell. Go shower and I’ll throw these in the wash . . . open a window.”

“I don’t want to shower.”

He sits up. “Yeah, that part is non-negotiable. You fucking stink. I can smell you from the living room. It’s wafting down the halls.”

“Fuck you.”

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