Page 14 of The Casting Couch

Then came… them.

Liam stepped out first, looking pale and nervous, like this was the last place he wanted to be.His hair was longer than I remembered, kind of curly now, like he hadn’t had time for a proper cut.He wore one of those faded graphic tees he always loved, but there was a tightness to his shoulders that hadn’t been there before.

Jack followed.He was… taller?Or maybe just standing straighter.His dark blonde hair was neatly styled, but there were faint shadows under his eyes.He gave me a look I couldn’t read.Somewhere between cautious curiosity, and don’t push your luck.

They didn’t sit at first.Just stood there.Looking at me like I was a live grenade someone had left on their desk.

I cleared my throat.“Hey.”

Liam gave a small, awkward nod.Jack folded his arms across his chest.

The tension in the room was thick enough to chew.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Liam moved to the desk chair across from me and sat down.Jack stayed standing, leaning against the wall like he wasn’t committing to this interaction any more than necessary.

Liam clasped his hands together like he was physically holding back every nervous impulse he had.Then he locked eyes with me, soft brown eyes I used to know better than my reflection, and said,

“Why?”

That single word knocked the air out of my lungs.

“Why…?”I repeated, like I hadn’t heard him, because part of me still wanted to buy time.As if two years wasn’t already enough of a delay.

“Why were you dealing drugs out of our apartment?”Liam’s voice stayed level, but there was hurt under it.Deep and old and still bleeding.“We could’ve been arrested, Bradley.We could’ve lost everything.You brought people into our home who… who scared me.Who scared Jack.”

Jack let out a sharp exhale but said nothing.

“I…” My throat felt dry as paper.I hadn’t planned this far ahead.Not even close.I’d spent all my energy just getting through the front door.

But lying now?After everything?After Nessa’s speech and Jack’s glare and the pure exhaustion sitting behind Liam’s eyes?

No.I couldn’t.

So I just… said it.

“I was broke.”

The words tumbled out before I could second-guess them.“I was desperate.It started in college.My scholarships barely covered tuition, let alone rent or food.My parents didn’t have anything to give me.They still don’t.”

I laughed, bitter and low, more at myself than anything.“And I was too proud to ask for help.Too stupid to admit I was drowning.I wanted to keep up.Pretend I had my shit together like everybody else.Like you guys.”

I rubbed a hand over my face, my skin hot and tight.

“And honestly?”I added, my voice shaking now.“I hated how… embarrassed I felt about my family.About where I came from.About how broke we were.So I told myself I’d figure it out on my own.That I’d make it work.And then one day I blinked… and I was the guy with a backpack full of pills, coke, and then a police record.”

Silence.

God, the silence was worse than Nessa’s yelling.

I stared at the floor, too ashamed to look at either of them.

And waited to hear what came next.

Jack was the one who finally broke the silence.

“Are you okay?”he asked.

I blinked.

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