Page 29 of Fighting the Tide
My head slowly turns to look at her, my brows reaching for the ceiling as I take in her words.She just described us to aT.“Is that right?”I drawl.“Nothing in common, huh?”
Her brows crash together as she stares at me in confusion.It takes Cassie breaking the silence to fill her in.“You and Nolan are the same.”
“What?”Brooke scoffs.“We have so much in common.”
I don’t bother to correct her and explain that just because we may have things we both enjoy doing, it doesn’t mean we have things in common.There’s no point and it would only lead to an argument on her birthday.Which reminds me that I have to leave early to pick up her gift.
“I’ll meet you guys on the beach tonight.”I lean in and kiss Brooke chastely on the lips.“I got some homework to get done.”
“My man is going to be a journalist in New York one day,” I hear Brooke brag to Cassie as I leave the cafeteria.I don’t know why I feel like once I leave this coming fall for New York, Brooke and I will be over.Our relationship is delicate as it is because we are still working on getting to know each other and moving past last summer’s ordeal.If I’m being honest, my whole situationship from beginning to end with Brooke has always felt like it had an expiration date because I’ve never felt good enough for her.
“How is that?”
I peer into the cake box as a grin pulls along my mouth.“That’s perfect, Mrs.O’Brien.Thanks for doing this on such short notice.”
“No problem, Nolan.”Cassie’s mom gives me a wink and closes the box.“She’s one lucky girl.”
“It’s just a cake.”I shrug as I hand her a twenty dollar bill, my throat tightening at the cost.“A great cake, I mean.”I give her a bashful smile as she shakes her head and hands me the box.
“I meant having you as a boyfriend.You’re so thoughtful.I wish Cassie would get her head out of that footballer's ass and find someone with a bit more potential.”She gives me a roll of her eyes and a demure smile.“Sorry.”
“I get it.”I do get it.If it’s someone like Kasen she’s talking about, then I couldn’t agree more.He can’t seem to keep it in his pants and if he continues down this path then there’s going to be a huge blowup in the near future.“I would keep at it… about finding someone better for her, that is.”
“Thank you, Nolan.You have yourself a good weekend.”She waves as I exit the store, the bell tinkling as the door closes behind me.I stand at the bus stop with the cake box in my hand when a car slows down on the street and the window slowly lowers to reveal Darren.
I stumble backward then right myself, nearly dropping the cake I spent a good chunk of my savings on.“What do you want?”
“Hey, Sears.I just wanted to say no hard feelings.”Darren has the nerve to look shameful as he leans over the center console and peers out of the passenger side window.
“Just go away, Darren.”I take another step back and look up and down the street, finding the town ghostly silent.
“How about I give you a ride?”he suggests as I release a dry laugh.“Come on, Nolan.We need to have a chat.”
“I will neverchatwith you again,” I snarl and begin to walk up the street, in the opposite direction of Darren’s car.
“Maybe your mother will.”The threat has me stopping mid-stride as my body breaks out into a cold sweat.I pivot on the spot and stare at the back of his car, the sound of the idle rattle echoing down the street.“Come on, Sears.It’s a ten-minute drive to your house.What can happen?”I want to scream that ten minutes is enough time to shoot me in the head and dump me in the ocean, but I fear it would give Darren a few ideas.He’s not that bright after all.I drag my feet back to his car, the cake box like a fifty-pound weight in my hands, and open the passenger door.“That’s a good kid,” he coos as I sit in the seat and place the box in my lap.“Whose birthday is it?”
“What do you want, Darren?”I growl as he pulls away from the curb and turns the car around to head toward my house.
“Your dad has skipped town, Nolan.He’s in deep shit—”
“That is not mine or my mother’s problem!”I bellow, the words bouncing around the interior of his car.“He’s been kicked out and my mother gave him every cent she saved to leave.”
“I know, man, I know.I’m sorry for what I did to you that night, okay?I shouldn’t have threatened you with a gun.That’s not why I’m here today.I’m here to tell you to be careful and to warn your mother that he may be a desperate man.”He turns off the main road onto my street and slows down as he approaches my driveway.
“What does that mean?”I swallow down the fear that’s swelling in my chest as I stare at the side of his face.
“He’s been cut off here, from everything until he pays up, and you and I know he will never be able to pay that tab.Withdrawals from meth are a bitch, dude.I don’t know what he’ll do.”I fall back in my seat and exhale a long breath before looking at him.
“How much does he owe?”He parks the car as I prepare myself for what I know will be an obscene amount.
“Fifteen K.”He says it in a lower octave, knowing the amount is about to set me off regardless of how calm he sounds.
“Are you people fucking crazy?!”I scream, my eyes feeling like they are about to burst from my head.“Why are you continuing to sell to him?”
Darren turns in his seat, his elbow resting on the center console as his other hand grips the steering wheel in front of him.He and Avery share the same mocha eyes, the only difference is Darren’s are void of any compassion.He’s hardened, and in the last few years, he’s become someone nearly unrecognizable.I grew up with him just as I grew up with Avery, and even though he and I weren’t always close, it still felt like we were family.The man I’m looking at right now, though, doesn’t resemble the Darren I knew.“I’m going to give it to you straight, Nolan,” he begins, his eyebrows crowding down over his eyes.“Your father’s in a lot of trouble and I’m not the only meth dealer here.Think of the distribution channels like a spider web, each silk strand is a different person, but all of us come together and meet in the center.What makes a web, Nolan?”
“A spider.”I give him an exasperated look, hoping he just gets to the point because I need to get inside and warn my mother of the impending doom that is my father.
