Page 91 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

“Maybe she was, maybe she wasn’t,” he said. I looked up into his gray eyes and saw sympathy there. “You can’t blame yourself for reacting that way after the stunt she pulled. Were you supposed to just let it go? You’re not stupid, Brother. If a person tried to stab you, would you just stand there and take it? There’s something wrong with her,” he continued. “But it doesn’t exempt her from the consequences of her actions. She needs to be back at the clinic.”

“She’s home now,” I informed him.

“I know. Sometimes it’s best to step back and let other people help her. She’s not your responsibility.”

“She was my friend,” I said.

Ben nodded. “Yeah. All we can do is be there for her when she’s ready to accept help. But you need to learn to step back when she’s out to destroy her life and wants to take you down with her. Let the doctors and professionals who ar

e more equipped to deal with her condition help her. That’s who she needs now.” He raised his brows. “We good?”

I let out a relieved breath. “Yeah, good.”

The server arrived with our food. I wasn’t hungry, but since it was there, I picked up my burger and took a bite, eyeing Ben’s steak. “You’re such a cheap date. How come you just got me a burger and fries?”

“You always get a burger and fries,” he reasoned.

“Yeah, but I want a steak this time.”

“You want a steak because I have a steak.”

He was right. It was out of principle, really. When we were kids, if he had a new toy, I had to have the same thing. If he wore a Batman shirt, I wore a Batman shirt too.

“Switch,” I demanded.

“What are you, seven?”

“Twenty-three in less than two days.”

I rose to swap our plates, but he grabbed his plate before I could reach for it.

“It’s my birthday,” I reminded him.

He gave me a bored look. “You exhausted your birthday excuses a long time ago.”

In the spirit of brotherhood, Ben pulled a coin from his pocket. “Flip you for it. Heads, I get the big slab of dead cow. Tails, you choke down your burger and fries. And you’re paying for beer later,” he added.

“You got it.”

He flipped it, and our gazes remained fixed on the coin. It landed on the table between us. When Ben looked up at me, his smile was smug.

I sneered. “Ass.”

He shrugged, still sporting a cocky grin. “Where’s my beer?”

Chapter Twenty-five

Caleb

It was almost midnight by the time I got back to my room. I was exhausted, dying for a shower and an aspirin for my headache.

Scientists were always coming up with new things. Why not a pill to stamp out headaches in a matter of seconds? Or a shower room where all you needed to do was step inside, and three seconds later—bada bing, bada boom—you were all scrubbed and clean. Without moving a muscle.

Wouldn’t that be cool?

I wanted all of that. But most of all, I wanted my Red.

Walking right past the bathroom, I tugged off my shirt, discarding it on the floor as I made my way to the bed. Jeans and socks came off next, and finally—finally—I stumbled facedown in bed.

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