Page 58 of Whatever Happens

“Cody, he’s uh, he’s a drug addict. He came to the city to visit me the weekend he got his sixty-day sobriety chip. I took him to dinner to celebrate, and while we were out, I got a call from Green. He started going on and on about this club and all the hot women there. Cody wanted to go, and while it probably wasn’t a smart move on my part, I agreed.

“I don’t know I just wanted him to have a little fun, hook-up with some chick, give him a little taste of what he missed out on. We were going to stop by, say hi. That’s it. One thing led to another, and we ended up staying there most of the night. Cody met some girl, they were having fun, and I didn’t want to take that away from him. It was the happiest I had seen him in a long time. Anyway, eventually, the night ended, and I had a few drinks in me, so sober Cody offered to drive. Little did I know that he wasn’t actually sober, thanks to the chick he’d been with getting him high as a kite.”

My fist begins to clench at my side.

“So, we got in the car, and I was on my damn phone, checking stupid social media bullshit. I didn’t notice how fucked-up he was. When I did, I told him to pull over, but he refused. We argued, then he lost control, and we hit that fucking tree. He never even hit the brake. We’re lucky we’re not fucking dead.”

“You weren’t the one driving?”

“No.”

“Why did you cover for him?”

“I knew I wouldn’t blow over the legal limit. Cody on the other hand would end up in jail again. I didn’t want that for him, or for my parents.”

“So, you risked yourself to save him.”

“Don’t make me sound like a hero. Me doing that… it’s what landed us here. I just figured if I couldn’t help him, I could at least spare my parents the pain.”

Lexie rests her head on my shoulder.

“You’re a good man Carter Wallace. A little too good, if you ask me.”

I rest my head atop hers.

“You’re not so bad yourself, princess.”

Chapter20

Lexie

“I’m glad you came with me today.” Carter is lying next to me, his head resting on his hand.

“Thanks for including me.” I’m glad, too. He has no idea just how much. “Any idea what you want to do about Cody?”

Carter nods, and I can tell his decision is weighing on him.

“I’m going to tell my parents the truth and hope I can convince him to go to rehab. I just wish I knew how to break this to them in a way that would soften the blow.”

“There’s no easy way to break that kind of news to someone. It’s going to be hard to hear, no matter what the words are.” I can see the anguish on his face as he runs the scenario through his head. It kills me to know that I can’t fix this for him or even be there for him the way I want to be.

“I just wish I knew why he hates me so much. I spent most of my life looking up to him, yet he hates me.”

Taking the small leap, I put my arm around him in an attempt to comfort him.

“I don’t think he hates you. I think that he hates himself. He is so jealous of you and what you’ve accomplished, he can’t process it. He’s the older brother. He’s supposed to take care of you, be the hero, not the other way around.”

“That’s just it, Lex, he could have been. He was a good ball player, even better than me. We should be out there together. Something changed him, and whatever it was, it wasn’t for the better.”

“I wish there were something I could do, something to help make this easier on you.”

“Are you kidding me?” He chuckles. “You being here, listening to me? It helps more than you know.”

Yet my heart says it’s not enough.

The sun is setting on the horizon, the orange spreading over the water. It’s a beautiful setting. Romantic, too. If things were different, Carter and I would be kissing, maybe even making love on the sand, the waves crashing behind us.

All I can do is smile at him.

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