Page 106 of The Lessons

“It couldn’t have been real, though, Josh. That’s the thing. Him and Lisa… Ugh. It makes me sick just to think about it.”

Josh was silent for a moment. “I don’t know, babe. I don’t understand it, either. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the thing?I’m not normally wrong about these things.

“Well, I hope you aren’t this time, either, Josh. But it’s not looking so good.”

Chapter Thirty-three

Sunday - Six days P.R.A.

Natalie

Linda Ronstadt knew my pain.

“Learned My Lesson” was on constant rotation at my place.

Fuck my life.

Chapter Thirty-Four

10 Years Ago…

Ryan

The doctor crossed his legs and adjusted his reading glasses. “Well, shall we talk about why you’re here, Ryan?”

My eyes flit up and met his before darting away. “I’m here because I have to be here.”

This was a waste of time. I’d been dealing with everything just fine, not counting this one slip-up. Sure, my grades weren’t what they used to be and I’d been sleeping with anything that had a pussy and two legs, but wasn’t that pretty normal for a twenty-year-old? Hell, my life was downright mild compared to some guys in my frat. It was just that none of them had a younger sister to protect. If they did, they’d probably be in the same situation.

He shuffled through a file folder. “You haven’t ever been to therapy, have you?”

I shook my head a miniscule amount.

“Not even after your parents…passed?”

I shook my head again, a lump catching in my throat. I still couldn’t talk about that. Not yet.

“So tell me, Ryan. Why do you think you hit that man?”

I shrugged, pretending I didn’t know the reason. I mean, plenty of people protected their loved ones without resorting to violence. So what the hell was wrong with me? What secret was I so fiercely guarding?

How long would it be before he found out I’d turned into the man I hated the most?

Present Day

Ryan

“Andrews. Yo, Andrews—are you even listening to me?”

I blinked and looked over at Eric and Lambo. We’d gone to the bar after our game, and for the past twenty minutes or so, their attention had been on a trifecta of surfer chicks. Hot surfer chicks. Hot surfer chicks, who?if their body language was any indication?were very into a couple of sweaty soccer players.

Too bad I didn’t give a shit.

“Sorry, what?” I asked, looking up from my beer. I hadn’t meant to be rude, but I was preoccupied.

“Ladies, would you excuse us for a moment?” Lam untwined himself from the tallest of the chicks and locked eyes with me. “Help me with something outside?”

Out in the parking lot, Lam came at me fast. “What the fuck, man? What is going on with you?”

---