Page 13 of Bring Me To My Knees

When I walk out into the kitchen, Mitch and Marley are both inside. She walks past me, towards her room, which just so happens to be across from mine and Riley's.

“You good?” I ask Mitch, once Marley goes inside her room.

“Yeah. This is just her first time here since Mal died. I didn’t even think about that when I invited her to come along. What she’s going through is completely different than what I went through. I’ll never understand that pain.” He sighs, sitting at the kitchen table.

“You don’t have to. She just needs someone to be there for her, because your parents sure as fuck weren’t.”

“That’s the fucking truth. Who knew the way we were raised could fuck us up so badly?” He sighs.

“You mean you’re just now realizing?”

He laughs. “No, I’ve always known, it’s just different seeing it happen to your sister.”

“Thank fuck my parents only had me to screw up.”

“Fuck them,” he says, standing up.

“So, what’s on the agenda?”

“Nothing. Just doing whatever the fuck we want without worrying about anything else,” he says.

“Sounds good to me.”

I head into my bedroom, finding Riley sprawled out on the bed.

“Is this all we’re doing on this trip? Talking about our fucking feelings and shit? I’m bored already.” She sighs.

“Then go the fuck home, Riley,” I say, stripping out of my clothes, digging through my bags for some swim trunks.

“Yeah, right. I’m not leaving you here with those fucking tramps,” she says, sitting up on the bed.

“You’re fucking stupid,” I tell her, grabbing my trunks and slipping them on.

“Which one are you fucking? Both of them? They look like the type.”

“What is wrong with you?” I ask, turning to face her.

She shrugs, unfazed with me.

“You know, you don’t always have to have the act up, right? You can be normal sometimes. It’s just the two of us.”

“Why would I change the way I am? Because it’s only the two of us right now,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“I’m out,” I tell her, opening the door and slamming it behind me.

I practically run into Marley in the hall.

“Everything okay?” she asks, her eyes wide.

“Perfect,” I snap, walking down the hall and out the back door.

I don’t even notice she’s followed me out to the beach until I stop and throw my towel in the sand.

“You don’t have to be a dick to me because you’re having problems with your girlfriend,” she snaps, throwing a towel down next to mine.

“Who invited you out here anyway?” I ask.

“I don’t have to be invited to go to a public beach,” she says, putting her hand on her hip.

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