Page 18 of Toxic Obsession

“My dad took off a few years ago. I haven’t talked to him since then. Mom is a … a sorry excuse for a parent. She’d rather drink herself into a stupor and ignore the fact that she has two daughters to take care of.” I waited for their responses, but they remained silent. “I’ve been taking care of my younger sister for a while. She’s seventeen, so it was a good time for me to finish my degree.”

“Well, fuck!” Everlee said. “That’s some shit, girl. You have to be strong to deal with all of that.”

“Do you think your mom suffers from depression?” Gabby gently asked. “We have a friend that had a difficult relationship with her mom. Come to find out she was mentally ill and needed treatment.”

My world tilted on its side, black dots dancing before my eyes, and my pulse spiked. “It runs in the family.” I stared at my feet, trying to get a hold of myself for the second time that night.

“Hey, are you okay?” Gabby jumped out of her chair and crossed the room.

“Yeah, I think I drank too much at the party. It hits me in waves.” I wasn’t lying. I just wasn’t telling her that a conversation about mental illness wasn’t on the table. “I’m going to get some more water and go to bed.”

“Okay. I hope you feel better,” Everlee said.

“Thanks. Me too.” I wish sleep were my friend and would help me feel better, but half the time when I tried, the nightmares plagued me. Maybe thinking about Quinn would give me something else to focus on.

Chapter8

Quinn

As soon as Wynter was gone, Adam slammed the door closed. I put myself back in my jeans, which meant I took my eyes off Adam for a moment too long. He bolted across the room, punching my jaw hard enough to knock me backward the minute I glanced at him.

I hit the floor with a thud, and pain shot through my tail bone. I hauled myself up, then launched my fist into his gut and laughed as he doubled over.

“Forgot your place for a minute, old man.” I might have been drunk, but I was clearheaded enough to inflict some damage.

“You’re going to mess it all up like you always do.” Adam groaned as he held the end of my bed and pulled himself off the floor.

“Mess what up? Wynter Baldwin? If you hadn’t noticed, I had her exactly where I wanted her. On her knees, bowing to me.” I shoved my fingers through my short hair. “I can’t destroy her if I don’t know what makes her tick.” I glared at Adam. “Keep your enemies closer, right? That’s what you’ve taught me my entire life. Oh, and take what you want, no matter who it will hurt.” Disgust with Adam’s teachings churned in my gut.

“So your plan is to get in her pants and make her fall in love with you?” Adam chuckled, shaking his head. “If she can love someone like you, then I’d keep her instead of fucking her over.” His smile faltered, then he leered at me. “I mean, once she knows the truth about you, she’ll take off just like everyone else.”

My body shook with anger. “Stay out of my fucking way so I can handle the bitch.” Spittle flew from my mouth.

Adam tossed up his hands in surrender. “Just don’t fuck it up. You’ve got one chance to finish her off. Maybe she’ll kill herself and rid the world of another pathetic Baldwin.”

I flinched at the coldness in his words. Even though I hated Wynter, that was too far. “Get out, and don’t come in without knocking again.” I pointed at the door, ready to get rid of him.

“Clean up the fucking mess you and your friends made.” Adam left. The beat of the music floated through the air, but the rest of the house was quiet except for laughter that I recognized came from Kane and Sterling.

I gave Adam a head start before rushing out of my room and closing the door behind me. Hurrying down the stairs, I found my teammates cleaning up already.

“Sorry, guys. Dad had a bad day.” They had no idea how badly it ended up being. I rubbed my swelling jaw, the ache spreading through my entire head.

The guys suspiciously eyed me but didn’t say a word. “We’ve got it, man. Still was a good party.” Anderson dumped one of the trashcans into a large, heavy-duty trash bag that Kane held open for him.

“Look at it this way. A few more hours in and we would’ve probably been cleaning up some puke,” Sterling added, picking up the beer bottles that were scattered across the living room.

“True.” I walked to the kitchen, then down the hall to the bathroom, but I didn’t see Adam anywhere. I joined the guys again. “Who’s sober enough to drive?”

“Me,” Zeke said. “You need a ride?”

I nodded. “Yeah, as soon as this shit is cleaned up, I want to deliver an invitation.”

“Hell yeah. It’s about time, Q.” Kane laughed as his brow lifted in my direction.

“Wynter Baldwin? The way you two were going at it tonight, my money’s on her.” Anderson shot me a cheesy grin. He clearly wasn’t sober.

“Has anyone else dropped her an invite?” That should have been my first question.

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