Page 35 of Evil Queen

Nathan

“This is perfectly normal,” I said aloud to myself. “Lots of people use these. It’s perfectly normal.”

Somehow, I’d left the therapist with prescriptions for not one but two medications, one for PTSD and one for depression. My father used to tell me all the time that taking meds was a sign of weakness, but I had seen my mom taking some on a few occasions. I hadn’t managed to make my way back into the main house on our property since I went in there to have my mom cleaned up and carried out, but maybe once I did, I could see if hers matched either of the ones I’d been prescribed.

No, I was not ashamed of the medication I had, but I was well aware of the associated stereotype. The very last thing I needed was a rumor buzzing around school that I was on meds now, so because I had to collect them on my way to school that morning, I was sitting in my car, taking them without the risk of prying eyes.

I dumped the allotted number of each pill into my hand and then tossed them into my mouth and swallowed them dry. Just as I was about to twist the top back on the second pill bottle, there was a knock on my car window that made me jump so hard that the pills flew out and scattered all over my car.

“Fuck!” I hissed and looked over. Jaxon was standing outside my window, and fortunately, he had his back to the window and hadn’t looked in, so I quickly rolled down my window. “What do you want?”

“Jeez,” Jaxon said, barely glancing back over his shoulder at me. “Is nice Nathan gone now?”

I cracked my neck and took a deep breath. “No, but you scared the hell out of me.”

“I have to talk to you about something. It’s important. About Cherri.”

The car was covered in the small white pills that would need to be picked up, but Jaxon wasn’t one to classify something as important if it wasn’t. “Get in the car.”

As Jaxon walked around to the other side of my car, I started to collect the spilled pills, but I didn’t have them all gathered by the time he was opening the door. He stuck a foot in, then noticed the chaos and stopped. “Uh.”

“I’ll explain. Just get in. Pick some up on your way.”

Jaxon did as I asked, picking up the pills he could get to and then handed them over to me, and after making sure they were free of any hair or debris—I was grateful that I regularly had my car detailed—I dropped the pills back into the bottle and put it and the other bottle in my backpack.

“You’re taking meds?” Jaxon asked. “For what?”

“Nikki convinced me to go see her therapist this weekend,” I said. “She diagnosed me with depression and PTSD. Now I take pills for them. It’s not a big deal.”

“You’re right. It’s not,” Jaxon said. “Avery and Colette have been taking antidepressants, and, well, I’m sure you know Nikki takes them for anxiety. So do I. I’m confident Brayden should be taking something,but damned if I know what.”

“I had no idea,” I replied. “I really don’t know enough about you guys.”

He shrugged. “So you learn stuff. Maybe bring it up. You’d be surprised what being able to relate to someone can do for your closeness.”

Given that Jaxon was such an unemotional person, it was shocking how often he had really sound advice. Though I might not have had many attributes to brag about at the moment, I had to admit that I knew how to surround myself with good people. Obviously, it would have been better if I hadn’t destroyed my relationships with them all, but if I could fix them, if even a little, we could be a legitimate force to be reckoned with.

“I may do that, but just don’t say anything for now.”

“It’s not my business. I only brought up Avery and Colette because they don’t hide that information.” He looked over at me with his upper lip hiked. “Do I have to ask if you’re okay and have a sentimental talk with you about it?”

“No, god, please don’t.”

He nodded. “Cool.”

“So, what did you learn about Cherri?” I asked, and my pockets were already burning with whatever I’d have to pay to get her out of it.

“It’s not about Cherri, directly, but it involves her. It’s about Sicily.”

I tilted my head. “What about him?”

“A few of my flies have told me that he’s looking for Deon,” Jaxon said and then side-eyed me. Jaxon was Nikita’s best friend, so I automatically assumed that anything I told her made its way back to him, but he was looking at me with genuine shock. “You know, your half-brother who’s supposed to be dead.”

“Yes, okay? He’s alive, but Sicily shouldn’t know that unless… Is Deon contacting him?” The last time Deon called me, he seemed shocked to learn that Cherri had been hanging around with Sicily. Maybe that made him curious, but if he had called Sicily, he would have sworn him to the same promise of secrecy regarding Cherri that I swore to, wouldn’t he have? “Do you know why Sicily is looking for him?”

“Nah, just a few people have overheard him talking about it with Cherri.”

“Shit. We gotta find them.” I scooped up my backpack and climbed out of my car, and Jaxon got out right after me.

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