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His voice rose. “I need to calm down? You’re basically taking drugs!”

“I. Am. Not.”

“Then what do you call these?” He shook the bottle again.

He wasn’t listening, and she didn’t have the energy or brain clarity to make him. She put her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. She wouldnotcry in front of him.

“What’s going on?”

Allye turned to see Bryce in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. How much had he heard?

“Ask her.” Eric threw the bottle of pills onto the table and stalked out.

Bryce strode to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Allye?”

“I don’t know. I took half a hydrocodone to try to knock out a migraine, and Eric—” She opened her mouth to explain further, but nothing came out. She pushed up from the table and fled to her room, hot tears tracking down her cheeks.

What had just happened?

30

Eric stood with one handon the roof of his car, head lowered. Everything inside him quivered. He had to get himself under control before he got behind the wheel. Could he trust no one anymore? Allye was the last person he’d expected to see with narcs.

Allye’s front door slammed. Eric lifted his head to see Bryce barreling toward him.

“Dude, what is wrong with you?” His friend’s normally easygoing manner was nowhere to be seen.

“She’s taking narcotics.”

“She tookpartof one hydrocodone. That’s not the same thing.”

“She took enough to knock her out. I called her five times on the way over here and again while I stood at the door. That’s not counting however many times you and Corina tried.”

“Maybe her phone was on silent.”

“I could hear it from outside. And I banged on that door for a good thirty seconds before she stirred.” He shook away the memory of her lying unresponsive in her chair. “She was out cold, and half a pill doesn’t usually knock someone out.” His parents could down a handful before even getting a buzz.

“It can when you aren’t used to taking them.”

“She shouldn’t be taking them at all. They were prescribed for herbroken wrist.”

“And the fact she still has almost a full bottle should let you know she’s not been taking them and never took enough to build any tolerance to them.”

“Not buying it.”

Bryce crossed his arms. “She said that’s all she took, and it was for her migraine. I believe her.”

“Really?” He shook his head. How many times had he heard an addict or a desperate family member say that?It was just one joint. Just one pill. One last high before they got clean.

“Yes, really. She’s not a liar, and she does get migraines. If she tookone, it was because she had a good reason.”

“So did my parents. They liked a high, and that was a good enough reason for them.”

Bryce’s voice dropped to an intimidatingly low pitch. “You know Allye better than that.”

“Do I?”

“I can’t believe you. A few days ago, you were making eyes at her and escorting her to the park—yes, I know you followed her out there after you left our place. She let it slip when I installed her new locks the other day.”