Page 111 of The Fire Between High & Lo (Elements 2)

Silence.

“Do you want to get drunk?” I asked.

She narrowed her eyes at me, pinched her bottom lip, and swayed, debating.

***

We’d sat on her patio for the past forty-five minutes, and for the first time ever, I witnessed a drunken Erika. Her laughter echoed through their backyard, and every now and then she’d snort before taking a swig from her bottle of whiskey. I smoked a joint which mellowed me out.

“You’re the best,” she said, slapping my leg.

“You hate my guts.”

“I do. I hate your guts.” She reached for the joint between my lips, and I pinched my lips around it, refusing to let it go.

“I think you should just stick to your whiskey.”

“‘I think you should just stick to your whiskey,’” she mocked me, before laughing again. “You know what I hate most about you?”

“What’s that?”

“Everyone loves you, no matter what you do.”

“Bullshit.”

“No.” She nodded. “Really. Especially Kellan and my sister. They think you are some kind of god. Logan Silverstone can do no wrong! They both love you more than they could ever love me.”

I frowned. “That’s not true.”

“No, it is. I mean, let’s face the facts. You crashed Kellan’s car. You almost burnt down my first apartment. You broke my sister’s heart when you drove into a building. You ran away, ignored her for years, and still—she’d freaking marry you tomorrow if you asked. Kellan didn’t go a day without mentioning your name. Your mom cried every day after you left. She even managed to get clean for a while because she wanted to make you proud, before your crazy father dragged her back into that crap and landed her into the hospital. Screw whatever kind of crap you used that send you to rehab. The truth is, the biggest drug in this small circle of people is you. They are addicted to you, and they won’t stop using.”

My throat went dry, and it became hard to swallow. “What did you just say?”

“Uh, I just said a lot. You want me to repeat it all?”

“No.” My head shook. “The part about my mom. My dad put her in the hospital?”

Erika looked up fast, locking eyes with me. “Oh my gosh.” Her eyes bulged and she shook her head. “Don’t tell them that I mentioned that. Please. They didn’t want you to know, because they didn’t want you to feel guilty for not being there. Please don’t say anything.”

I put out the joint, stood up, and then headed back inside. “Go to bed, Erika.”

Chapter Forty-Two

Alyssa

The next day, Logan asked me to go with him to visit his mom. We stopped by Bro’s Bistro first to pick up some food for her, and as he ran into the restaurant, I waited outside in the car for him. My eyes traveled across the street when I heard yelling from the alley a few steps away from the car.

Opening my door, I started walking in the direction of the sound and my heart leapt out of my skin as I saw Logan’s father standing over Sadie, screaming at her. She was shaking against the concrete wall of the shop next door.

“I’m sorry!” she cried as he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. I listened to her whimpering as her body slid down the wall into the fetal position.

“Hey!” I screamed, running down the dark alley, toward the two. “Back off,” I hollered at him.

He boxed Sadie in with his arms and glanced my way. His eyes were bloodshot and cold, vicious. “Fuck off,” he ordered.

Sadie’s eyes met mine with nothing but fear. The bruises slowly forming on her face made my stomach twist. I didn’t know what else to do as I watched him bend down and whisper something in her ear that made her cringe with fright. “Leave her alone, jerk!” I screamed.

His hands wrapped around Sadie’s wrists and he started pulling her in the opposite direction of me. “You stupid bitch,” he muttered to her, dragging her beside him. Without thought, I rushed down the alley and shoved him from behind. “Let her go!” I screamed, slamming my fist into his back.