I hurried outside. I felt nauseous, which wasn’t surprising. If I ever had to look at another glass of sweet tea in my life, I think I would puke on the spot.
When I got home, I had to stop in the kitchen, hunched over the counter. There was an icy, stabbing pain in my stomach. Being the wise person I was, I grabbed a beer, hoping it would dull the pain.
I put one hand on the counter, steadying myself. I shook my head, blinking away the strange wooziness I felt making me sway on my feet.
A moment later, I realized the bottle had slipped from my fingers. The sound of shattering glass felt muffled and distant.31KennedyI sat beside the hospital bed where Tristan was sleeping. He looked so painfully gorgeous, even when his skin was pale, and his eyes were red and puffy. I reached out, running my finger along his forearm. Goosebumps rose on his skin, making the hairs there stand on end.
He turned his head, looking at me through sleepy eyes. “You found me.”
I gave him half a smile. “I was at lunch when Logan told me.”
Tristan’s eyes searched the room, finding Logan, who was leaning against the wall by the door. “You two came together.”
“He gave me a ride.” I squeezed Tristan’s hand. “That’s it.”
“I’m not after your girl, Tristan,” Logan said. “Stop looking at me like that.”
Tristan sighed. Even though he still got jealous at the drop of a dime, he was at least learning to trust me more. He nodded slowly. “Did coach hear?” He asked.
“Not yet,” Logan said. “You going to be good to go by Friday?”
“What’s today, Monday?” Tristan asked.
“It’s Wednesday.”
Tristan let out a croaking laugh. “Couple beers and I’ll be good to go.”
He caught the look on my face and laughed again, but the sound was so weak it made my heart ache for him. “It was a joke, Wheels.”
“What happened?” I asked. I’d spent a while thinking about how I would approach it, and eventually decided the direct approach was the way to go. I knew they’d pumped his stomach for something. My darkest thoughts went to the idea of him trying to hurt himself, but it didn’t feel right. I’d just seen him before it happened. Apparently, an anonymous caller had let the police know someone at his address needed medical attention.
Still, who else would have called for help? He was alone.
Tristan looked at me with no concern on his face, like it was the most casual thing in the world. “Apparently I had a generous helping of drugs in my stomach.”
My eyes stung, but I held back from letting tears come. “Tristan. This is serious. What is going on?”
He clenched his jaw, staring ahead. “You guys had better go. I need to get some rest if I’m going to make the game on Friday.”
“Look, man,” Logan said. “You know I would happily let you destroy your body for the team if it meant giving me a better shot at a scholarship. But maybe you should focus on yourself for a little while and let this Friday go.”
“Fuck that,” Tristan said. “I’m playing.”
“Unless coach hears about the drugs. Remember, he said—”
Tristan reached out suddenly, grabbing Logan’s shirt. It looked like Logan could easily shake Tristan’s weakened grip, but he let himself be held there. “Are you threatening to tell him?” Tristan hissed.
“Nah, man. I’m saying if coach finds out you took a bunch of shit and had to get your stomach pumped, he might not be able to let you play.”
“And how would he find out?” Tristan asked darkly.
“Not from me, dumbass. And I doubt Kennedy is going to say anything. But word gets around. Maybe one of the EMTs has a cousin or sister at Parker, or something.”
Tristan let him go, breathing out slowly through his nose and closing his eyes. “I need to rest.”
Logan and I shared a look. Logan gestured for me to follow him out of the room. Grudgingly, I followed, even though all I wanted to do was stay until I knew Tristan was going to be okay.
In the lobby of the hospital, I sank down into a chair. Logan sat beside me.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I wiped my hands down my face slowly. “I don’t get him. Every time I think I’m starting to understand Tristan, it’s like…” I groaned. “I don’t know. I’m starting to think it’s not possible to actually understand him.”
Logan grinned. “I’ve known Tristan since Pee Wee football. Welcome to the club.”
“Why would he do this? I don’t get it.”
“He was smoking weed before we were out of middle school. The only thing that stopped him was when his coaches found out and gave him an ultimatum. Now he gets tested every few months to make sure he’s staying clean. I mean, I thought he was over it all. But maybe he went back to it?”