“Thanks, asshole.”
Chaz shakes his head. “Whatever, man. I want to go out. Drinking or fucking or whatever. Your call, I just want to get out of here.”
“Okay,” I say.
“Yeah?” Chaz asks, surprised.
When I glare at him, he shrugs.
“You’re just unpredictable lately.”
“Whatever,” I say. “I think we should go for a drive through town. Find a seedy pub and see who rocks up.”
“You itching for a fight?”
I nod. “Big time.”
I don’t tell Chaz that I’m going to hop from one shitty pub to the next because I’m willing to bet my balls Raina’s dad is going to be in one of them, sucking the beer bottles dry for the night. Men like that are all the same—they drink to survive, and they survive to drink.
I also don’t tell Chaz what I’m planning on doing when I find him. Chaz will ask me questions—why this guy, what’s going on, why do I care so much? And I’m not willing to tell him that Raina’s made me think twice about shit.
Our little rivalry is over. She came here to ask me if we could lay down our swords. I wasn’t going to give in, but this is bigger than that. She doesn’t deserve another asshole to fuck with her when she’s already got someone who’s making her life hell.
God, if anyone understands what it’s like to have a piss poor example of a father, it’s me. I can’t stop my dad from doing what he does to me, but I can stop hers from hurting her again.
So, tonight, I’m going out hunting.
Chapter 12
Raina
“We’re going out tonight,” Kat announces when she arrives at my room.
“What?” I ask, looking up from the book I’ve been making notes in. “I thought we were studying.”
“It’s Friday. We’re going to have fun. You’ve studied hard, and you deserve a break. We both do.”
I shake my head. “I’m really not in the mood.”
Kat drops herself on my bed. “Come on, Ray. It’s going to be good for both of us. You’ll retain more information if you let loose once in a while. You’re going to kill yourself off studying if you keep going like this. I’m going to find you under a pile of books, and it will be too late.”
I can’t help but grin. Kat is an amazing friend. Over the past couple of weeks, she’s been there with me through everything, not judging once when I’m not the same as the rest of them and not pushing for answers when she asks a question I don’t want to talk about. She’s just…nice.It’s been a long time since I had someone like that in my life.
My mom and I were close, and since she died, it’s been just me. No one else understands what I’ve been going through. Until now, I was so busy just staying alive, I didn’t have time for anything like partying or having fun.
“Come on, Ray-Ray,” she says, emphasizing the new nickname she gave me. I kind of like it—it makes me feel special. No one has ever given me a nickname, not even my mom. “Let’s just get out there and breathe, okay?”
I give in and nod. Maybe it would be better if I get out and try to forget about everything that’s going wrong in my life. Studying can only do so much to take my mind off things, and considering that it might be a colossal waste of my time anyway, there’s no reason to turn Kat down.
“Do I need to change?” I ask.
“Into what?” Kat asks. “You look fine.”
Lacey would die of shock if she heard Kat’s answer, and she would never go out with me looking like this. It’s another reason I like Kat so much. She’s down to earth. She grew up with less than nothing, and that makes her relatable. She knows that there’s more to life than clothes and looking cute on photos that portray a fake life on social media.
We head to the college bar. It’s a running joke that the students tell each other they’re “passing the bar” when they walk by. The place isn’t the best I’ve seen, but it’s cozy and homey, and they don’t check for ID, which is great because not everyone is twenty-one. I don’t know why the cops don’t bust everyone here. Maybe the owner has an understanding with them.
Kat and I order from the bar—wine for both of us because it’s cheap and gets us drunk quick. It’s the miracle that is boxed wine.