Inside these ropes, darkness reigned. I gave over to the beast living inside me, the bitter disappointment and lingering stain of shame.
I wasn’t good enough. I never had been and never would be, and that had never been clearer than tonight when I came face to face with the girl who had always held my heart in the palm of her hands.
Harleigh had always made me want to be better, so much better.
Without her, where did that leave me?
The memories came thick and fast. Too fast. I couldn’t shut them out, couldn’t switch them off and force them back into their little box.
Meathead used my distracted state to his advantage, coming at me like a bull out of a gate. His fists rained down on me. A jab to my jaw, two to my ribs. Someone yelled my name. Yelled at me to pull my head out my fucking ass and focus, but it was too late.
I staggered back against the ropes, the coppery tang of blood pooling in my mouth.
Everything hurt.
Hurt so fucking good.
I gave Meathead a feral grin. “Do it,” I spat, spraying blood into the air. “End it.”
He grinned back, letting out a dark chuckle as he said, “It would be my pleasure.”
Pain exploded along the side of my face as he made the hit that knocked my feet from under me.
Down I went…
Down.
Down.
Down.
Reveling in the pain, the blistering agony radiated through parts of my body. I knew it would pass though. The pain would end, and the numbness would fade.
And in the end, it would hurt far less than my dirty ravaged heart.
“I could kick your fucking ass,” Zane grumbled as he and Kye helped me to my car.
There was no fucking way I could drive, so Kye climbed into the driver’s seat, leaving Zane to deal with my broken ass.
And I was broken.
Meathead had done a real number on my face and ribs, but I was too high on Vicodin to care.
“I love you, Washington, man. You know that right.” I tapped Zane’s face, grinning like a fool.
Fuck, those pills Bryson had thrust at me were some good shit. I was flying. Soaring across the motherfucking sky.
“Get the fuck in the car.” Zane shoved me inside and pain lanced through me.
“Whew, that is some crazy shit. I feel like I got my ass handed to me by The Hulk.”
“You did.” Kye added from up front. “What the hell are we going to do with him?”
“I’ll take him with me. My gran will clean him up.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, just get us there.”