“This is—” Gavin had to stop, giving Skylar her phone back. “That’s insane. Your mom tried to do that. What are you doing here?”
“Let me ask you something and be honest. Where was Flynn today?”
“At the house.”
“Then where was he yesterday?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Gone. A lot of guys leave for the day.”
“The day?”
“Yeah. Why?”
I took Skylar’s phone and brought up the video, hitting play. My mom’s voice came through, and she was laughing. A whole seductive and sultry laugh. I pointed at the phone. “Because this is how she sounds when she wants to fuck someone. She wants attention from whoever is holding this recording device, and she’s eating it up. All the attention this guy is giving her.” My mom bent forward, letting one of her tits show. “Her make-up was on point.”
“I’m thinking that’s a normal thing for women. They know how to do make-up.”
“Not her.”
He went still, so did my roommates, and so did some people in the kitchen.
The music cut, and I’d be told later that my voice carried as I kept on, clipping out, “Ever dealt with someone who has a chronic personality disorder? Know what it’s like? You feel like you want to hit your head against the wall. Imagine that feeling every day of your life. Imagine your mom wanting to sleep with all of your teachers, your friends, your bosses, your co-workers. Jesus. I’m just getting started. That’s what she does. Her. She drains you and drains everyone, and you get nothing back. When you’re not giving her what she wants, she moves onto the next, and everything is about her. Everything. The few times you got a birthday party, they’re about her. The few times. If it doesn’t fit into her schedule to get you a Christmas gift, you’re not getting one. ‘Tough shit, you little shit.’ I heard that when I six, seven, and eight. Then I stopped asking. When you need to get picked up after school when you’re in third grade. Not going to happen, not unless it fits into her schedule.” I shoved that phone at him, even knowing it wasn’t his, but I was beyond caring. He had no idea. None. “And yeah. Six days ago, your fraternity brother showed up at a beach with a girl and three other guys. He insulted me, threatened me, and Cruz laid him out. Guess what your other brothers did? Nothing. They watched it happen. They didn’t do a damned thing. Think on that, Gavin. Your fraternity brother is getting pummeled, and you stand back. It was just me there. No one else. They could’ve pulled him off in a heartbeat and they didn’t. They had time to figure it out, to see what was going on. They stood there, just stood there. I noticed her, and the state she was in, and the state Flynn was in, and I started asking questions.”
“The fuck you did! You set me up!”
I whirled, seeing so many eyes on me. They’d turned my way, facing me, but I shoved through them. A line opened, letting me pass until I broke through the circle.
Flynn was being held back by the two brothers that’d been there that day.
I started laughing, seeing them. “This is classic. These guys.” I addressed them, “You’re showing up now?”
One gave me a nasty look.
I raised my middle finger at him. “Where were you then? Huh? Before he did what he did to her?”
“We didn’t–” The other guy hit him in the arm. He didn’t notice, hissing without thinking, “We didn’t know he was going to hurt her! They were kissing, then suddenly she’s yelling for him to get off her. And he wouldn’t.” He shoved back, pushing Flynn into the door as he did. He held his hands up, backing away. “I’m not this kind of guy, Carrington. I’m not down with this shit.”
“Dude!” The first guy grabbed him, shoving him backwards. “Shut. Up!”
“I don’t care. I’m not down with it.”
“It’s true?” Gavin had followed me.
My voice almost broke as I said, “Like I said, you know me. You know him. You should know better.”
“You fucking bit–”
“My mother.” My voice did break. I circled around to see Flynn better. More one on one, though three guys stepped between us, partially blocking my view. Cruz moved up behind me, his hand went to the side of my hip. “You went to my mom?”
“I didn’t–”
“You did!” I started for him, but Cruz’s hand held me back. “Just admit it. You threatened me five days ago. I got texts warning me that you were coming after me four days ago. Miller said you were at the house today, so that leaves yesterday. My mom’s supposed to be in a facility. Where did you find her?”
His face was red. His mouth was clamped shut. He wanted to tell me. He wanted to hurt me.
I started nodding, knowing why he was doing it, but man. “My mom? Really?”
Whatever was holding him back broke. He started laughing, a harsh sound. “Yeah, she’s fucked up. Offered to blow me and my buddy if we did her. She wasn’t in a facility. Went to her place, but she wasn’t there. We reached out over her social media. She responded within three seconds. Told us right away where to meet her, and she loved talking about you. She told us all about you, how messed up you are, how you were introduced to sex too early in life. She loved telling us that story. You came on to–”
I knew it then. He was just going to go on, and on, and on.
He was going to rub the whole meeting in my face.
He was going to say and do anything to hurt me.
There was no point to this anymore.
“Enough.” Cruz moved before anyone could stop him. He wrapped his arm around Flynn’s neck, yanked him down, locked his arm with his other one, and applied pressure. “Time to go to sleep, buddy.”
Flynn was bent down, struggling. His face filled with color and as he gasped, he slowly, just, went to sleep. He tried hitting on Cruz’s arm, but no one helped him.
That said everything.
When he was out, Cruz dropped him. His frat brother knelt, feeling for his pulse, and stood back. “He’s fine. He’s just unconscious.”
Cruz was coming for me. “Party’s over.”
I nodded, feeling him pick me up. I was just fine with that.
I said to Gavin as Cruz carried me past him, “Hope your trip was worth it.”
52
MARA
I was in bed with Cruz when my phone woke me up.
Reaching down to the floor, I grabbed it and brought it up, but Cruz’s arm was around my waist. He was spooning me from behind, and no way was I moving away.
Skylar: We’re heading back. Wade called Angela and she wanted to talk to him. How are you doing?
Me: Good. Tired. Emotional hangover.
Skylar: I can only imagine. I’m sorry about your mom. I didn’t know. We didn’t know.
Me: I know. It’s… a little weird, to be honest. I’m not used to people knowing.
Skylar: My mom suffers from chronic anxiety and depression. And he told me last night that I could tell you that Miles’ brother suffers from schizophrenia.
Me: I didn’t know that.
Skylar: It’s not something we lead with, but my mom has her good days and bad. It’s an up and down thing. Miles can tell you about his brother, but we wanted you to know that we understand.