Page 115 of Wright Together

“Thank you for going to get him.”

“Anytime.”

“I don’t know how you got him to admit that he was wrong,” Jensen said. “We only butt heads day and night.”

“He knew he was in the wrong as soon as he called me. Not sure it was anything that I did.”

Jensen sighed. “Either way, thank you.”

“Are you going to let him go back to New York?” I asked even though it was none of my business.

Jensen’s eyes flicked back to the direction Colton had disappeared. “I don’t know. What would you do?”

I laughed. “No idea. I was a rule follower in high school.”

“Yeah. So was I. How trashed is the lake house?”

“Ah,” I said on a wince. “I’d make him clean up as much as he can before you go look at it.”

“That bad?”

I nodded.

“All right. Well, thanks, Whitt. I know you didn’t have to do any of this.”

I waved him off and then headed back to the car. Before the door closed, I turned back. “He’s a good kid, you know?”

Jensen nodded. “I know. Somewhere down deep.”

I didn’t prod any more. Colton would stay, or he would go. He’d earned it either way. I was glad I’d been able to help. Like I wished that I could do with Eve right now.

32

Eve

Bailey was throwing up in the bathroom of our dad’s double-wide.

“It’s just a hangover!” she insisted as she leaned her cheek against her porcelain throne.

A hangover.

Right.

Like I hadn’t seen her incapacitated last night. As if there hadn’t been an entire table of illegal drugs in front of her. As if I hadn’t dragged her ass out of that party against her wishes. She would have happily stayed with that idiot Xavier.

“You’re not fooling me.”

Her response was to wretch into the toilet.

I cringed and took another step back. I was glad Dad wasn’t here to witness it. He was off at church, pretending like nothing had happened. It was better for everyone that he was out of the picture.

He’d raged last night when I finally brought Bailey home, high as a kite. It was one of the few times that I agreed with him. Every single thing he said to her about her irresponsibility had been true. Even if it wasn’t helpful. But it only made Bailey worse. Oil and water mixing. And watching the exchange made me wonder how I’d ever thought this would work.

When he’d stormed out of the trailer this morning in his Sunday best, neither of us had stopped him. Bailey hated him, and I didn’t think much more highly of him.

Bailey finally stopped throwing up and flushed the toilet. She was pale, and her pupils were swallowing her irises. “Ugh, feel awful.”

“I bet.”