Episode 164
EPISODE 164
A HUGE MISTAKE
Sebastian
Twenty Years Earlier...
The crash turns out to be a cheap wine carafe. It’s shattered all over the scratched-up hardwood in her bedroom, and my mother is down on her hands and knees trying to pick up the pieces.
“Ouch!” she exclaims as a trickle of blood oozes out of her palm.
“Jeez.” I kneel and help her to her feet. “You okay?”
“Fine,” she says, alcohol thick on her breath.
I lead her to the bed. She flops down onto the comforter with a sigh that seems to carry the weight of the world. Left alone with the mess on the floor, I crouch down again and gather the splintered shards of glass.
A small pool of wine is seeping into the worn spaces between the floorboards. The heavy smell of cheap wine mingles with the ever-present scent of stale alcohol and smoke. I reach for a discarded shirt.
My mother's raspy breaths have slipped into the rhythm of sleep. I leave her and take the glass-studded shirt to the kitchen where I throw it in the trash.
That cash in my backpack would pay for rehab, but I push the thought away.
She’d drink again. She always does. I’m not wasting the cash.
In a way, I love my mom. I don’t want to see her hurt. But in the same way, I hate her with a purple passion. She doesn’t even know who my father is. One of three men, she told me once. I didn’t ask for their names. Don’t want to know. They’re clearly big-ass losers. I don’t need another loser parent in my life.
Hell, no.
I’m fucking rich!
We can’t spend the dough, of course. We have to keep it all on the down-low until we turn eighteen. I may splurge on a new pair of boots, though. \ The ones I have pinch my toes something awful. Mom usually gets my shoes at the thrift store. Sometimes Riv gives me an old pair. He has feet the size of boats, so he’s always outgrowing his boots before they’re worn out, even working on a ranch.
I check back in on Mom. She’s still snoozing. I should sop up the wine, but I just leave it. Not that it’ll matter. Something else will replace it sooner or later anyway. I can’t keep cleaning up her messes.
I should have gone with Riv and Jake. I hope Riv sees that Jake keeps his head. Going back to Larson’s would be a mistake.
A huge-ass mistake.
Present Day...
Alex and Brett are talking about something, but I only hear white noise.
I took care of my mom that day. Cleaned up the broken glass and got her back to bed.
I should have gone with Riv and Jake.
Because that morning?
It was the last time I saw Jake.
River was the last of us to see him alive. And when he?—
“Seb!” Brett punches me in the shoulder, jerking me out of my thoughts.
“What?”
“Aren’t you listening?”
“Yeah, sure I am. What did you say again? Sienna’s coming back?”
“Yeah.” Brett riffles his fingers through his thick blond hair. “She is. I’m glad she is.”
“Me too,” Alex says, a faraway look in his eye.
I blink. Then again. Wasn’t Ariel just here?
“You were going to say something, Al. Something about you and Ariel?” I raise my eyebrows.
“Yeah.” He turns toward the stairs. “Where did she go?”
“She went upstairs,” Brett says. “You mean you didn’t notice?”
Alex exhales sharply. “I was just a little surprised when you mentioned that Sienna was coming back. I guess I thought she was gone for good, like Rachel and Ginger.”
“What were you going to say about Ariel?” I ask.
Alex shakes his head. “Nothing. I should go find her.”
Brett grabs Alex’s shoulder. “What aren’t you saying, Alex?”
Alex sighs. “I... I’m in love with Ariel. ”
I wrinkle my forehead as I try to ignore the spear of jealousy that strikes me. “That doesn’t sound too convincing.”
“It’s... When you said Sienna was coming back, I had to think. I thought she was the one that first night, you know? But then we got interrupted, and the ocean washed our clothes away. And you guys?—”
Brett puts up a hand to stop him. “We know you’ve got the soul of a poet, but no one falls in love at first sight. That only happens in romance novels. And that’s not even what you write.”
“Yeah. I know.” He shakes his head. “I should go find her.”
“Wait,” I say. “Are you sure?”
He nods.
Damn. Ariel was one tight little fuck. But she’s not for me. She’s not built for the glitzy life of a rock star. She’s much more Alex’s type. The two of them can live in a gorgeous house down south. He can write to his heart’s content, and she’ll bring her mama to live with them. The two of them will grow vegetables and feed Alex until he’s got a big old beer belly. That sixpack of his is toast.
This shouldn’t bother me. I like Ariel, but I was never serious about her. I thought I might be serious about Heather, but now I’m not so sure. And June? Not only no, but hell no.
I’m not sure I’m destined to be with any of these women, honestly.
“Have you told her?” Brett asks.
“Yeah.” Alex nods again.
“So why did the Sienna thing freak you out then?” I ask.
“I don’t know. I just didn’t expect her to come back. She and I didn’t spend any time together after the first night anyway. She was busy. I was busy. ”
“You’d better find Ariel then,” Brett says. “And Evangeline. If the two of you are out of the running, she needs to know.”
“Yeah. You’re right. Am I the only one? The two of you aren’t feeling it for anyone?”
“Not really,” I say. “Not yet anyway.”
“And you?” he says to Brett.
“I’m not sure,” Brett says. “Let’s just say I’m looking forward to Sienna’s return.”
I tilt my head. Brett and Sienna? I didn’t see that coming. Then again, Brett has never been serious about a woman in his life. I figured he’d be the last one to fall.
Looks like the last one might be me.
Twenty Years Earlier...
By the time afternoon hits, River and Jake haven’t returned, and I’m freaking out. I check on my mom once more, find her still passed out, and I race over to Alex’s.
And I fucking pound on his door.