Bear
“Come on, Sky. Come on.”
I press my fingertips into the bridge of my nose, my hands steepled around my mouth as I pray. It’s the final table in Vegas, and at almost eleven our time — about eight o’clock theirs — Skyler just went all in.
There are three players left — her, Kip, and some douchebag named Brandon who just stood up to challenge her.
Honestly, Brandon probably isn’t a douchebag.
For all I know, he could be a sweet country boy from Missouri trying to win money for his high school sweetheart to go to college or to get his sick grandma the care she needs.
But right now, he’s up against my best friend.
Therefore: douchebag.
“Is this how you get during football season?” Becca teases from beside me, popping a Dorito in her mouth. “If so, I might be busy for like all of fall.”
I smirk, blowing out a breath and leaning back on the couch. I throw my arm around her, pulling her into me.
“It’s just Skyler. She’s like a little sister to me, and I know how bad she wants this.”
“Well, from what you told me, the guy she’s been dating all semester wants it just as bad. Wonder what she’ll do about that.”
I frown, eyes flicking to Kip as his face fills the screen.
Then, the camera is back on the cards, and I don’t have time to think about how I’m torn between ripping Kip a new asshole and giving him a Bear Hug.
My parents are shit humans, but I’ve seen what good family can look like.
It looks like Mac and his family, like Skyler and hers.
And I can’t imagine being in Kip’s shoes after what Erin told me about his dad.
Luckily, it’s none of my business, and I’m completely content in staying the hell out of it.
The dealer reveals a Jack of spades, and everyone in the room groans.
At least, everyone who’s paying attention.
The rager ended up being bigger than even I expected, and half of the crowd is gathered around the various TVs in the house while the other half plays drinking games, dances, and parties outside.
“Fuck,” I murmur, running my free hand back over my head.
“So, what does that mean?” Becca asks. “Is she done?”
“Not yet, but he has three Jacks now. She needs a heart on this last card or she’s fucked.”
Becca turns back toward the screen just in time for the dealer to turn the river, and when I see it’s a nine of hearts, I jump up from the couch at the same time Skyler thrusts her fist in the air.
The entire house cheers, even people not paying attention knowing something good must have happened.
It’s a deafening roar, one I hope Skyler can hear from Vegas.
“Atta fucking girl, Sky!” I holler, and Becca holds up both hands for a high ten.
“That’s so crazy!” she says, running her hands through her hair, eyes wide. “So now it’s just her and that guy? Like, one of them is walking away the winner of this whole thing?”
“Yep,” I say, still buzzing off the win. Skyler shakes hands with Brandon, but then her eyes focus on Kip, and I can see her jaw tighten on the screen. My stomach falls. “It all comes down to this.”
There’s a mad dash to the kitchen for beer refills and snacks before the last round starts. And in my rush to get back to my spot on the couch with a fresh beer for me and Becca, I nearly run over Erin.
“Ooof!” she exclaims as I hold the beers out above her head, doing my best not to spill them all over her.
“Shit, Erin, I’m sorry.”
“No, no, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she says, and then she starts giggling. Erin Xanders, who I haven’t seen laugh in over a year, is giggling.
“Uh…” I bend down to look into her glazed eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fantastic!” she says, clapping her hands down on my shoulders.
She kisses each one of my cheeks and pulls back with a grin plastered on her face as she runs her hands back through her hair.
“I’ve had a few beers. I can’t remember the last time I had beer,” she says.
“And Skyler is doing so good. And Kip is there, so that’s super fun.
And I had the best brownie of my life and now I’m going back to get more. ”
“Brownie?” I follow her gaze to the plate of baked goods behind me in the kitchen, and my eyes double in size when I look at her again. “Oh, shit, Erin. Those are pot brownies.”
I expect her to freak out, to go into paranoid mode about being within even twenty feet of drugs. But she just smiles, and shrugs. “Ah. Well, that explains why I feel so great then, doesn’t it?”
“Um, yeah…” Glancing behind her, I see Becca watching us, but she pulls her gaze away as soon as mine finds hers. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe you should come sit down in the living room for a bit.”
“I will. I’m just going to get some water,” Erin says, smacking her tongue to the roof of her mouth. “I’m thirsty.”
She grins again and I can’t help but chuckle. “Alright. See you in there.”
Erin makes her way into the kitchen as I take my seat next to Becca again, handing her the beer I managed to save. She takes her first sip as a new hand is dealt to Kip and Skyler.
“You missed it,” she says, licking her lips as she sets her cup down on the table. “They had these hot bitches bringing out piles of money and shit.”
“Damn it!” I say, making a big deal of it even though I could care less. I prop my arm around her shoulders on the couch. “Maybe you can get half-naked later and give me a replay.”
“Only if you get all the way naked,” she says, brow arched.
I just laugh, bending to kiss her full, nude lips before turning my attention back to the screen.
Erin plops down in one of the chairs down the couch from us, spilling a little water as she giggles and tries to focus on the television.
I watch her for a moment, caught somewhere between happy for her that she’s smiling and worried for her because I know drugs can become an addiction when it feels like there’s nothing else happy in life.
And for Erin, right now, I know that’s how she feels.
She finally came to me.
After all this time running, after all this time saying she was fine, she finally came to me after she and Skyler made up. And I held her, and she talked, and cried, and even though we haven’t figured everything out yet, it’s a step.
I feel like she can get better, like she can be okay again.
I feel like I can help her get there.
“She okay?” Becca asks, noticing my gaze.
I clear my throat and take another sip of my beer. “She’s good. Just ate a pot brownie by mistake.”
Becca laughs. “Oh, God. Been there.” She leans into me, her eyes on mine while I keep my gaze on the screen. “Hey… I don’t have to worry about her, right?”
“What?” I snap my eyes to hers, immediately shaking my head as I drop my beer to the table again. “Of course not.”
“Okay,” Becca says, fingers playing with the hem of my t-shirt.
“I just wanted to check. I know we’re not official or anything, but…
I like you, Bear. And I’ve been second place before.
” She swallows, her eyes on where her hand twists in my shirt.
“Too many times, actually. And I’m not doing it again. ”
I tilt her chin up with my knuckle, making sure her eyes are on mine when I say my next words. “Hey, you’re not second place with me. You’re first. Hell, you’re the only place, there aren’t even any other competitors.”
She smiles, leaning into my touch.
“I know we’re taking it slower than either of us is used to,” I say, searching her golden eyes.
I let myself trace the smooth features of her face, the curls of her hair.
“But, it’s not because I have feelings for anyone else.
It’s because I have a lot of feelings for you, and I want to take my time exploring them.
Just like you’ve been second place before, I’ve rushed in and felt safe sooner than I should have,” I admit, a flash of Shawna hitting me out of nowhere. “I just want to do it right this time.”
“Me, too,” Becca says. She leans up, pressing her lips to mine. “Just keep it real with me, okay?”
“Always.”
She snuggles into my side, and then the entire house is sucked into what’s happening in Vegas.
***
A little past midnight, the stacks are almost completely even in Vegas. It’s easy to see both players are tired, even with the jokes they’ve been throwing back and forth at each other, and we all know it’s going to be over soon.
“I better piss now or forever hold my peace,” I murmur, slipping my arm from around Becca.
“Gross. Did not need to know.”
“Hey, you said to keep it one-hundred.”
“For future reference, that doesn’t include your digestion status.”
I shrug, throwing her a wink as I make my way toward the hall. “Your loss.”
I jog down the hallway first, but the bathroom in my room is in use — and not in the way I need to use it.
I smirk when I hear the moans and thumps, tapping the door with an, “Atta boy,” before heading for the bathroom upstairs.
It’s usually the cleanest, and after the kind of party we’ve had tonight, I know the co-ed ones downstairs have to be a mess.
I don’t bother locking the door behind me, knowing I won’t be long. I realize that was a mistake not even a full minute later when I’m still zipping up my fly and the door bursts open.
Erin flies through, shoving me to the side just in time to drop to her knees and vomit in the toilet I just pissed in.
“Jesus Christ, Ex,” I say, rinsing my hands quickly before drying them and bending to hold her hair back. I reach her just in time for her to heave again, and I cringe at the sight, looking away but still holding her hair and rubbing her back. “It’s okay, get it all out.”
“I don’t understand,” she groans, leaning her cheek on the toilet seat.
“Don’t do that.”
I try to get her to sit up again, but she swats me away, groaning again.
“I felt fine, I felt great.”
I chuckle, dropping to the floor next to her. “Yeah, well, you drank and then ate a pot brownie. The spins were inevitable.”
She opens her eyes, blinking a few times. “So, you feel the room spinning, too?”
I don’t have time to answer before she’s head in the toilet again, dry heaving. I just smile and rub her back. Poor girl.
“It’s okay, just get it all out and you’ll feel better after a night of sleep.”
Erin doesn’t get anything up that time, so she rests her cheek on the toilet seat again. Her eyes are glazed and out of focus as she looks up at me, and a smile splits her face. Then, she giggles before full on laughing.
“Still high, huh?” I ask with a smile.
“No, no, it’s just…” She shakes her head, waving her hand at me before it lands on my arm. She squeezes it tight, her warm hand smoothing over my bicep as her eyes search mine. “It’s just, the last time I was throwing up in this bathroom, it was because I was pregnant with your baby.”
There’s a loud commotion downstairs, a mixture of cheers and groans, but all I hear is ringing.
All I see is Erin’s smiling face, staring back at me without a single ounce of embarrassment or regret over what she just said.
She doesn’t realize it. She probably doesn’t even remember it, and it just happened.
But I’ll never forget it.
“What did you just say?”
Suddenly, her eyes go wide, like her words finally registered. Her breathing accelerates as I drop my hand from her back.
“Erin. What the fuck did you just say to me.” I shake my head, grabbing her wrist and pulling her up to look at me. “Was that a joke?”
“Oh, God.”
Her eyes bulge again just as the door swings open, and my Little grimaces at the sight of Erin’s puke in the toilet before his eyes find mine.
“Shit, man.”
“Get out, Josh.” I point to the door he just came through, my voice firm.
“I’m going, man, trust me. I just thought you should know. Skyler lost,” he says.
My stomach drops even lower, head falling back a bit as a sigh leaves my chest. Shit. She lost, and I wasn’t even there to watch it.
Josh shrugs, his eyes sympathetic. “Sorry, man. It’s all over.”
He shuts the door, and as soon as we’re alone again, Erin finds a little more to throw up.