Junkie(14)

White-hot anger—or maybe it was jealousy—lit up his face. I took some pleasure in it. This guy was a class-A asshat.

“Let’s go,” Lorhaven ground out. Arrow went back around the car while he yanked open the driver’s door of the Camaro.

“See ya, kid,” Trent called.

I held back a snicker. I’m glad I wasn’t the only one that felt like an old man around the boy.

In true teenage fashion, he got in the car and slammed the door. Lorhaven suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

With one last flickering glance in my direction, he slid in and shut the door. Even though the glass was tinted, I was able to see enough movement to know Lorhaven slapped the punk in the back of the head.

Trent and I stood there silently and watched until the Camaro swerved around the corner and out of sight.

“Ten to one that kid’s real name is Justin,” was the first thing Trent said.

I guffawed. “Dude. I was thinking the same thing.”

“He has no idea what he’s doing getting mixed up with someone like Lorhaven.”

I eyed him. “You really don’t like him.”

He made a rude sound. “No. I don’t.”

“He just wants a set of eyes at the speedway. Fucking kills him he has no idea what goes on there anymore.” I gazed off in the direction they left.

“No. It kills him you dominate there and he can’t do shit about it. All the attention’s shifting to you. He’s threatened.”

So he found a driver young enough he could control. Hungry enough for a chance to make a name for himself in the underground racing world. Someone he could use to watch me when he couldn’t. “Yeah, maybe,” I replied.

“He hasn’t raced you directly since that night months ago when you smoked him. His dick is still soft over it.” When I didn’t say anything, Trent shoved my shoulder. “You haven’t raced him since that night. Right?”

“No.” I turned my full attention to Trent, who was sounding a little accusatory. “I promised you I wouldn’t go on his turf alone anymore. You’ve been to all the races lately.”

“You see why it’s a bad idea now?”

I scoffed. “I can handle Lorhaven.”

Trent bristled. God, this guy was like a goddam prickly cactus where Lorhaven was concerned. “Besides, I wouldn’t want you to go getting all shitfaced again because you’re pissed I went driving without you,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

He didn’t think it was funny. “Whatever. We should go. It’s fucking cold as balls out here.” He turned away.

I shouldn’t have brought up that night. That night from months ago when Trent was so trashed he threw up for hours. The night he was so drunk he told me he hated when I went out driving without him.

That wasn’t the only thing he said that night.

“Hey, sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” I followed behind him.

“It’s cool,” he allowed and gave me a look. “I just can’t laugh about shit I don’t remember.”

Yeah. The alcohol was a giant eraser to his brain that night.

But I remembered.

Every word he said.

Every detail from the darkness.

Sometimes when it was really quiet, I thought about the stuff only I recalled.

Alcohol often admits things people are too afraid to say sober.

Sometimes I wished Trent remembered that night.

Sometimes I was glad he forgot.





Trent

Alcohol poisoning.

Breaking up a fist fight.

Meetings with alumni.

Budget meeting.

A clogged toilet because someone thought it would be fun to flush a bag of marbles.

And a rubber ducky.

Okay, I admit it was kind of funny.

That was just this week, a week that wasn’t even over yet. Weekends tended to be even more hectic because that’s when all the brothers had free time and got themselves into trouble.

Sometimes I felt more like a babysitter than a leader.

Being the president of a fraternity wasn’t quite as glamorous as it appeared on TV. Or even in people’s minds. In reality, being the president of a house full of men was kinda hard.

Not that I regretted becoming the president of Alpha Omega. Even if it was sort of a surprise role. Becoming president of this frat hadn’t been on my agenda. The plan was always to get Romeo into that position.

Not only was Romeo the most popular guy on campus, but he was very respected and from a family of Omega legacies.

But it didn’t work out that way.

Zach happened. And he fucked up a lot of shit for everyone.

So when Romeo walked out on pledging, he recommended me, and people listened.

I’d been president for almost two years now. Most of the time, it was something I enjoyed, but if I were being honest, I’d admit I was burning out.