Page 38 of Forgotten Prejudice

Still not looking at me, the muscle in his jaw twitched. “So I got a little high, big fucking deal.”

Was he serious?

“It is a big fucking deal when you’re supposed to be sober. What was the point of going to rehab if not?”

“Rehab is fucking bullshit,” he bit back. Bouncing his knees repeatedly, he brought his fingers to his lips and began chewing on the skin around his nails. He’d never done that before, and that explained why his fingers were covered in small wounds.

“Why are you here?” he asked, his voice hostile.

Drops of water still dripped from his hair, so I grabbed a towel from the hanger and threw it at him.

He caught it.

“I’m here to tell you you’re a dad.” His face paled. “Congratu-fucking-lations.”

Pressing his lips in a hard line, he tossed the towel to the floor and lay back down.

“What the hell? Get up.”

Shifting to his side, he turned his back to me. “Go away.”

Staring at him with my eyes so wide they nearly popped out of my head, I took a deep breath. This pathetic, pitiful, and disappointing behavior was a whole new side to the guy who used to be the biggest sunshine in my world. I realized Kai wasn’t the same person because now he had new priorities in life, and those were drugs. He preferred getting high over meeting his newborn baby. Why wouldn’t he? Getting fucked-up was much easier than taking responsibility. Right?

Fuck no.

Anger burned through me like fire, and I moved toward the bed.

“Get up!” I shouted, grabbing his shoulder and trying to shake him. He’d lost enough weight for me to feel his bones. Ignoring this change, I continued to shake him while he resisted me, pushing my hands only for me to bring them back.

“S-Stop!” he grunted when I pulled him by his shirt. “You fucker.”

“Get up, and I’ll stop.”

“Fuck off!” He grabbed my arm and somehow managed to pull me down so that I was now lying on top of him.

We were both panting because of the short struggle, and for a few seconds, neither of us spoke as we caught our breath. Staring into each other’s eyes, I learned that despite everything that had changed, Kai still had the dreamiest blue eyes in the world. It wasn’t just blue. It was turquoise, like shallow waters on a sunny day. The beautiful turquoise that used to make me feel so safe in this world.

My heart hammered a bit faster in my chest, but not the way it used to. It wasn’t love beating inside me but sadness, pain for how he was ruining his life.

I quickly got up.

Turning my back to him, I took a deep breath and cleared my throat.

“If you don’t get up this second, I’ll call your parents and make sure they know you’ve relapsed.” My voice was strict and determined. “I’ll be waiting for you in my truck. You have five minutes.” With that, I left the room without looking back, hoping that was enough to make him move.

Ash

The sound of the music coming from the party danced on my nerves, so I closed the windows in my pickup truck while waiting in silence for Kai. It was almost eleven, and I wondered if Soren had returned home or if he was still caught up at the office. If he was, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d worked through the night.

As the minutes passed, my worry grew that Kai wouldn’t follow me. The last thing I wanted was to involve his parents, but what other choice did I have? He’d relapsed. I had no idea when it happened or if he was ever sober to begin with, but he needed help. The problem was he didn’t want any help. I had no experience with addictions, and I was scared that Nico’s words would turn out to be true.

Struck by a sudden cold, I turned up the heat and leaned back while tapping the steering wheel with the pads of my fingers. So lost in thought, I jumped when the passenger door burst open, and Kai climbed in.

Without speaking, he closed the door and sank into the seat with a hollow expression that worried the hell out of me. What was going on inside his head? Also, why was he bouncing his legs so much? Was sitting still so hard for him?

We began driving back, and I glanced Kai’s way every now and then. His expression hadn’t changed since he got into my truck, and it seriously freaked me out. So caught up with him, I took the wrong turn on one of the bends, leading us up an isolated hill. Topanga Canyon had lots of those hidden roads that led to nowhere, and I guessed we were on one.

“We’re lost,” Kai grunted from beside me.