The next few weeks were a whirlwind of studying for exams before Winter break and attending footballs games that I had very little interest in. To my relief, Kayla was always at the games too, and during the time she wasn't cheering she'd sit on the first bleacher beside me and talk. A lot. She'd tell me all the gossip and drama I had no care for, how her relationship with my brother was, and worst of all-about Jeremiah.

Jeremiah, who I'd been listening to my brother lay into for the last three weeks. Jere, who had been sleeping on the couch in the living room and refusing to acknowledge everyone except my dad and Elise. And who apparently needed to be watched at all times to ensure he wasn't going to relapse. He'd promised my dad that he'd be able to get clean on his own this time, he'd assured his will to be alive and with all of us outweighed the desire he had to shoot up.

As someone who'd spent her entire life subject to watching an addict, I knew those words weren't just a reassurance for everyone else-but a confirmation for himself. He couldn't relapse, it wasn't in the cards, however much he craved the feeling and jonesed for it.

The minute Kayla dropped into the empty seat opposite of Stephan and me the last Friday before winter break, I had no doubt I wasn't going to like whatever came out of her mouth. Her blue eyes were almost frantic, her acrylics anxiously tapping against the table as her eyes flickered between the two of us.

"What?" Stephan finally questioned, sipped at a Coke, then nodded in her direction. "Did you drink a whole case of energy drinks again?"

Again?

"No." she looked ready to snap, but slowly moved her full attention to me. "Jon and I have a concert date planned for tonight. We planned months ago but the friend that was supposed to go with Jere bailed last minute. I thought maybe you'd want to go? It's still Jere Duty, but at least it'll be fun."

Stephan straightened just the slightest at her words. "Hold up. Jere Duty? What the hell is that?"

"Jere's using again, or he was." she said it nonchalantly, as if Stephan Briggs knew all about Jeremiah's past. "Adam, Addy's dad, has all of them alternating keeping an eye on him to make sure he doesn't relapse. Though, I'm pretty sure he makes sure one of the boys is always with Addy. Because, you know, withdraws and violent outbursts and all that."

Stephan processed her explanation before his eyes flickered to me. "Do you want to go?"

"I don't know."

Kayla, looking hopeful, added, "It's not like it's just her and Jere, Briggs. Jon and I will be there too."

Stephan scoffed but didn't respond verbally. I knew he was thinking the exact thing I was. The reason she was inviting me was so Jere wasn't third wheeling, which would mean we probably would spend most of the night alone together.

"I mean, I already told you I trust you, Addy." Stephan reached out and rested his hand on top of mine. "If you want to go, it's cool, just text me when you can and call when you get back home and tell me how it was."

The moment Kayla shot to her feet and rushed around the table I thought she may tackle me in a hug, but she walked around so she could throw her arms around both of us and squeezed my shoulder hard. "Yay! Thank you! I'll see you tonight, Addy!"

Then she rushed for the door of the cafeteria, probably off to disrupt my brother's swim meet. When I glanced over at Stephan he was staring after her, but the look on his face was unreadable, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

*

After grilling Kayla for answers about the venue, I came to the sad realization I was going to have to wear something short sleeve and a little out of my comfort zone. It was no doubt going to be a sauna in there with all the bodies crammed into the arena like a can of sardines. Though it wasn't nearly as clingy and body hugging as my old shirts, I grabbed a burgundy shirt that Elise must have snuck into the cart when we'd went shopping a few months ago. It was tighter in the bust area than I cared for, but my boobs weren't spilling out and it would be dark enough in the place most people wouldn't even be able to see me.

Unfortunately, that was the mentality I walked downstairs with and was flushed straight down the drain when my entire family looked from their phones and the TV and stared at me with wide eyes, shocked, confused, and excited. Elise was nearly bouncing on the cushion beside my father as she took in my appearance. Knowing better than to ask her, I nudged Shane lounged in the recliner beside me and asked, "How bad does it look?"

Momentarily distracted from scrolling through his phone, he lifted his head up and let his eyes roam me head to toe before he snorted. "Doesn't look bad at all, Addy."

"You look good." Gabe commented from the floor in front of our parents, peering over his Switch to look at me. "Kayla's started rubbing off on you, I see."

"Unfortunately." I mumbled.

Not even a minute later, Kayla's sharp, "I heard that!" filled the room. It earned a chuckle out of Gabe and an apologetic look out of me as she jogged down the stairs. She was in a black tank with a huge dip in cleavage, a pair of blue-washed skinny jeans, and a nice pair of dark brown boots.

"You look so good, Addison!" she squealed, fixing my hair so it wasn't in my eyes. "I absolutely love this color on you. I love the shirt, honestly."

Jonathan's quiet laugh filled the room as he and Jere joined us. "That's Kayla for I'm going to steal that shirt too."

She whacked my brother's arm playfully, then snuggled into his side when he lifted it expectantly, dropping it over her shoulder with a satisfied look.

"Be careful." Dad said, sitting up so his gaze swept right over Kayla and me and to both boys. "If anything happens to either of them, they'll be a grave dug outside for both of you."

Jere cracked the smallest of a smile, but Jonathan eyed my dad as if he couldn't figure out whether he was exaggerating or not.

"Let's go." Kayla interrupted with a wave in my parents direction. "Parking is going to be hell. I don't want to miss the show."

I waved before squeezing Shane's shoulder and heading out the door after my brother and his girlfriend. I could feel Jeremiah behind me, but he kept enough distance that I didn't need to fill the silence between us. At least not until we were forced into the back of my brother's car.

"I'm surprised Briggs let you come tonight." he commented without emotion. I couldn't tell if it was a dig at Stephan or just a genuine observation, but Kayla decided she wanted to interject herself before I could get a word in.

"He was so sweet about it. He said he trusted her and if she wanted to go he was cool with it." she commented then went back to filling in my brother on the latest cheer squad drama. I propped my head on my hand as my brother pulled away from the house, hyperaware of Jere's eyes still on me.

It became unbearable after a few minutes, and I turned to look at him. "What?"

"You guys are getting serious." I didn't need further elaboration on who he was talking about. Clearly, he was in a mood tonight. "You let him touch you more. And kiss you."

I heard my brother's quick intake of breath, but he didn't say a word to defend me against his best friend, so I straightened and shrugged a shoulder. "That's part of being in a relationship, Jere. It's hard, but it's something that needs to be done. I need to be able to accept what happened and understand that not all men are out to hurt me. Stephan is helping me with that."

"He treats you like a consolation prize."

I bit my tongue to keep from saying what I wanted to say and responded, "I'm sorry you see it that way."

"He doesn't even know you, not really." he added a few seconds later.

Unable to hold it back, I snapped, "Oh, and you think you do?"

"I know I do."

"You only know what I choose to tell you, Jeremiah."

"Whatever." he slumped back against his seat and turned his head in the opposite direction, dropping the subject but emitting the tension. I looked to Kayla in the passenger seat for help, but she only offered me a weak smile. As I shifted my body closer to the door and rested my head against the window, I let out a shaky breath.

This was going to be a long night.