Page 164 of Defend Me

Dad:What’s going on with you and Mom?

Brooks:Idk

Dad:I’m worried about you.

Brooks:Don’t be. My grades are perfect and I’m not fucking anything up.

Dad:I didn’t ask about your grades.

Brooks:Look, I have plans. I’ve gotta go.

Dad:Okay. Have fun. We can talk about it this weekend.

I considered dropping my phone in the tub. Why not destroy a third one? Instead, I got out of the water and tossed it onto my bed.

After wrapping a towel around my waist, I left my room. Tilian was standing in the kitchen with a shaker bottle full of bright blue liquid.

“What’s that?” I asked.

His eyes raked my body. “Pre-workout. It has electrolytes and other shit I haven’t read, but science endorses it. Dean says it’sabsolutely necessaryfor his workouts. I thought I owed it to the world to see if it did anything or was thirty dollars for no reason.”

“You’re working out?”

“You don’t think I work out? I run a couple times a week. You watch me leave.”

“I mean… I thought you were going on smoking walks.”

“Without you?”

I held up my hands placatingly. “I was trying to give you privacy. So, running, huh?”

“Yeah. But unlike you, it’s not from my problems.”

“Fuck you,” I laughed. “Can I try it?”

“Uh, sure.”

I grabbed the bottle and took a swig. Sticking my tongue out, I made a face. “Why is it so sweet?”

“Why not?”

“Jesus. Might as well snort Kool-Aid powder.”

With a laugh that seemed to bounce off the walls, he leaned back against the counter. I watched him take a long swig of the stuff. I’d assumed he just stayed like this regardless of how many Oreos he put back. Running made sense.

“Please tell me you need a workout partner.”

His brow raised. “You want to run with me?”

“I want to do anything that gets me out of this fucking place and makes me stop thinking.”

“About?”

“Everything.”

“Uh, okay. You have to sign a waiver.”

“A waiver?” I repeated, wrinkling my nose.

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