Page 62 of Embers in the Dark

“Some best friend you turned out to be, man,” he spits back.

“Rios, you have some nerve. I stopped when you asked me to. I walked away initially. I did exactly what you wanted. I ignored my feelings for her the first time.”

“Some good that did. I told you she was off limits!” he yells.

“Yeah, and you told me what a shit friend I was then, remember? You guilted me to believe she could do better. Then she walked into the hands of a monster!” I yell back.

“You’re not good enough for her, Malloy. I told you to stay away from her. You were supposed to keep away from her. That’s why I made you go on that date with Abby. So, you’d stay away from my sister!” Rios yells.

“I did stay away. For as long as I could, because you’re my friend, I respected our friendship—” I’m cut off by the front door of the Rios household opening.

“What is he talking about?” Baylee walks out of the house, surprising me with her presence.

“Baylee, what are you doing here? You have class right now.” I look over at her stunned.

She’s looking at her brother, but the frustration she wears on her face is directed at both of us.

“Daniel, what the fuck is he talking about?” Her icy tone is full of anger.

“Baylee, I did it for you. He’s a player. He isn’t someone you can count on like that.” He looks at her.

“What the fuck, man?” I hold my hands out. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on. All you do is go on dates left and right. You haven’t had a girlfriend since high school,” he throws at me.

“So what? Who are you to judge? That’s why I can’t dateyour sister? That’s why you forced me to go out with Abby?” I yell at him.

“You forced him to go out with Abby?” She looks at her brother horrified. Then she swings her gaze at me. “You agreed to that date because my brother made you take her out and you did it to pleasehim? Like you bow down to him or something? What the fuck, Tucker? That’s fucking pathetic!” she yells at both of us.

“Baylee, let me explain.” I start walking toward her, but she puts her hands up.

“Please save your excuses right now. The ripple effect of your decision that day resulted in pain I now have to live with. I have scars embedded deep in my soul that I’ll never know how to explain. And here I thought you didn’t want me during that time, so I accepted that monster. I welcomed him because I thought that was what I deserved,” she chokes out.

Fuck, her pain is my pain.

She hangs her head for a moment, then something snaps in her, and she pulls her shoulders back and looks at Rios, determination in her gaze.

“Shame on you, Danny, for making a decision you had no right making on my behalf. I stayed with Myles, partially because that’s what I thought I was worthy of and partly because I liked that you approved of him. Damn, I’m so stupid. You’re my brother, not my keeper. I know in your head you think that was a decision made out of love; but it wasn’t, it was a selfish decision. Shame on you.”

Then she directs her gaze back to me and the power of her stare feels like a dagger straight to my heart. “Tucker, I’ve felt like my heart has been yours since the day I understood what the power of love signified. I was willing to give it to you for years, and I was waiting for you to acknowledge me. I thought you saw me last year, I really did. But all you saw was his sister.” She points at Rios. “Because if you saw me,you would’ve chosen me regardless of what my brother wanted, like you did in that hospital that night.”

She doesn’t give me a chance to speak. She turns around and walks back in the house and slams the door.

“Shit, she’s pissed,” Rios says.

I look over at him and I don’t even acknowledge his comment with one of my own. I’m about to walk over to the Rios front door when I hear my own childhood front door open, and my mother calls my name.

“Tucker, come in here, son,” my mother calls me inside and I oblige.

I don’t even look back at Rios and stalk over toward my mother.

She looks a little more frail today, and I don’t know if it’s the treatment or if she hasn’t been eating well lately. I’ll have to ask her while we visit to see if the medication is making her ill.

The moment I walk through the threshold, she pulls me into an embrace, and it feels like all my troubles are less overwhelming in that moment.

“Hi, Ma,” I whisper.

“It’s good to see you, Tucker,” she says into my chest.

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