Page 58 of Foul Line

Ryan glances up at me. His face is demure even though everything he’s feeling is hiding in his gray eyes. “It’s the alcohol mixed with the pills,” he says. He glares at the other Ballers. “I can’t believe you let him do this.”

“Pills?”

Everyone ignores me. Sloan and Alec fidget on their feet. Alec’s wadded up, blood-soaked napkin is pressed to his nose. The only one who looks on the scene impassively is Hayes. Ice Man strikes again. By the look of him, I have no idea what he’s thinking and feeling.

“We were just trying to have some fun,” Sloan says. He sways a little. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from going off on him.

Ryan doesn’t have that problem though. He discards Lake’s arms and spins on the Ballers. His face is snarling, and he looks every bit the point guard in that moment trying to rally them when there’s five seconds left on the clock, and they’re down by two. “You knew what would happen.”

“He said it would be fine.”

“Yeah, because he’s in the right fucking head space,” Ryan snaps back.

“None of us are in the right fucking head space,” Alec growls.

Sloan steps in, his hands raised in the air. I perk up, not expecting Sloan to play the peacemaker. “Everything was fine until those guys started with us.”

“How’s that?” I can’t help myself from asking. “Did they bust you for underage drinking?”

Sloan turns on me and for the first time tonight, I can tell he’s in pain. Suffering. Emotionally and physically. “No.” His words are clipped and hang in the air.

“We’ll talk about this later,” Ryan says. “Let’s get Lake into his bed.”

Ryan takes Lake by the shoulders and Alec grabs his feet. They carry him, and I watch how lifeless his body is as they manhandle him through the shadows as we sneak down to the cabins. Thankfully, no one else is out tonight. Despite myself, and the harsh words he just spoke to me, a niggle of worry wiggles its way inside me. “Is he going to be okay?” I ask Hayes who’s still keeping close to me in his calm, cool way.

Hayes glances down at me, his blue eyes calculating when he says, “The pills and alcohol don’t mix well.”

“He said he wasn’t taking them,” Sloan says, his fingers curling around his own arms.

I’m almost astonished that the guys are freely talking about this in front of me. “Pain pills?” I ask. I had no idea Lake was injured. If he is, he’s doing a damn good job of hiding it. We’re still equals in many ways on the court. It’s only in being a general good human being that I far surpass him.

Hayes nods. Ryan’s back goes ramrod straight. There’s still a singular light on in the cabin Lake, River, and Ryan share. Luckily, they left Baby O’Brien at home for their little stunt at the bar. Probably only because he doesn’t have a fake ID even though I’d like to think they draw the line somewhere. The kid’s only like fifteen. He doesn’t need to be drinking and getting into bar fights. Though, I don’t think he should be holding girls down on a track either, but what the fuck do I know anymore?

“Oxy,” Alec says.

I almost choke. “Oxycodone?”

I feel queasy. I feel like they’re trying to tell me something without telling me. None of them deny my question, so I take it that I’ve guessed correctly.

“How long has he been taking them?” I ask. A memory erupts in my mind of Coach Bradley telling me there was something wrong with my drug test and Miss Lyons having to watch me pee in a cup. Did he do that?

“On and off. For a while,” Ryan grits out.

Ryan goes up the small porch first. Sloan runs ahead of him and opens the cabin door. “What the…?” River says. Then he’s right there, hovering over his brother as Alec and Ryan lay him on the bed. “Jesus. How much did he drink?”

“A lot,” Ryan says, rubbing the back of his head. The guys all share looks. I watch from outside, and I get a sinking feeling that River doesn’t know Lake’s hooked on Oxy. He probably has no clue.

I turn toward Hayes, the only other Baller who hasn’t entered the cabin. The door closes behind them as I say, “Answers, Hayes. I need them.”

He shrugs like he hasn’t another care in the world, but the slight sideways glance he gives me only makes me think what comes out of his mouth next is a half-truth. “He’s hooked on painkillers. What more is there to know?”

My eyes practically bulge out of my head. I point toward the cabin. “Is he going to be alright?” I’m not a doctor, but I also have heard tragic stories about people who mix the two.

“He’s thrown up already, so that’s good. Ryan will stay with him tonight, and if he has to make him throw up again, he will.”

I shake my head. “This is all kinds of fucked up.” Just the fact that he’s talking about this so nonchalantly makes an eerie shiver tip toe up my spine. It’s like they’ve been fighting with this for a while. “How can he even function normally? He’s addicted?” I ask again, needing him to make it plainly clear to me.

Hayes turns toward me fully. He grabs my shoulder and leans over. His presence makes my heart skip a beat. I’m suddenly not so agitated anymore. My pulse screams through me as he licks his lips. “He’s off and on, but yes, he keeps going back, so I say addicted. Some of us would argue that point, but I’ve about had it with him, Tessa. I don’t want to talk about Lake.”

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