Page 3 of 2204 Hunter Lane
“Well,” Josh said, still laughing and shit, “looks like we aren’t gettin’ another round.”
I took out my wallet and threw a twenty on the table, running my fingers through my wet hair before grabbing my coat.
“I don’t know her, man.”
“Nah, but she knows you.” He smirked.
We walked back to my truck in silence, the booming sound of classic rock fading into the distance as I reached my driver door.
“You sure?” Josh asked, making his way to the passenger side.
I rolled my eyes, unlocking the truck and sliding in. “You really goin’ to ask me that each time?”
He shrugged. “Yep. Maybe one day you won’t fight me off.”
I held up the middle finger and planted my ass on the seat.God I love my truck.I sat there for a few minutes, closing my eyes and leaning into the headrest.So warm and fucking drama-free. No Addisons or Britts or whatever.
After a few minutes I brought the engine to life and took off into the direction of my house. Yeah, probably not the best idea to drive, but this was my adrenaline rush. No one could take this away from me. I’d done it countless times and I still had my life so, no harm no foul. Besides, my house was just eight minutes away from Cid’s Pub.Easy.
“You really don’t remember her, man?” Josh asked, glancing over at me.
I grunted and turned away. “Not a clue in hell.”
“Pfft.” He placed two hands on the dash to stretch out his arms. “You’ll remember tomorrow.”
“Hopefully not.”
Josh cleared his throat, tapping the window glass. “Feelin’ okay, Hunt?”
Grinning, I rolled down my window and let the icy air smack my face. “Just peachy.”
It was moments like this where time stilled and the only thing that mattered was my damn self. No problems, no loss, no pain. Alcohol was on my side, masking my sadness, freezing my thoughts. Just me, only me. I was good.I’m good. I was alive, and I was happy. And nothing could hurt me.Everything’s good. I’m alive and I’m -
“… and I know you don’t want to talk about your mom but –”
Josh’s words snapped me back into reality real fucking quick. I bit down hard on my bottom teeth and clenched my fist. “What are you going on about?”
“Dude –”
“No. Shut the fuck up. Just shut the fuck up and keep quiet.”
And he did just that. No more follow up comments. No protests. Nothing. Good man.
After a few minutes we pulled into my driveway and I inhaled a deep breath. “You stayin’ over?”
“Nah,” he shook his head, “Beth’s going to pick me up.”
“Hm,” I smirked. “Things heatin’ up between you two?”
But Josh didn’t respond. Instead, he stared out the window and rested his chin on his knuckles.
Ah, fuck.Alright, about time you fess up, Hunter.“I didn’t mean to snap earlier, man. I’m sorry.”
Josh didn’t understand, not even a little. But I was done with this night and the last thing I wanted to do was talk about my mom. He knew that it was a sore subject, yeah. Didn’t excuse me being an asshole, though.
Josh looked over at me and shook his head. “I’m just worried about you, Hunt. You been drinkin’ yourself to oblivion every night since” – he paused and sucked in a breath.
“Look man, I’m happy to be here. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids and that’s why I’m sayin’ this. Talk to someone. Talk it out, do somethin’.”
