Tylaughed lightly. “He’skindaright, dude. That wasincredible, but Jesus … yougottabe exhausted.”
“See?Even this idiot can tell you need this,” Robbie coaxed, waving the joint in mydirection.
Iwanted it. I wanted it more than I cared to admit.
But… Kylie.
Iasked Sebastian and Ty where she was, not even bothering to look to Robbie forher whereabouts. He had done an excellent job of staying the hell away from herand although I was getting along with him just fine since our littlealtercation, despite the ugly bruise covering his jaw, I didn’t want to givehim the permission to even think about her.
Sebastiansurveyed the room, shaking his head. “Oh, uh … I don’t know, man. You want meto go find her?”
Robbiescoffed, laughing as he puffed at the end of his blunt. “I’m sure Princess canhandle herself. She’s a big girl.”
“Robbie,”I sighed, wiping a hand over my face.
“Listen,man, I’m just looking at you, right, and I canseejust how badly youneed to conk out. So, just puff a little of this and you’ll be good andrelaxed, okay?” He sat down and folded his arms on the table, leaning forward alittle. Coming closer. “Princess won’t even know, O’Leary,I swear.” Iturned my head at that. I imagine my face wore the surprise I felt, because headded, “Yeah, see, I know things. I told you she holds you back. Am I right?You want this, don’t you?”
Heheld the joint up between his two fingers, waving them back and forth. Tauntingme. The carrot at the end of the proverbial string.
God,Ifuckinghated that he knew he was provoking me withthat relentless peer pressure, and I wondered how the hell I was still feelingthat strain, even at thirty-six.
Becauseyou’re a little fucking fish in a big fucking pond and you wish you were theshark.
“Youdon’t know shit,” I shot back at him, but was I convincing? I doubted it.Because the truth was, in that moment, I did feel like she held me back. I feltcontrolled, powerless. Maybe even a little spiteful, underneath it all, andthat, I hated most of all.
“Iknow enough to know that she holds you by the dick. You give her way too muchpower, man. You’re a rock star now. Those same rules don’t apply anymore. Youcan do what you want, you can smoke what you want. Hell, you can evenfuckwho you want.”
Tygroaned. “Come on, Robbie. Don’t you ever get tired of being a fuckingasshole?”
“Don’tyou ever get tired of being a dripping, wet pussy, Ty?” Robbie’s responsebrought a smirk to his face and he laughed at his own comeback, before turningback to me. “So, what’s itgonnabe, O’Leary? Yougonnabe a soggy vagina like these two idiots, or are yougonnabe a real rocker?”
“I’mnot sure drugs constitute arealrocker, asshole,” Sebastian quipped,plopping down on the old, abused couch.
“Sex,drugs and rock and roll, man!” Robbie crowed, pumping a fist in the air. “Wheredo you think that shit comes from?”
“Fromwashed up pieces of crap like you,” Ty shot at him with a shake of his head,pulling his phone from his pocket. “Now, if all of you would kindly shut thehell up, I need to call my daughter.”
“Youcan use the dressing room. I won’t need it for a little bit,” I offered, and Typointed at me in thanks as he stood up to hide himself behind the door.
Sebastianeyed Robbie with disgust, and it was in that moment of faint enlightenment,that I realized maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t only Kylie. Maybe he really was aproblem, one that needed to be snubbed out, and I glared at him sidelong. Eyedthe pinched blunt between his fingers and in one swift movement, I grabbed itfrom him. His gaze widened with Sebastian’s as I leaned my elbow against the table.I held the joint between two fingers and watched him with narrowed eyes.
“Youthink this shit makes you a badass, huh?” I asked, the adrenaline returning,scorching my veins.
“Fuckyes,” he said, excitement blazing in his eyes.
“Youthink this is my ticket tobeinga superstar?” I putmy lips to the end of the cigarette.
Robbiethrust a hand through his dried-out hair. Overbleached and overdone. “Fuck,man. No wonder Princess has it bad for you. You’re fuckingintense.”
Itook a long drag of the shit. Closed my eyes around the taste of it, the feelof it, then pulled it from my lips. I held it in for one, two beats of my heartbefore opening my eyes and shaking my head. “You’re not—”
Thegasp came to my ear two seconds too late and I whipped my head to see Kylie.Her mouth hanging open, her hands clutched to her chest. I coughed and jumpedfrom the chair, threw the blunt at Robbie and ignored his swatting hands as Irushed toward her.
“Kylie,listen—”
“Whatthe fuck did you just do?” she asked breathlessly, her voice quivering, andRobbie giggled from behind me.
“Ohman,” he said, his voice lilting with amusement. “Just when I thought this shitcouldn’t get any better.”
