“Okay.” Eric threw his bottle in the trash, a clank of glass hitting glass echoing throughout the cabin.
“So? You don’t have that much money? Don’t your parents give you money?”
Piper looked uncomfortable, and I almost took the reins from her. Seeing her fold into itself drove a knife into my gut. It bothered me. My blood was spiked with an overpowering need to protect her from everything in the world—even Eric’s invading questions.
“No. She doesn’t have—"
Piper quickly interrupted me, so I let her finish. “My parents watch my money very closely. After my brother started to spend all his and steal from them, they took total control. They’re afraid I’ll turn out like him, too.”
Eric met her eye, and after a few seconds, he nodded. “Okay, well…” He switched his attention to me and Christian. “What about you two? How much do you guys have? Your dad watches your money, I know, but maybe if we compile it all. And Hayley? You just got a shit-ton from your dad, right?” He shrugged. “I don’t have much. Family drama. Daddy-o is icing me out. And no, I don’t want to fucking talk about it. But I’ll give what I can.”
“No.” Piper shot up quickly. “I need to find another way. I can’t take my friends’ money, and I can’t keep having Ollie race for this psycho. Maybe...” Piper looked down at her shoes. “Maybe I’ll just say fuck it. Jason can figure it out on his own.”
As if she and I were connected, I could feel her pain like it was my own. And if I could, I’d take it all away in a heartbeat. I knew, deep down, she didn’t want to give up on her brother, and who knew what Tank would do if I all of a sudden stopped racing? Fuck. I began to reach out to Piper, not caring that we weren’t alone, but the wobble in Hayley’s voice had us all pausing.
“I—I don’t have much to give.”
We all stared at her, and Christian turned his body completely and had her caged in. “What do you mean?”
Her head dropped, her dark hair almost shielding her. She was cowering, and Hayley didn’t cower.
Piper’s voice was hesitant. “What’s going on Hay? Is everything okay?”
The gulp from Hayley was loud enough for all of us to hear. “I don’t have much money left.”
“How do you not have any money left? You put back some for college in case you didn’t get a scholarship, and you bought your car, but you still had plenty.” Christian’s voice was unsteady. I’m sure no one else noticed. But I did. I knew my brother. I knew when he was seeing red. “Did someone take money from you? Threaten you?”
Hayley’s brown locks flew past her face as she snapped her head up. “No!”
“So?” Christian’s ears were turning red, and I was certain mine were, too. We didn’t take kindly to people fucking with what was ours—another Powell trait, I was sure.
Hayley held her breath, smashing her lips together. Piper inched closer and delicately placed her hand on her shoulder for support. “I paid for my mom to go to rehab.”
My heart jolted. Oh, shit. Christian’s nostrils flared as his fists clenched. I sat back, waiting for steam to come out of his ears. That was one major difference between my brother and me. I could hold my anger in, level out my temper, and think rationally. Christian could not.
“You…what?”
Hayley’s eyes were like glass. Unshed tears were on the brink of her dark eyelashes. “I was going to tell you.”
Christian shot up from his barstool and stormed out of the cabin kitchen. Hayley rolled her eyes, sighing, and reluctantly followed after him.
Piper slowly came and sat back down as Hayley and Christian argued in the other room, loud enough for us to hear.
Piper dropped her head to the counter. “This is all my fault.”
I leaned back and crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t see how any of this was Piper’s fault.
“None of this is your fault.”
A sarcastic chuckle tumbled out of her lips as she sat back up. “How is none of this my fault?”
“What exactly is your fault? Me racing?” I shook my head roughly. “Nope. I was racing way before you showed up. Hayley and Christian fighting right now? Not your fault, either. It has nothing to do with you, really. And Eric and me sitting in here with you, trying to get a hold of this problem? That’s just what friends do.”
Eric nodded silently.
All three of us snapped our heads to the other room as Hayley’s voice rose. “I didn’t want you to try and talk me out of it! It was my decision and my decision alone. I didn’t think you’d understand!”
I cringed when Christian’s tone grew even harsher. “How could I not understand, Hayley? Fuck. If given the chance to get my mom clean, I would have done the same. Don’t you remember that my mom died as an addict?”