Bradford Bastard (Bradford Bastard 1)

I shake my head, not even recognizing the girl standing across from me. “Tell me you’re lying. Tell me you had nothing to do with this.”

“I … I …”

“I swear to fucking God, Erica, stop trying to come up with some bullshit story and be honest for once in your fucking life. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED THAT NIGHT?”

Heaving sobs tear from the back of Erica’s throat and she drops to her knees, her face falling into her hands. “I didn’t know,” she cries. “I didn’t know he was going to hurt her.”

“Erica,” I snap, silently demanding the whole story.

“We’ve been fucking, okay,” she rushes out. “All summer long. You weren’t giving him what he needed and so he came to me the night of your eighteenth, and you know how I’ve always liked him. Ever since sophomore year and—”

“You were fucking my boyfriend? On my birthday? What the fuck, Erica?”

She swallows hard and nods, her eyes filling with tears. “I … I didn’t mean to. It just—”

I look away, unable to meet her stare as the betrayal shoots through my body, tears falling down my face. “Let me guess, you fell and your loose fucking vagina landed on his three-inch cock and all the moving trying to get back up just happened to make you both come?” I question, shaking my head. “Just stop with your bullshit excuses and tell me what happened to Addison.”

Erica sobs and crumbles a little bit more. “Colby and I … we were taking pills and getting fucked up out back when she asked if she could have some. I’d seen her earlier dancing on all the guys, and she was looking at Colby like she wanted to fuck him, and I didn’t like it. I told her to fuck off, but Colby was down, so he gave her a bunch of pills. He was all over her and I was jealous, so we got in a fight and he shoved me away. That’s when I went back to you. The next thing I know,” she continues, her relentless sobbing making it hard to follow, “I had a call from Colby and he was panicking. I went to find him and he was in the bedroom with her. She was naked and they’d clearly just fucked, and I didn’t even notice her torn clothing or how she was bleeding because she was seizing on the ground.”

Erica stops as if that’s a good ending for her story, but I step toward her, not nearly finished with her. “What did you do?”

Her eyes widen. “What do you mean? We fucking ran. She was a rich kid from Bradford. The cops were coming and we … we just grabbed you and took off. What else were we supposed to do?”

My hand whips out, smacking hard across her face. “Addison has been in a fucking coma for six weeks,” I roar. “SIX FUCKING WEEKS AND THAT’S ALL ON YOU.”

Erica throws herself to her feet, shoving me hard in the chest. “Don’t you dare put this on my shoulders,” she spits. “I didn’t shove those pills down her fucking throat, and I sure as fuck wasn’t the one to put my hands on her. This has nothing to do with me.”

“You fucking ran while a girl was lying there seizing, just moments after being brutally attacked while on a cocktail of drugs. Who the fuck are you, Erica?” I spit. “You may not have given her those drugs or physically raped her, but you are just as guilty as he is, and I swear to you, Erica, if you don’t go and hand yourself in to the cops right fucking now, I will do it for you.”

Her face pales and she stares at me in horror, betrayal slicing through her stare. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.”

“But I’m your best friend.”

I shake my head. “You stopped being my best friend the moment you decided to fuck my boyfriend. Right now, all you are is the girl who helped Colby Jacobs assault a minor. You’re nothing to me, Erica. Don’t ever come here again.”

Tears stream down her face and she turns to make a break for it only we both gasp at finding Tanner standing just inside, staring straight back at us. The door is wide open and there’s no doubt in my mind that he heard every last word.

He doesn’t say a damn thing, just stands there and stares, the rage pouring out of his stare telling me exactly what’s going through his mind. Erica squeaks, fear rattling her and, in an instant, she storms past him. “Erica,” I call to her fleeing back.

She stops and looks back at me, her eyes desperate. “If she dies,” I tell her, my tone thick with venom. “I’m coming for you.”

Erica whimpers a horrid yelping sound before spinning on her heel and flying straight out the front door, more than determined to get the fuck out of here before Tanner decides to tear her to shreds.