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“Please don’t make me betray my best friend.”
Her reluctance to answer shouldn’t anger me the way it does. Daph’s business doesn’t concern me. As long as J’s being safe, Daphne Burke is not my cross to bear. But something inside me teeters on the brink of insanity, and I know I’m never going to be able to let this go.
My brain quickly spirals to justify my actions, running through all the reasons why I have to take this on. Daph got screwed over royally in life when it came to having people in her corner. She inherited a pair of assholes for parents that spend half their time pretending she doesn’t exist, and the other half critiquing every so-called flaw. It would be easy for her to slip into the role of coked-out socialite, drowning her issues in designer labels and dick. We have enough of those cliches around here, we don’t need another. So, when I think about it, I’d be doing us all a favor by getting involved.
“Baby J, you can’t ask me to—”
“What if it was Rico or JP? Could you betray their trust? Tell their secrets?”
“If telling their secrets ensured they live to see another day? Then yes, I would sing that shit from the rooftops. It isn’t about being a snitch. Every decision I make is the result of extensive thought. I will always put the needs and safety of this family above all else. And the day you walked that pain in the ass into this house and claimed her as ours, she became part of this family.”
J turns to face me, eyes glistening with the shine of unshed tears. “You can’t tell anyone, Nick.”
“Who am I gonna tell? Her parents? We’ve established they don’t give a shit about her. Now, what is she on?”
My sister’s stare lingers a moment longer, a silent war waging within her. After several seconds, she expels a breath, her sigh defeated at the realization I’m not dropping this.
“It’s mainly just weed. Not every day, and never at school. Her mom—” She gets choked up, her voice catching in her throat. “Her mom’s been pretty hard on her lately, even by Belinda Burke standards. There was this camp she wanted her to join. It’s run by some of the varsity cheerleaders to prep the girls interested in trying out for the high school squad.”
“And what? Daph didn’t want to do it?”
J’s brow arches in question. “You really see Daph shaking a set of pom poms promoting school spirit?”
“Touche.” I shrug.
“The weed…” she continues. “It makes the crap her mom spews at her more tolerable.”
“You said mainly weed.”
“The guy she gets her stuff from. He’s offered her pills a couple times. Daph normally tells him no, but the last time she tried it.”
The tightening sensation returns to my chest, though this time it’s accompanied by an unfurling rage at the thought of some douchebag dealing to Daph, a fucking seventh grader.
“Where’d she get the stuff?”
“It isn’t hard, Nick. It’s everywhere. It’s all over my school.”
“Jesus Christ.” I scrub a hand over my eyes. I knew this shit’s been flooding the high school, but the middle school? Over the last year it’s gotten progressively worse. People want to talk shit about the local public school, but there’s really only one distinguishing factor between the two of us—we’ve got better drugs. “Please don’t tell me you’ve ever—”
“No! Never!”
I nod, relaxing somewhat at her assurances. “So, how does Cat know anything about this?”
“Her brother is where she gets it.”
This snags my attention. I sit up, perching on my elbows. “The one in your grade?”
J shakes her head. “The one a year ahead of you. He came to pick up Linus one day after school. Daph was waiting outside with him when he pulled up. Freakin’ creeper told her she was hot.”
I’m up off the bed before my sister’s barely finished her sentence.
“Nicky!” her panicked voice hisses after me as I stride down the hallway. I round the banister to descend the stairs, pinning her with a glare that lets her know she’s to keep her ass right where it is.
Pressing my cell to my ear, it rings twice before Rico’s voice travels through the line. “What’s up, bro?”
“You at practice?”
“We just finished up. I’m in the locker room now. What’s good?”
