Book IV of the UNC Series
Carter Blake has a bone-deep hatred for the world-and especially for the people in it. All he wants is to keep his head down, focus on school and basketball, and avoid the mess of human connection. After enduring years of...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The wind is harsh against my skin, and tears accumulate in my eyes. As I round the corner, I slow to a jog and pick up pace again despite the ache in my limbs. Even an early practice session in the gym couldn't cool me down. My brain is too wired, buzzing with too many thoughts and stresses.
Goosebumps rise against my pale skin due to the cool winter weather. The late December air hangs thick with a biting chill, the kind that seeps through coats and stings exposed skin. A thin layer of frost clings to the streets, crunching softly under my feet with every step. And despite it being early in the afternoon, the sky is a heavy, overcast grey, swollen with the threat of snow.
My breaths form a visible plume of cloud, quickly whisked away by the wind. Cars passing by are caked in grime, a mix of salt and slush from an earlier light snow that never fully stuck.
Despite this, I'm heating up, my skin burning from running around the block for the past hour. I usually don't run on days when I have a practice early in the morning, having already worked out. But running helps me in many ways, not just to stay in shape but also to ward off the images and nightmares that plague me.
I still remember the phone call I received as I left the gym this morning. Inez's mocking tone over the line told me I had to come tonight, or else that girl I was seen with would face the consequences. This is the second time he's called me to fight more than twice a week. We had a rule: I would fight for him to pay off my mother's debt as long as it didn't interfere with and bleed into my life.
I can't believe I thought a drug dealer like Inez would ever abide by the rules.
But for three years, we had a routine.
The debt Mom incurred should be dwindling. With just a couple hundred dollars left, Inez should be able to make it with a few more fights. But I don't know if he'll ever leave me alone—not when I'm making him good money every week.
I don't even know if Mom is still going to him. I haven't talked to her in five years, and I know even less about what she's doing now since I don't speak to Carsen anymore.
Since Carsen or Ryan have said nothing concerning or pressing about her, I assume she's staying away from Inez. But Mom has lied before, and she's known to lie to get her way.
All I know is I can't wait for it all to end. I'm too tired of this shit.
I don't know if I can even make it to bed after tonight. I might just pass out on the couch.
What I can't stomach is Inez threatening Addison. It's why I said all the cruel things that night, to get her away as fast as possible before he could see her. Yet he still spotted her. Still recognized her importance to me.
Because Inez is fucking perceptive. He realized what I was trying to do while Addison couldn't.
I haven't seen her in the past few days. She's clearly avoiding the apartment and only stopping by to check on Olive. I don't know where she's staying, but considering she was desperate for a place to stay when she first moved in, I'm sure it's only somewhere temporary.
