SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL, J.HUGHES

FIFTY FOUR

"Happy New Year, my love!" I yell through the phone, my voice a mix of excitement and longing.

Jack's voice comes back just as excited, maybe a little slurred. It's not exactly how I imagined ringing in the New Year—him out of town with the team and me stuck at my brother's apartment. But here we are. Ced's hosting a small get-together with his girlfriend, Laffy, and his girl. The vibe is pretty chill, just a few of us hanging out, but I feel like the odd one out.

Everyone I know is either out with friends or on the road with the team. Gab's following the boys, as usual, and Sam's partying it up with her college friends. Guess I'm growing up or something because the idea of squeezing into some packed club, screaming over bad music, doesn't really do it for me anymore.

"I can't hear you, Jack!" I shout, blocking my other ear with one hand to muffle the cheers echoing around Ced's place. I glance over and see both couples locked in their own world, kissing each other as if the ball drop's the most magical thing ever.

"We're out in town with the boys," Jack says, his voice breaking up a bit. "Heading back to the hotel now. We won tonight, did you see me on TV? I love you so much."

Before I can even start to answer, I hear someone calling his name in the background. There's a lot of noise, probably from the guys, and then the line goes dead. Just like that, the call ends. I bet they're partying hard, especially after a win and on New Year's. I know the team too well by now; they're all probably wasted. Gab's already sent me a few snaps of Jack and Bratt messing around on some electric scooters, like a couple of idiots. I couldn't help but roll my eyes—Jack's already had more than enough surgeries for one lifetime. Not the best time to risk another injury.

I shove my phone into my pocket, sighing. The front door swings open, laughter and giggles spilling in. "I told you we fucking missed it," someone says, and I know it's Braden without even looking. I head back to the living room where we just watched the ball drop. I glance over my shoulder, catching sight of Braden and Matt stumbling through the door. My heart drops, and I feel my body tense up like it's bracing for something.

"Yo, what the hell happened?" Laffy says, getting up from the couch. Ced's trailing behind them, probably the one who let them in.

I stay quiet, trying to make myself invisible in the corner. They don't even notice me, and I'm suddenly hyper-aware of how out of place I feel. I fiddle with my phone, pretending to be engrossed in something important, even though I'm just staring at the lock screen like a total loser.

"Yeah, well, we were at the club, and we wanted to come here to watch the ball drop with you guys," Matt says, laughing despite the little cut on his face. "But it's too fucking crowded in the streets out there, it's wild. And then we were walking, and there was this group of guys—"

He doesn't even finish the sentence before both of them start cracking up again. Braden laughs so hard he doubles over, slapping Matt on the back. Matt wipes away the small trickle of blood on the side of his face, grinning like it's no big deal. "He got into a fight," Braden finally gets out, still laughing.

I stand there, feeling awkward as hell, not really sure what to do. Should I say something? Ask if they're okay? Or just keep pretending I'm invisible? I'm not even sure if they care that I'm here, to be honest. Ced's the one they came for, not me.

"What the fuck, man?" Laffy rushes over to them, clearly concerned, while Ced just shrugs like it's no big deal. "Dude, you know the guy. He's always fighting anyway. It's just the usual," he says, so casually it makes me wonder how many times this kind of shit has happened before.

They both laugh it off until Braden finally notices me standing in the corner. My stomach tightens, and I can feel the heat rising to my face. Oh, hell nah, I'm not starting my year like this. Certainly not with him. The only silver lining is that he didn't drag his girlfriend along—because that would be the cherry on this shitshow sundae.