The Golden Boy

19-The Last Warning

I was slumped on the worn-out couch in the back of the old garage, the familiar scent of oil and rust mixing with the stale smell of cigarettes. This place used to be ours-a spot where me, Asher, Jaxon, and Liam could escape everything. But now, it was just mine. The others didn't come here anymore, not since things had started to spiral. They had their own lives, their own problems, and I was just the mess they didn't want to deal with.

I exhaled a long breath, staring at the cracked ceiling. My mind was a blur, still foggy from the pills I'd taken earlier. They weren't doing the job anymore, though. No matter how many I swallowed, the ache in my chest wouldn't go away, and the thoughts... they were louder than ever.

The door creaked open, and for a second, I thought I'd imagined it. But then heavy footsteps echoed through the small space. I didn't have to look up to know who it was.

Asher.

I felt my stomach twist. He was the last person I wanted to see right now. I wasn't ready for another lecture, another look of disappointment. But I could hear the way he walked, deliberate and steady, like he was trying to keep his temper in check.

"Ryder," his voice was low, almost calm, but I could feel the weight of it in the air.

I didn't move. I couldn't. It was easier to just lay there, staring at the ceiling, pretending I didn't care. Maybe if I didn't react, he'd just leave. Maybe if I stayed quiet, he wouldn't see how far gone I was.

But he didn't leave. Instead, he walked over and stood in front of the couch, his shadow stretching across me like a reminder of everything I was trying to avoid. I still didn't look at him, but I could feel his eyes on me, heavy and piercing.

"You've been gone for two days, man," Asher said, his voice tight. "Liam, Jaxon... hell, even Lila's been trying to reach you. And you're just hiding out here?"

I shifted slightly, turning my head to look at the dirty floor. I didn't have an answer, at least not one he wanted to hear. What was I supposed to say? That I couldn't face any of them because I was too busy getting high? That I was too far gone to care anymore?

Asher's jaw clenched, and I could hear the frustration in his voice when he spoke again. "I know you're going through something, Ryder, but this... this isn't it. You can't keep running from everything."

I forced myself to sit up, my muscles aching from hours of doing nothing. I rubbed my face with my hands, trying to shake off the haze, but it didn't help. I looked at Asher then, and I could see it-the hurt in his eyes. He was always the one who kept his emotions buried deep, but right now, they were there, right on the surface. He wasn't angry-he was tired.

"I'm not running," I muttered, though even as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. I was running from everything-school, friends, myself. But I couldn't stop. It was too late to turn back.

Asher didn't buy it. "Bullshit," he shot back, his voice hardening. "You're running so fast you can't even see how much you're wrecking yourself."

I clenched my fists, the familiar sting of frustration bubbling up inside me. I hated this-being cornered, being told what to do. Asher had no idea what it was like. He didn't get it.

"I'm fine," I lied, my voice sharp. "I don't need your help."

The silence that followed was deafening. Asher stared at me, his expression unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his disappointment settling over me like a thick fog. He shook his head, taking a step closer.

"This isn't you, Ryder," he said, his voice softer now, like he was trying to reach me on some level. "The guy I know wouldn't do this. He wouldn't lie to everyone, push people away like this."

I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and cold. "The guy you knew? That guy doesn't exist anymore, Ash. He's gone."

For a moment, neither of us said anything. The air between us felt heavy, thick with everything unsaid. I could see the struggle in his eyes-whether to keep pushing or to give up. Part of me wanted him to walk away, to leave me alone so I could keep sinking into this pit I'd dug for myself. But another part, the small part of me that still remembered what it felt like to be whole, wanted him to stay. Wanted someone to pull me out, even if I fought them every step of the way.

Asher took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not here to lecture you. I'm here because I care, man. But this..." He gestured around the garage, at the mess I was surrounded by. "This isn't working. You're not just hurting yourself. You're hurting everyone around you."

I felt a pang of guilt, but I pushed it down, burying it beneath the numbness. "I didn't ask you to come here."

"No, you didn't," he agreed, his tone steady. "But I'm here anyway. Because I can't just watch you destroy yourself. None of us can."

I stood up, my body tense, fists clenched at my sides. "So what do you want me to do, huh? Just stop? Just fix everything like that?" I snapped my fingers in the air, the sound echoing in the small space. "It's not that simple."

Asher didn't flinch. He held his ground, eyes locked on mine. "No one said it was simple. But you're not even trying. You're not letting anyone in."

I turned away, pacing the room, my heart racing. "Maybe I don't want to be saved," I muttered under my breath, barely loud enough for him to hear.

But he did hear. And when he spoke again, his voice was calm, but firm. "You don't get to make that call, Ryder. You don't get to decide that for us. For Lila. For Jaxon. We're all in this whether you like it or not."

I stopped pacing, my back to him, my mind spinning. I didn't want to hear this. I didn't want to feel this. But Asher wasn't letting up.

"If you keep going like this, I'm done," he said, his voice cutting through the fog in my mind. "I'll have to walk away. I can't watch you destroy yourself anymore. And if you won't let us help, then you're on your own."

I turned to face him, and for the first time, the full weight of his words hit me. This was it-my last chance. Asher had always been there, always had my back, but I could see now that even he had his limits.

"If you don't clean up, Ryder, you're going to lose everything. And I won't be around to pick up the pieces."

He didn't wait for me to respond. He just turned and walked out, leaving me standing in the middle of the garage, alone with the silence.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt scared. Terrified of what came next.