Shit, I hope I find her there. Stopping my car, I make a U-turn and drive as fast as I ever have. I park on the side of the road when I reach my destination. My hands sweat, and my heartbeat picks up.
Slamming my car door shut, I decide to take my shot.
My hands grip the ladder tightly as I climb up the tree. The next thing I know, I’m frozen in my spot. There she is. Trinity leans against the tree house wall. A bottle of alcohol is clutched in both her hands. Her bloodshot eyes look distant as she hunches over.
Trinity hasn’t realized I’m standing in front of her yet. Will she get mad, or will relief fill her gut at the sight of me?
What happened to this poor girl? She looks like death. I know this isn’t about Bethany. She seemed okay after I dropped her off at her home.
Taking slow steps, bending down to be eye-level with her, I whisper, “Trinity, it’s Leo.”
Her head slowly looks up, and she closes her eyes tightly. She leans against the wall behind her.
“Trinity, are you okay?” I continue.
Worry seeps through my gut as my eyes travel around the small tree house. Two other bottles of liquor lie on the floor, empty. How did she get all of this? How does she not have alcohol poisoning? I didn’t think she was the type to drown her sorrows in alcohol. That’s something I would do.
“You’re so drunk,” I whisper when I look over at her.
A broken laugh leaves her mouth. She lifts the bottle weakly and cheers it into the air. I quickly take the bottle away from her grasp when she positions it at her mouth.
The clear liquid pours all over my hand, and I wince at the sticky feeling.
Tequila.
That’s why she’s so out of it. She’s been chugging tequila like her life depends on it.
“Trinity, I need to get you out of here. All this alcohol can’t be good for you.”
I brush her hair away from her face. As my hand strokes her cheek, she presses her face into it and sighs.
“I can’t go home.”
“Your mom is worried sick,” I say lightly.
She opens her eyes and glares. “She’s the reason I’m up here like this, Leo. I can’t go home.” Her voice breaks at the end.
Shit, what am I supposed to do? I know the right thing to do would be to bring her home.
But I’m not a good guy.
* * *
I know Trinity’s safe.
So, that’s why I feel comfortable leaving her. No one will come up to the tree house unless they know where it is. The past few times I’ve been up there, I haven’t seen another soul around.
I understand why Trinity doesn’t want to go home. She hasn’t told me what her mother said to make her upset. But I know her going home drunk as fuck will not help the situation.
I tell her to stay where she is, seeing as she can’t even open her eyes fully. I know she’s not going anywhere soon. I take the half-full bottle of tequila away and get in my car, and then I start driving home.
I would have taken her with me, but I don’t want to take a chance of her mom seeing. Still, not even knowing what she said to Trinity doesn’t lessen my anger. It only fuels it more. She’s her mother. She’s not supposed to be the reason for her tears. She’s supposed to comfort her when she has them.
So, it looks like we’ll be staying in the tree house overnight since I’ll practically do everything to make Trinity happy now.
Parking my car in our driveway, I make my way to the front door.
“Did you find her?” Elijah says right when I step through the door.
