So, I stood beside her, waiting and giving her the space she needed, even as my chest tightened with the weight of everything left unsaid.
Finally, after what felt like forever, she spoke. Her voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it that cut through me like a blade.
“What is Richard talking about, Nick? What aren’t you telling me?”
I exhaled sharply, closing my eyes for a brief moment before turning my gaze to the ground. “Guess you heard that.”
“Yeah,” she said, arms tightening around herself. “The walls aren’t exactly soundproof, and the giant glass windows don’t help.”
I raked a hand through my hair, the strands longer than I liked. I made a mental note to cut it after the new year—like that would somehow fix everything. I reached in my pocket and grabbed the box of cigarettes and pulled one out without even thinking about it. I’ve tried to quit for years and Melanie had been my only reason. I found it fair since she quit drinking. When I was about to light the cancer stick, I met her gaze, and she gave me a disappointing look. Fuck. Letting the cigarette fall to the ground, I squashed it with the heel of my shoe and slipped the lighter back in my pocket
“When I was eighteen, I met this guy at a party,” I began, my voice hollow. “At first, we were just bullshitting, having a drink. But then I saw the car he drove, the girls hanging all over him. I figured he came from money, even though he didn’t act like it. I kept running into him at parties, so one night, I finally asked—‘If you’re rich, what the hell are you doing in this part of town?’”
Mel shifted slightly beside me, her gaze locked on mine.
“That’s when he told me he wasn’t here to party—but to make money. And then he pulled out a bag of pills and cocaine.”
I slipped a hand into my pocket, my fingers clenching into a fist. “That night, when he told me how much he made in a week, I went home and told myself if he could do it, I could too. If I saved enough, maybe I could get my mom and my sister out of that shithole we lived in. So the next time I saw him, I told him I wanted in.”
Mel let out a slow breath. “Okay… so you sold drugs?”
“No.” I turned to face her fully.
She frowned. “Then what?”
“I didn’t have the money to buy the drugs upfront, so I asked if he could front them for me. Let me sell, then pay him back. He didn’t trust me at first, but after hours of convincing, he finally agreed. He gave me one week.” I swallowed hard. “But I never even got the chance.”
Mel’s brows furrowed. “Why?”
I looked away, my throat tightening. “My sister found my stash.”
A beat of silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.
“She was being bullied at school. Kids made fun of her for wearing the same clothes every week. I didn’t know how bad it was, didn’t know how much she hated her life—until she swallowed a handful of pills.”
Mel’s breath hitched. “Oh my God…”
“I came home early that night,” I continued, my voice rough. “They cut my shift at the restaurant, so I walked in and found her lying on the floor—pills scattered around her hand.”
The memory hit me like a punch to the gut. The cold panic. The way my legs nearly gave out as I dropped beside her, shaking her, begging her to wake up.
“I thought she was dead,” I whispered. “I remember praying over and over as I called 911.”
Mel covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes glassy.
“They saved her,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “But that night, I had to tell my mom the truth. I’ll never forget the way she looked at me—like she didn’t even recognize me anymore.” I exhaled shakily. “So, I decided I was done. I wasn’t going to sell the drugs. I was going to give them back.”
Mel nodded, like that made sense. Like that was the end of it.
But it wasn’t.
“That’s not what Richard was talking about,” I said bitterly. “Before I could return the drugs, someone snitched on my dealer—Diablo. Cops raided his place. He shot someone trying to escape. Two people were injured. One died.”
Mel’s face paled. “Jesus…”
“He went to prison. But before he did, he decided it had to be me who ratted him out. I was the new guy. The one who suddenly wanted out. In his mind, it made sense—I set him up so I wouldn’t have to pay him back.”
“How long was he in prison?”
