“You don’t know shit,” he gritted, wanting to pummel his brother for barging in.
Matthew had gotten worse lately. Cash had heard their mother talking with their dad. She was worried he was spiraling and getting involved in things he shouldn’t. His injury messing him up. He’d dropped out of school and moved back home.
Cash knew he needed time to acclimate. Time to come to grips with his lot in life.
But right then, Cash really wanted tomesshim up for cockblocking him this way.
When he finally was figuring his shit out.
“Oh, I think it looked plenty like that,” Matthew slurred.
Cash could feel Daisy’s mortification flooding out behind him, the girl trying to shrink down into a ball to completely hide.
“Daisy had something in her eye, so I was helping her get it out.”
Seemed like a plausible excuse.
“Whatever you say, man.” Matthew staggered forward on a laugh. “Just had to come tell my baby bro how proud I am of him. You made me a thousand bucks tonight.”
Worry pulled at Cash’s chest. “You bet a thousand bucks on my game?”
“Uh, yeah. It was a sure thing, right? No chance you weren’t going to make it to state.”
“Dude, that’s so reckless.” Cash knew he had to borrow money from their parents to pay his truck payment, and now he was making bets?
Except Matthew had always loved to wager. His arrogance fed on him being right and coming out on top.
“Nah, that’s smart.” Matthew tapped his temple. “Don’t need a fucking degree to have myself rolling in the dough.”
Cash wanted to tell him it wasn’t smart at all. That he was being a complete idiot. But he saw the flash of grief in his brother’s eyes. The fact that when his leg was crushed, his dreams had been, too. And now Cash was living that same dream.
He could only imagine how badly that sucked for him.
“Hey, man, you don’t have anything to prove,” Cash told him.
Matthew choked out what amounted to pain, and his face twisted in disbelief. “I don’t have anything to prove? I’ve got nothing, Cash. Nothing. I’ve goteverythingto prove.”
“Not to me. You might feel like you have nothing to offer, but you’ve given me everything. I wouldn’t be where I am without you.”
Matthew’s mouth tweaked at the side. Half smile, half sorrow. “Was supposed to be there right beside you.”
“You still are.”
Matthew shook his head and started backing toward the door. “No, man, I’m not.”
He turned and walked out.
Sadness pulsed through Cash, this cross between empathy and pity because he had no idea what shape he’d be in himself ifthis opportunity was stolen from him the way it had been for his brother.
Part of him wanted to go after him, but he felt the horrified breath heave from Daisy, the flurry of movement as she suddenly flew off the bed.
He turned to find her frantically putting on her shoes.
“What are you doing?” It gushed out of him.
Flustered, she hugged her arms over her chest. “I think it would be best if I left.”
“I don’t want you to leave.”
