Anika
It crushed me seeing him like that. It’s like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I watched him cry. I saw the tears, and it hurt. It hurt worse than what they did to me.
Ellie wraps her arms around me, holding me as they take him away. I watch the sadness, the hurt, the pain in his eyes, and it kills a piece of me. My heart shatters inside me. Sobs wrack my body as they drag him away, screaming my name.
“It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
“We’re so broken,” I sob harder.
“You’re not. You’re strong.”
“He isn’t. Is he?”
“He’s having a bad day, Anika. It happens.” I look up again when I hear motorcycles pulling in. Before I know it, boots are stomping up the steps, and Ban and Jimmy are in front of me.
“Are you okay?” Ban asks, resting his hand on my shoulder.
“No.”
“We didn’t know where he went. He took the truck and left,” he says.
“He was so drunk,” Ellie tells him.
“Yeah. They’re gonna make him sleep it off at the station,” Ban tells us.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. Ban shakes his head, moving his hand to my cheek.
“Don’t do that. This isn’t on you. He’s dealin’ with shit in his own way. He did this to himself.”
“It’s not his fault. We’re fucked up.”
“I’m sorry he did this shit tonight. You didn’t deserve this,” Jimmy says.
“What’s going on with him?”
“He’s just tryin’ to make shit right.”
“He’s doing one hell of a job,” Ellie says as I cry harder. This is all a mess. He’s falling apart, and there’s nothing anyone can do to fix him.
“He’s just been drinkin’ a lot at the clubhouse. It’s not a big deal when we can keep track of him,” Ban says.
“It is a big deal. Don’t you see what he’s doing to himself?” I ask them, wiping the tears from my cheeks.
“We can’t control his ass. Trust me, we’ve tried to talk to him about it,” Jimmy tells me. I nod my head. I’m sure they have. They wouldn’t let one of their own just crumble and fall. They would do whatever they could to stop it.
“I don’t know what else to say,” I whisper.
“There’s nothin’ to say. He messed up. I’m sorry that he did this to you,” Ban adds.
“Stop saying sorry. He didn’t do anything wrong. As you said, he’s dealing with it.” Ban runs his hand through his hair before sighing.
“You girls need anything?”
“No, we’re good,” Ellie tells him.
“Then we’re gonna go. It’s gonna be a long night,” he says.
“Thanks for coming.”
