Hell would have been preferable to the two days that follow.

Nicole sleeps all of twenty minutes in those forty-eight hours, and I’m lucky if I got half of that. For the first day, my sister paces the house. Whenever she crosses me or Aunt Veronica, Nicole pleads for us to take away her pain, the pain, she says, has infected her bones. Aunt Veronica allows her a few ibuprofens but otherwise keeps the more intense medication locked away (including the pain pills her doctor prescribed for her cancer. Nicole swears multiple times Aunt Veronica doesn’t have to worry about theft, but before I leave for work the first day, I catch my sister nosing through cabinets and drawers).

The second day, Nicole hurls abuses and can’t stop shivering, even covered in three blankets. More than once, violent leg spasms make Nicole trip. Most times she catches herself, but the times she can’t result in large bruises and a cut on her chin that bleeds for hours.

Throughout it all, Aunt Veronica remains calm and acts as if her life hasn’t taken a dramatic change. She keeps a close eye on Nicole but doesn’t hover. Aunt Veronica talks to Nicole like she would me and doesn’t let any strange comments brought on by the withdrawal faze her.

I wish for my great aunt’s patience. I hate being at the house, and almost cry when I must leave work at the end of my shift. Unfortunately, Adam and Crystal stay late at their jobs both Thursday and Friday, and I don’t feel comfortable remaining at the Kings’ without them. I do my best to avoid Nicole, but when I can’t, my words come out short and thick with malice. Aunt Veronica reprimands me, yet it does nothing to alter my tone.

On Saturday morning, just as I’m about to fall into a deep sleep, my bedroom door bursts open. I leap out of bed and switch on the light in time to witness Nicole vomit all over my floor. The crackers Aunt Veronica coaxed Nicole to eat splatter in every direction; the mushy chunks cling to ever surface.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

Nicole bawls and stumbles toward me; her feet trek through the vomit. “Help me.”

I flatten myself against the wall. “Stop! Ugh, it’s going everywhere.”

Nicole reaches for me. “P-please. I need—”

“Get the fuck out of here!”

“What’s going on?” Aunt Veronica demands from the doorway. She already wears a plaid dress and flats, which doesn’t surprise me.

“Look at the mess she made!”

Nicole stops inches from me and covers her face with her hands. Her wailing dissolves into wet hiccups. Every three seconds she moans about “the ache”.

Aunt Veronica edges her way into the room. “It wasn’t on purpose, you know that.”

“She shouldn’t fucking be here.”

Aunt Veronica’s footsteps pause. Red stains her cheeks, and she looks like she wants to set me on fire with her eyes. “Your sister came here for much the same reason you did.”

I snort. “Did I destroy your house?”

“No, but you’ve made Hoss mighty uncomfortable.”

“Oh, fuck your stupid cat!”

Aunt Veronica gestures at the door before she eases Nicole into her arms. “Out, and I don’t want you back here unless you can act like less of a bitch.”

“Fine.”

I charge past my great aunt and sister and almost step on Hoss, who has decided to sprawl out before the front door. He hisses and runs for the bathroom. I slip on my shoes and thunder outside, hop in my car, and speed out of the driveway.

Once away from Aunt Veronica’s, I let out the scream I’ve suppressed since Nicole’s arrival. Unintelligible curses follow, with an encore of tears. I have to park on a secluded, dead-end road when my vision blurs.

How can I be considered the bad guy for getting pissed at Nicole for waking me up and vomiting? Yes, I upset Aunt Veronica’s life when I arrived, but I didn’t tear it to ruins like Nicole has in under seventy-two hours. Plus, I’ve made myself useful. What can Nicole do while she attempts to overcome her heroin addiction?

Part of me wants to sympathize with my sister. Though Nicole has made her own trouble, I don’t like seeing her suffer. As much as I try to ignore it, the thought that withdrawal can kill Nicole hovers in the back of my mind. Also, what if my sister has done permanent damage to herself?

What will become of Nicole?

As my temper cools, my rotten attitude collapses into regret. All I’ve wanted for years is for Nicole to overcome her demons, and here I am acting against my sister’s best efforts. How can Nicole get better if everyone turns their backs on her?

I consider returning to my great aunt’s house but can’t muster the courage. What if Aunt Veronica won’t let me back in? What if my lousy behavior rears its ugly head again, and I make the situation a million times worse?

No, I’ll wait a bit before going back. I turn on my car radio and adjust my seat into a better position. I close my eyes and fall asleep.

***

Hunger forces me awake around four in the afternoon. I jerk to consciousness with a start, and it takes a heart-stopping five seconds for me to realize why I’ve come to in my car on a random dirt road. Once I get my bearings, I decide to head over to the Kings for the party. While I feel calmer than I have for days, I figure Nicole and Aunt Veronica can use more time away from me.

The Halloween party won’t start until eight tonight, but I can lend a hand with any last-minute details. Also, Crystal asked me to arrive early so she can help me create the perfect costume.

People mill about the yard when I arrive. Some bedeck the shrubs so it looks like the mythical creatures wear costumes. Others make the outside of the house resemble a haunted house. Crystal wanted to turn the house into one or create a murder mystery for the guests to solve, but anything other than cheesy Halloween decorations freaks Adam out.

A few of the workers give me an odd look when I pass them, but I can’t figure out why until Adam answers the front door. He cocks an eyebrow and flashes a bright smile.

“Now that’s a costume! Though the shoes throw it off a little.”

“What...” I glance at my outfit and squeak. I forgot I ran out of my great aunt’s this morning without changing, so I now stand on my bosses’ doorstep in nothing but a green and silver negligee. “Oh, this is an accident. I didn’t—My day started out strange.”

Adam’s smile widens. “Seems so.”

I blush, unable to meet Adam’s eye. “I’m sorry. I can go home and—No, never mind. I can’t.”

Adam takes my hand, and the sudden contact draws my attention to his face. Concern replaces his amusement. “Is everything all right?”

I sigh. “I’ve made a complete ass of myself.”

“Well, how ‘bout you explain it to me. Crystal’s in the shower right now, and she’ll kill me if we start looking for a costume for you without her.”

“You’re going to help?”

Adam pulls me into the house and herds me into the living room. “Of course. Who do you think is going to do the required makeup?”

I sit on the plush sofa. “Um, I believed Crystal would...”

Adam chuckles. “She can do her everyday makeup, but costume makeup is a whole other story. I have to say, I’m not too shabby.”

“How’d you get so good at it?’

“My mom used to do it for a living—in Hollywood. She left the profession once she met my dad, but she taught my two sisters and me.”

“So, why don’t you do that instead of financial reporting?”

“What can I say? Crunching numbers is my passion.”

I snort. “Some passion.”

Adam shrugs but grins. “Anyway, would you like anything to drink? Maybe a snack? Though nothing too heavy. Crystal had the caterer make a couple of things especially for you, and she’ll be upset if you can’t eat them.”

The admittance flatters me, and a warmth pools in my stomach that I know my cheeks reflect. I focus on my lap. “Uh, I’d like some tea and crackers, if you don’t mind.”

“No problem.”

In Adam’s brief absence, I will myself to calm down. Hearing Crystal did a kind act shouldn’t affect me so. It doesn’t have any significance. Friends do sweet deeds for one another all the time.

After Adam returns with my food and tea, and I consumed a good portion, he asks me about why I arrived in my night clothes. I don’t like admitting what an ass I was, but I hate lying to Adam more. I lay out the entire story, as far back as Nicole’s leaving because of my father’s refusal to accept his eldest daughter’s life choice.

Adam listens without comment.

“Am I as bad as my dad?” I ask at my tale’s end.

“You plan on apologizing to your sister and aunt, right?”

“Once everything cools down.”

“Then no. He sounds incapable of acknowledging his personal failures.”

I agree, but I know I’ve toed the line the past few days. Even though I still love the man with all my heart, I don’t want to turn into my father. If he continues as he is, he’ll only have his job and colleagues to keep him company.

A brief thought occurs to me: What if my father wants that?

Adam retakes my hand. “Why don’t we go see if Crystal’s out of the shower? She should be by now.”

I nod and let him lead me upstairs.