Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4)(41)

I was in no f*cking mood for more bullshit. I just wanted to look at the goddamn stars.

“Jesus Christ, Austin,” Jacob rebutted. “What are you doing? This isn’t you.”

I scoffed, standing up right in front of them. “Who am I? Huh? You tell me, boys, because I have no f*cking idea anymore. I have spent the last twenty-one years of my life marching in line with all of you. I’m done. Do you hear me? Fucking done.”

Today was the last straw…

No more going back for me.

Just clear skies ahead.

“What the hell are you talking about? You’re not making any goddamn sense,” Dylan countered, folding his arms over his chest. “Fuck, man, we know you went through some shit with the car accident but—”

“You don’t know a goddamn thing. Your head’s been so far up Aubrey’s and every other girl’s *, you can barely see straight.”

Dylan immediately stepped toward me ready to throw down, but Jacob placed his arm across his chest.

“Relax,” he ordered in a rough tone, looking back at me. “This the way you want to play it? We’re your friends not your enemies, *. You need to remember that while you’re on this path of self-destruction that you so intently feel like continuing. What’s next? Cocaine? Huh? What’s it going to take for you to get your f*cking shit together, Austin? Rehab? Fucking overdosing? Do you have a f*cking death wish, bro? Please tell us so we know what to expect from your path of God-knows-what.”

I snidely smiled. I was done f*cking protecting them. They wanted to act like I was the f*ck up. They wanted to pretend like they were so f*cking perfect, well then they had another thing coming.

Lucas with his God-given attitude of never hurting Alex, when all he did was that. Knocking someone up killed her in ways I couldn’t have done in the car accident.

Dylan f*cking anything with tits and an ass, flaunting it in Aubrey’s face, not giving a shit about the hurt it caused her.

And then Jacob… f*cking Jacob.

“That’s… f*cking… rich… coming from you, Oh, Mighty Jacob.” I shook my head with a devious stare directed only at him.

I could see Dylan from the corner of my eye. He seemed just as baffled as Jacob was. They really were f*cking clueless, such goddamn hypocrites. Acting like they were better than me, when they were anything but.

“You want to judge me and point fingers? People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…” I mocked in a tone he didn’t appreciate.

“Stop speaking in code and just f*cking spit it out already,” Jacob demanded.

“You want to talk about how I’m living my life? Tell me that I’m f*cking up? Well, shit, Jacob, why don’t you look in the goddamn mirror?”

He jerked back like I had punched him in the face, and now I was going to take him down.

“I saw you. I saw it all. I was there that night.”

“What night?”

“The Cove,” I simply stated.

His eyes widened, all the color draining from his face.

“What’s the matter, Jacob? Cat got your tongue?” I taunted.

Dylan looked back and forth between us. “What the f*ck is he talking about?”

“Should I tell him?” I baited, nodding toward Dylan.

I knew the night was replaying over in Jacob’s mind as I stood in front of him.

“Oh, come on, Jacob, we’re all friends here, right? Isn’t that what you just said to me. What are secrets between friends?”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he finally gritted out, his jaw clenching.

“I don’t? Well, then why don’t I refresh your memory and let Dylan decide if I’m right or wrong. You see… Dylan,” I ridiculed, still only looking at him.

“Jacob here isn’t who he thinks he is. Holding himself up on a goddamn pedestal when he should be buried in the ground for what he wants to do. See, I was in town a few weeks ago, hanging out at The Cove downtown. I saw someone that looked like Luca’s baby sister and to my surprise it was actually her.”

Dylan shut his eyes like he knew what the next words out of my mouth were going to be. It was then I realized we all kept secrets from each other.

“So, of course, I made my way toward her. She was dry humping some cocksucker on the dance floor. I would have never thought the girl I saw as a little sister my whole life could move like that. It made me sick to watch it. What did it do to you, Jacob?”

His fists clenched at his sides.

“Then out of nowhere I see this guy haul ass through the crowd. I’m getting ready to throw down if some other motherf*cker even lays a finger on her. Except, I’m nearly knocked on my ass when I see Jacob appear like her knight in shining armor. Isn’t that right? After you proceeded to kick the guy’s ass, I’m about to walk over and pat you on the f*cking back for a job well done, but Lily shoves you and takes off like a bat out of Hell. Jacob here not far behind her.”

He tried to remain calm, but each word that came out of my mouth made him more aware of how f*cked up the situation was.

“So I followed you. Both of you. Would you like to tell Dylan what I saw? Or should I do the honors?”

He shut his eyes, the shame immediately filling his body.

“I watched you pretty much attack her in a parking lot on the side of a goddamn SUV. Tell me, bro, do little girls get you hard?”