The Love Game (The Game #1)(35)
Author: Emma Hart

“What do you think I’m here for? I need your help, Maddie.” He steps towards me. “I’m in trouble, sis. I just need your help.”

“You always need my help. Problem is, you won’t help yourself, will you?”

“You know why I do it. I miss her-”

“Don’t you dare use her as an excuse!” Anger rises inside me, overcoming the fear, and I take a step forward, away from the girls. “Don’t you dare use Mom as an excuse for your habit. You were into it before she died, so don’t you stand there and feed me that bullshit!”

“It’s not bullshit, Maddie. Really.”

“I miss her too, every damn day I miss her, Pearce, but it doesn’t mean I have to turn to the closest narcotic to escape from it. Life is what you make it, and this is what she’d want me to make of mine. It’s why she left me – left us – a college fund. She’s probably turning in her grave at what her beloved son is doing now.”

“Mads, is that-?” Kay puts a protective hand on my arm.

“It’s No one.” I shake her arm off. “Go home, Pearce. I won’t help you anymore. I won’t keep bailing you out.”

“I need you to, Maddie,” he begs. “It’ll be the last time, I promise.”

“It’s always the last time, though, isn’t it, huh? Every. Single. Time. You say it’s the last f**king time, and it never is, is it? It might be the last time you do whatever you’re on now, but what’s next? Ice? Heroin? Come on, Pearce! What next?!” I can’t even register that people are staring. I don’t even care I’m somehow right outside the frat house.

“That’s shit, Maddie, and you know it! I just need your help!”

“And I’ve said no!” I walk up to him, jabbing him in the chest with a shaky hand. “I’m your sister, not your f**king keeper! You’re twenty-two, sort your shit out! You can’t keep running to me because your sorry ass can’t keep a job down to support Dad. I’ve been here two months and I’ve had to pay Dad’s rent because you are too busy getting jacked up!”

He grabs my arms. “And it’s me that has to watch him move closer to killing himself every day while you’re sunning it up here in California!”

“Getting an education!” I shove him away from me. “So that one day I can support Dad and get him the help he needs to move on!”

“So why won’t you do it for me?!”

“Because you’re a waste of air, Pearce.” I say it quietly but coldly. “I used to look up to you so much. You used to take me everywhere and we’d do anything. I knew we’d drift apart when you got to high school, but you changed into the people you used to despise. Mom used to work with drug addicts, for f**k sake! You knew what drugs would do to you, but you still did it. You still played around, and now, look at you.” I look him up and down. “You’re not the brother I know. In fact, I’m pretty sure you’re not even my brother at all.”

“What?” He grabs my wrist, squeezing it tightly.

“You’re not my brother. Not anymore.” I fight to get him to loosen his grip. “How much have you put us through since Mom died, huh? First you played Abbi, made her fall in love with you while you controlled her and abused her because of the drugs, then you drove her to attempt suicide. I lost my best damn friend because you’re f**ked up! Dad told me to come here, far away from Brooklyn, where I could have a fresh start, and you just have to mess that up, don’t you? You have to drag your sorry ass down here because you can’t help but run up a goddamn bill for your drugs. You keep thinking ‘oh, good little Maddie, she’ll bail me out.’ Not this time, Pearce. You and your habit can f**k off back to Brooklyn and stay there!”

He glares at me, the expression in his green-blue eyes as hard as rock. I stare back up at him, and the tension between us is palpable. For the first time, I admit my feelings about my brother to myself.

I hate him. It’s a real hate, one that tinges everything and infects every happy memory I have of him. It’s wrapping around the memories as I glare at him and wiping them out. As if they were never there.

With the loss of the memories, I lose a part of myself, but the rest of me strengthens.

I won’t give in.

“I have no idea who you are, but it would be a smart idea to remove your hand from my girl,” Braden says in an icy tone.

I don’t know where he is. I can’t see him. I’m shaking, adrenaline and fear pumping through my body.

“I’m her brother.” Pearce laughs bitterly.

“All the more reason to get your f**king hands off her.” I feel Braden’s hands on my arms. One of them moves to my wrist, and I fight my wince as he grips Pearce’s wrist, squeezing until he releases me. I let my wrist hang limply down by my side, not wanting to give my brother the satisfaction of knowing he’s hurt me.

“This is none of your business,” Pearce bites out.

“It’s my business if you’re hurtin’ my girl, brother or not.” Braden pulls me into him. “You’d better leave, because I can guarantee I’m not the only one here protective over Maddie. There’s a house full of boys in there that would happily come and kick your ass for hurtin’ her.”

“It’s between-”

“Nothing.” I say. “There is nothing to talk about, Pearce. I’ve made it clear where I stand, and I won’t help you. You’ve wasted your time coming here.”

I stare him down until he steps back, hate and anger spitting from his eyes.

“Fine,” he snaps. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to find another way.”

“It’s about time,” I reply coldly.

“Mom would be devastated you weren’t helping me,” he throws at me as he steps back.

“Fuck, that’s enough!” Braden yells.

“Get the f**k out of here before I put you out of here,” Ryan threatens, holding Lila behind him and stepping up next to Braden. “I mean it. No one talks to one of our girls that way. You have thirty seconds to get out of my f**kin’ sight.”

“I’m goin’,” Pearce says, throwing me one last look before he turns and walks down the sidewalk.

Whispers start up around us. I can imagine it. Good little Maddie – that’s her brother? Bullshit. It’s all bullshit.

“Inside,” Braden says softly to me, leading me towards the house. “And you all can f**k off.”

He pulls me through the door and up the stairs to his room. He shuts the door, and my legs buckle. I barely grab his desk before he snatches me back into his chest. I can’t breathe. My heart is pounding, my chest is tight, and I’m shaking more than I knew possible.

I just stood up to my brother.

“Sssh,” Braden soothes. “He can’t get near you anymore, Angel. I promise you. I won’t let him.”