Caden's Pride

The Bitter Truth brings Bitter Memories

It's hard to believe how much I hated parties. For years, I didn't step foot in one, avoiding gatherings and leaving if one too many people showed up. When I saw Luc in the bathroom stall, all the reasons I promised myself I would never attend a party again came crashing into me.

"Caden, you gotta look at these pictures," he spluttered exuberantly.

Stunned, I stared down at the phone as he angled it upward. It was a picture of my band members snuggled up with beanies on. Jenny's lustrous blue locks barely fit in the hat. A problem I could attest to. And Chanel's glossy fringe reached her shoulders. Great. Drugs had him locked up in a questionable stall, staring at pictures of pretty girls.

I recoiled inwardly as a thought occurred to me. Was he actually jerking it in here?

"Okay? I don't really care," I mumbled distantly. He was leaning against the tiled wall and despite what I saw in the last 2 minutes, I realized he was definitely flying high.

Luc, in his right mind, would never choose to rest in the number one bacteria zone. However, with every bar or restaurant I worked in, the women's bathroom was always the dirtiest. So lucky for him, I guess.

"It's Chanel Caden," he stated as if I insulted him. "She's fucking gorgeous." Luc's hands went this way and that. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I feared for the unforgiving tile against his phone.

Given what I experienced, I didn't want to upset him beyond the boundaries of recognition. He seemed content, fucking ecstatic, but there's no telling how he would react with whatever he was on. Unwanted trepidation sank into my stomach further. I pulled in a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. All I had to do was get him out of the public eye.

All Harmony wanted to do that night was take me home.

A sensation felt like it would prickle from the inside out; a feeling I wasn't unfamiliar with. Twin emotions of anger and resentment made me falter. I didn't hear what Luc slurred, suddenly distracted by dark flashes from my past.

"What did you say?" I questioned tightly.

There was no time to dwell on shit from the past. Darrian was out of town; probably caving someone's face in. While Grey was most likely shooting bullets through zombies until he couldn't feel whatever stress he was under. Luc only had me to depend on, even if he didn't know it, and I sure as hell wasn't leaving him here.

"She broke up with me." He uttered softly; I had to lean closer to hear him.

"That's pretty obvious, my dude," I said nonchalantly, but offered what I hope wasn't a grimace.

He and Chanel were together for about 6 months. They were cute together; it was disgusting. The two of them so ridiculously goofy you couldn't help but laugh. A vibe between them that was admittedly alluring. Not that I would ever say that aloud.

I thought everything was fine until one night- Chanel called me crying; refusing to divulge not much of anything. Comforting wasn't a skill I could easily adapt, so I offered to get her high, but she settled for 3 bottles of red wine instead. Chanel, although looped up on the whine, still denied me any specification on what broke them up. I was wondering if it had anything to do with Luc's apparent drug use.

Was she protecting his truth, then? Or was there more to it? Shit, I had no idea. My arm pits heated, thinking of the possibility of her silence on such a serious matter...

He dawned a woeful expression. " I was always real with her. I don't understand that."

Sighing, I squatted before him and squeezed his shoulder.