Off Limits

7. YOU

"Right there. Don't stop," I heard the blonde say, followed by multiple bangs against the wall. I debated going back into my room and turning my music on so loud I couldn't hear my thoughts, but I wanted to read. And I wanted to drown out the pleasure in her stupid moans and get as far away as possible. The loud noises annoyed me, and I couldn't help but feel jealous because no one made me sound like that before. It confirmed that he knew his way around a woman's body, but that was none of my business.

Her moans followed me downstairs until I reached the backyard. Everyone had either fallen asleep or was having sex after our return from the beach, leaving me to read Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. My mom and I were huge fans of his and loved every single book and movie. I could reread any of them and never grow tired. And it always reminded me how pitiful my love life was.

I laid back on a lawn chair and cracked the book open to where I left off. I sat under the shade because I got too much sun earlier and wanted to be comfortable. And the best part was that it was quiet, and I couldn't hear a thing.

In the middle of the novel, I heard the door open behind me.

It was Sam. She skipped to my chair and sat on the edge, seeing what book I was reading. "How did I know you'd be out here reading?" she asked, picking at her nails. She complained about the sand being everywhere, and she wasn't lying. I can only imagine what Cameron was dealing with since I buried him.

"Lucky guess?" I said, bookmarking my page to glance up at her.

"Scoot over," she said, wiggling her body beside me while laughing.

We sat in silence for a while, staring at the surrounding greenery. When we were in school, sometimes we would hang out and barely speak. That was bonding for us because her presence was nice to have around. We didn't always need to speak, and I loved that about our friendship. It was easy, and we understood each other.

She huffed loudly and dramatically. "What's going on? Is everything okay?" I asked, setting my book on a nearby glass table.

Sam parted her lips to speak but then shook her head. "Nothing. I don't want to bother you with my family issues. It's not important," she muttered, waving her hand out like it was no big deal. I could tell it bothered her from the way she sunk in the seat and the blank look across her face.

"You're not bothering me, Sam," I admitted. "That's what I'm here for."

She took a second to think and dropped her head into the palm of her hands. "I hated college, but I couldn't wait to graduate because I wanted to see if my parents would show up. They promised me, and I was always the one to stick up for them and hope for change, but nothing ever changed. I haven't heard from them since the pissy graduation text they sent me, and my dad just texted me not to burn the house down, of all things. I'm so tired of it, and I'm not making excuses for them anymore. I used to tell myself that maybe they didn't know how to be parents, but it's bad," she confessed, lifting her head back up.

I felt for her, and it broke my heart. "Was it always like that? Were they ever parents to you guys?" I asked, trying to get a better understanding. It wasn't all the time Samantha opened up about her family. Every now and then, she would say how fucked up they were but never elaborated.

"No," my best friend shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I remember them always there and never missed anything. Then my dad started working all the time and my mom too. They would hire a nanny and wouldn't come home for weeks or months even. Poor Joey. They, um, they hate him," she conceded, looking down toward her tanned legs. Why would they hate their own kid?

"Why?" I asked, taking a risk.

"Something terrible happened in our family, and I don't think I can talk about it. I'm sorry," she muttered, but I understood. I would never force her to speak on anything she didn't want or feel comfortable talking about. But it made me curious. Maybe there was a reason Joey acted the way he did.