18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lacey

"I need your help."

Vector grins, passing the gravy to his mother, "I need you to convince Sky to join the track team."

Amber beams, taking the jug from his hands, "That is a wonderful idea! Skylar, honey, I didn't know you were thinking about trying out for the team."

"I'm not."

"But think of how much fun it would be! You could meet more kids your age." Excitement fills Amber's voice, "You could even train with Vector to get ready for the competitions."

Skylar shoots his brother a glare before turning back to his mom, "Tryouts ended back in September. Even if I wanted to join the team, which I don't, I wouldn't be able to."

She purses her lips, "You could start training for next year? "

I stifle a laugh by taking a bite of Shepherd's Pie. I still don't know if this meal is Skylar's favourite, but his mom makes it every time I'm invited over for dinner.

Not that I'm complaining. Amber Vin is a wonderful cook.

"Yeah, Sky. You could start training for next year." Vector throws me a wink, "I'm sure Lacey would love to come watch your meets."

Amber claps her hands, "We could all go!"

"No one is going anywhere because I'm not joining the track team." Skylar's hand finds mine under the table, "I've already had my opportunity to be a varsity athlete."

I smile down at my food, knowing exactly what he's referring to.

Vector shrugs, "I could talk to the coach. Get you on the team this year."

"I don't want to be on the track team."

Amber sighs, "You used to love cross country running. I just don't know what changed."

"The people I enjoyed doing it with changed. So did I."

Skylar stares down his brother and irritation flashes across Vector's face. I shift uneasily in my chair, glancing between the two brothers as they silently argue with each other across the kitchen table. Vector grows more agitated by the second, the muscles in his arms twitching with every inhale.

He catches me staring and the anger quickly melts into a smile.

"You've got nice long legs, Lacey. Are you a runner? "

Skylar stiffens beside me and Vector gives him a satisfied smirk. Whatever went down during the silent exchange ignited a fire between the brothers and the older one seems keen on handing out a punishment.

Oblivious to the tension, Amber turns to me with a smile, "You must have been an athlete with that remarkable height of yours."

"Um, not quite."

"Really? I would have guessed you played basketball in high school."

"Unfortunately, Wesley stole all the athletic genes in the family. But I did spend a few years playing-

"What about a model?" Vector cuts me off, leaning his elbows on the table, "Those legs would easily put you over the height requirement for that."

A flush creeps up my neck and spreads across my face. Amber looks embarrassed by her son's question while Skylar looks like he's about to explode.

"Uh, no. I was never a model."

Vector smiles, "Such a waste. You have the most enticing figure."

"Stop it." Skylar's voice slices through the room, "Stop objectifying her."

Vector ignores him and shakes his head with a sigh, "A pretty face and a pretty body. There isn't much more a guy can ask for. "

Humiliation drips through me as I stare back at him, slowly removing my hand from Skylar's tight grip.

"Vector! That is not how we speak to our guests." Amber shakes her head before turning to me, "I am so sorry, Lacey, I don't know what's gotten into-

"May I be excused? I need to use the washroom."

"Of course, dear. Just around the corner by the front door."

I can feel the weight of Skylar's stare when I get up and leave, but I don't acknowledge it. Keeping my head down, I hurry from the kitchen, fighting back tears every step of the way.

The staircase to go upstairs is just across from the main bathroom and I take it without thinking. There's another bathroom just across from Skylar's room and right now I need a floor between me and the hurtful words that were spoken by his brother.

I make it into the bathroom just before the dam breaks. Collapsing against the door, I slide to the floor, crying into my knees as Vector's taunts bring back a wave of memories, harsh reminders of how cruel people can be when they no longer see you as a friend.

Did she really think her long legs were going to be enough to keep him around?

She's never been much more than a pretty face.

Can she at least pretend to be okay? It's not our fault she wasn't what he was looking for.

I hug my knees closer, letting my past stain the dark material of my leggings. The cold tiles of the bathroom floor dig into my ass and I use it as silent encouragement to pull myself together. Hiccups float out of my mouth as I glance around the small bathroom, noticing for the first time the artwork hung along the walls.

Pushing my trembling body off the ground, I amble towards the closest one. It's a landscape of Silverwood University, the metallic dome rising up like a wave about to crash down on the idyllic town below.

The cruel voices start to fade as I travel to the next one, Skylar's confident strokes of colour such a contrast to the grey setting he uses for most of the drawings. His artwork is a mesmerizing blend of darkness and hope, the seeds of his own life planted within each picture.

I know nothing about art, but even I can tell Skylar has incredible talent.

There's one last picture hanging above the bathroom mirror, so I hop up on the counter to see it. My knee cracks the sink base cabinet and the sound of breaking glass hits my ears.

Now I've done it.

Feeling like the worst guest in the world, I quickly drop to the floor and pry open the cabinet door. Bottles of hair and shaving products got toppled over during my climb, but nothing screams broken.

Once everything is back in place, I gentle close the door. It snaps shut with a thud, and I hear the sound again.

Glass knocking against glass .

I frown, opening up the cabinet and taking another look. Everything is how I left it, the plastic bottles are undamaged and there are no leaks in sight. Shifting the door to get a better look inside, I hear the sound again.

What the hell?

I crouch down and study the back of the cabinet door. A molding juts out about halfway down, the colour painted to look identical to the rest of the plywood. Prying my nail inside the opening, the entire thing comes loose in my hands.

There's a small white bag tucked between the molding's grooves, and I can just make out the rigid outline of glass through the material. Pulling the bag from its hiding spot, I open it and peer inside.

And suddenly nothing makes sense.

Being careful not to break anything, I pull out the syringe and set it on the bathroom counter. It's medical grade, the type you would expect to see in a hospital setting, but that isn't the part that has me confused.

Turning the bag over, a small vial drops into my hand.

"Flower? Are you in there?"

I jump at Skylar's voice, my heart racing with adrenalin as I snatch the syringe from the counter and clutch the vial tightly in my other hand.

Walking on shaky legs, I go and open the bathroom door. Skylar is standing on the other side, his eyes glowing with frustration as they rake over my tear-stained cheeks .

"I'm so sorry, Flower. There is no excuse for what he said, but I want you to know…" His eyes drop to what I'm holding and the blood drains from his face.

"Where did you find that?"

"Under the sink." Nausea is climbing in my throat but I swallow it back down. Dropping my gaze to the items in my hands, I read the letters on the vial's tiny label.

"I don't understand… what is this?"

I don't want to accuse Skylar of taking drugs but the evidence is quite literally in my hands. My chest aches as I look back at the boy unravelling in front of me, his mismatched eyes darkening with an internal fire.

"He fucking promised."

Biting off a snarl, Skylar stalks into the bathroom and drops onto the edge of the tub. Within seconds, his anger deflates and he hunches over like he's in pain.

"He promised ."

The word breaks on a sob and I quickly shut the bathroom door. Putting the incriminating evidence back on the counter, I join Skylar on the edge of the bathtub and pull his shaking body into my arms.

My mind is stuck on a loop, my heart screaming with betrayal and confusion as the same thought pounds through my head.

It just doesn't make sense.

None of it makes sense.

I stare at the vial on the counter, the small black print that changes everything. Skylar is trembling against me, the bony ridge of his shoulders digging into my chest doing nothing to help solve the puzzle in front of me.

He doesn't even play sports. Out of all people, why would Skylar be taking…

Oh my God.

The answer slaps me across the face so hard it stings.

"Skylar." My voice trembles, the one question I never thought to ask mocking me from the bathroom counter.

"Why is your brother so much bigger than you?"

Skylar

I have a lot of bad memories in this house, but walking in on my brother injecting steroids into his ass was one of the worst.

I didn't know what it was at the time. I had just turned thirteen and could barely find the strength to get out of bed after helping my mom patch up her skin every night.

There weren't many good days back then.

"It's my fault." I choke on the words, unable to breathe from the guilt clogging my throat, "Everything is my fault."

Lacey's arms stay wrapped around me, her warm embrace the only thing keeping me from shattering into a million pieces. I should have known Vector wouldn't stop taking the drugs. That he would do whatever it took to stay the strongest predator in Silverwood.

I should have known he was going to break my heart all over again.

"Tell me your secret, Skylar. "

There's a shake to Lacey's voice and it rips at the stitches holding my bleeding heart together. A metallic taste fills my mouth as the events that happened four years ago pierce through the carefully constructed silence.

"He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her and somebody had to stop him."

"Who are you talking about?"

"My father." Gagging at the memory, I can barely keep the nausea down, "He pushed her down the stairs and the fall broke her tibia. Mom was going to be on bedrest for the next six months. She was going to be a sitting duck for the next six months."

The drive home from the hospital was the longest ride of my life. Vector wouldn't stop shaking, the anger trying to claw its way out of his skin.

We were the same size back then. Just a couple of skinny kids cursed with a volatile temper.

"Vector had a plan. He didn't tell me what it was, he just said I needed to take care of mom and he would deal with Vincent. The next day he went to the gym for three hours. The next week he started counting his proteins."

Lacey blows out a shaky breath, "He was trying to get bigger."

"And stronger. Our dad wasn't that big, but he was strong. Vector needed to put on at least fifty pounds to even stand a chance. He would have gotten there eventually but our father's temper couldn't wait that long. "

A strangled sound slips out of my mouth, "He ruined her recovery. Three months in, he re-fractured the injury. That's why she limps. He fucking broke her already broken body."

My shoulders hunch as I start to fall apart. The bathroom tiles swirl together as tears slink down my cheeks and Lacey pulls my shaking body closer.

"W-We didn't think she was going to make it. The doctors had to put her in a medically induced coma for two weeks. By the time she came out, I had started planning her funeral arrangements."

Lacey strokes my tear-stained face, her trembling fingers gently wiping away the scars of my past.

"Your brother took the drugs to get bigger faster."

"I didn't know about it at first. But then I did and I…" My gasping words trail off as a wave of self-loathing pours through me, "I agreed to keep quiet."

Lacey takes my face in her hands. Her eyes are filled with a compassion I don't deserve, her fingers stroking my cheek with a love I shouldn't crave.

"You must have been so young."

I was. But that doesn't change the fact I chose silence over action.

"It doesn't matter. I should have fought back. Pushed for another solution."

She frowns, "Your brother made his own decision. There was nothing you could have done."

And there it is. The moment of truth .

Squeezing my eyes shut, I block out the kindness radiating from the only person who ever cared enough to piece me back together.

"It didn't stop after Vector kicked him out, Flower. He was taking them up until last year. Taber's home opener was supposed to be the first game he was clean."

Lacey freezes, her hands tensing on my face, "That can't be true. Varsity athletes get tested for performance enhancers."

A choked laugh slips out, "In Canada they only test the winning teams. The top competitors."

"But that… that doesn't make sense. Silverwood always makes it to the finals."

I blink my eyes open, seeing the girl who stole my heart with a simple note.

The girl who goes to the rival school.

"Taber University has beaten Silverwood for the past six years. Every championship banner the Tigers brought home ensured Vector wouldn't get tested for another year."

Lacey stares at me in horror and the irony of the situation is not lost on me. She's finally peeling back the layers and seeing the red stains hiding underneath.

I meet her gaze with a heavy heart, "Do you know what the major side effect of anabolic steroids is?"

There's a long list of potential side effects and repercussions an athlete can sustain when using testosterone supplements, but there's only one that really matters.

"Aggression. "

Her gasp echoes around the bathroom housing the dark secret tying the Vin brothers together.

My father was the first person Vector put in the hospital.

But he wasn't the last.

"Oh my God." She whispers, her hands slipping from my face, "That's why so many players have been injured."

The absence of her touch burns my skin, reminding me exactly what kind of a person I am.

"Every person he hurt was because of me. Because I chose to stay silent. Cody Ellsworth…" Tears burn my eyes, "Had to give up lacrosse because of me."

The hideous truth wraps around my ankles and drags me back into the depths of darkness. I can't see, I can't breathe, I can't feel anything except the girl beside me.

Silence blooms between us, and with each passing second, I fall further from the flower that brought me back to life.

"Skylar." Her voice sounds far away, like a distant dream I can picture but can't quite remember, "Cody didn't give up lacrosse because of his injuries. He stopped playing because he wanted to spend more time with Stella."

"That… doesn't make sense."

I think my heart is pounding but it's hard to be sure. There's a strange sensation in my chest, something that feels too light and hopeful to be true.

"Vector broke his cheekbone and a couple of ribs. I saw the photos. "

"Maybe he did, but that's not why Cody stopped playing lacrosse."

It wasn't because of me.

The crashing wave of relief has me collapsing against Lacey. Fresh tears leak out as one of my countless demons slip away.

She sighs, gently brushing back my hair, "I don't blame you for keeping quiet. He's your brother, and despite how cruel he can be sometimes, I know he loves you. And I know you love him too."

I can feel my body start to shut down, but I fight it. I fight to stay in this moment, to hear her voice and feel her touch for just a little bit longer.

I should have told her sooner. I should have told her the first night we met.

I open my mouth to apologize, to say all the things I should have said, but Lacey steals the breath in my lungs before I get the chance.

"I love you, Skylar Vin. And I think it's time you did too."

She presses a kiss against my forehead and I pass out in her arms.