Scars of the Future Read Online Free PDF Page B

off.”
    I glanced over at her and furrowed my eyebrows. “You got trashed on a weeknight? That’s pretty hardcore, even for you.”
    “He wouldn’t call, he was done. He told me not to walk away and I did. I just wanted to forget, Amanda.” I could hear the pain in her voice and I knew she was close to crying. “I’ve spent the last few days trying to be good, trying not to let it get to me, but it was too much. I went out with Emily and Becca and drank a lot. More than I have in a long time. I saw Sean and he tried to get me to leave but I wouldn’t, and I guess he called David. But by the time David got there I was trashed, Amanda. I was so drunk I could barely stand.”
    I was confused but I didn’t say so. I just let her continue.
    “A guy was all over me when David got there. His mouth on me, his hands under my skirt… David saw and pulled me away from him. He and Patty had to carry me out of the club and took me to Linda’s.”
    “Oh shit,” I whispered.
    “Yeah. Shit. I had promised him I wouldn’t do that, go to random guys. But Amanda, I swear, if I had thought he wanted to anything to do with me I wouldn’t have. I don’t even know why he came last night.” Sydney looked at me with pleading eyes as I parked and I nodded quickly.
    “I believe you, babe, I do.” I led her inside and she fell on the couch, squeezing her eyes shut.
    “I fucked up and I don’t even know where to go from this point,” Sydney said with a sigh.
    “The shower might good place,” I told her with a smile before sitting down on the other side of the couch.
    I paused before taking a quick breath and being brutally honest with her. “But seriously, get back on track. Get your shit together and try approaching him once you’re sane. And if you lost him, Syd, you learn from it and move on.” She didn’t know, but I was speaking from experience here.
    “Learn from it and move on,” she repeated bitterly and I knew she wasn’t happy with my advice. “Right.” She let out a big sigh and stood. “I think I’ll take that shower. Thanks for picking me up.”
    I nodded as she hurried away and once her door was closed I let my head fall back. Now definitely wasn’t the time to tell her about my little secret.

Chapter Four
    “Two points!” I let out a gleeful cheer as the basketball sank through the hoop and grinned at Josh who was shaking his head with a smile.
    “If I was a competitive man, I might have said that you traveled right there.” Josh dribbled the basketball and tossed it to Maddie. She let out a laugh and she moved around the court, attempting to stay away from Sean.
    The sun had started to set, but it was still very warm in Linda’s backyard. Craig had the barbeque going and Josh had suggested playing a little two-on-two while we waited for dinner, stating we’d make it three-on-three when Sydney and Matt showed up.  Linda’s basketball ‘court’ was just a section of the cement patio that had a portable basketball hoop set up from Matt’s childhood, but it was still constantly used by the boys.
    “No way. We need an impartial judge. Craig?”
    Craig Pierce was Linda’s husband and the two of them had been married earlier in the year. They had met at the hospital where they both worked, Craig as an orthopedic surgeon and Linda as an obstetrics nurse, and kept their relationship quiet around their kids. Linda had been single since her husband had left all those years ago and so it was shocking for Maddie and Matt when Linda brought someone home last Christmas. Craig was amazing, and the two of them were so in love that Maddie and Matt seemed to be very happy with the new addition to their lives.
    Sean was Craig’s son, and Linda had made him a member of the family instantly. He was currently going to law school and just started interning at a firm outside of Sacramento. He was almost twenty-four and a year ahead of us three girls, but a year behind Matt. Sean looked like a younger version of