Page 55 of Forgotten Prejudice

“Dreams can be changed.”

“Listen to you! You don’t even sound like yourself.” She waved her hands at me. “The Ash I know would never speak this way.”

“Well, I matured. And it’s a good thing, or else I would have ended up like you. An almost forty-year-old woman who’s still single and dresses and acts like some teenager.”

Taken aback, Mom’s face fell. And although a part of me regretted what I’d just said, I was too angry to care. Just then, the door opened, and Aiden stepped in. All it took for him was one glance to know he’d walked into a heated argument.

“What’s going on?”

“Nothing. I told Mom I’m moving in with Soren, and she didn’t approve,” I said, voice cold, then turned my back to her.

“Chief.” Aiden put his hand on my shoulder, but I pushed it away.

I then remembered I came here for another reason. Pulling Kai’s letter from my back pocket, I shoved it at Aiden’s chest.

“What are you—”

“I don’t need it,” I hissed before stepping out of the house and moving toward my new car when Aiden followed me.

“Aren’t you going to at least read it?”

“No.” I swung the driver’s door open. “You can throw it away for all I care.”

Aiden grabbed my shoulder and turned me to face him.

“Kai’s your friend, Ash. You should—”

“But he’s not,” I cut him off midsentence, noticing Mom had also stepped out of the house. “He’s not my friend, and you two keep forgetting it. Kai treated me like shit, okay?” I hissed at them both. “So why do I need to give a shit about him?” I tsked, clenching the car door harder. “He’s just an addict.”

Aiden’s eyes widened before his brows pulled into a deep frown I’d never seen on his face before.

“He’s a human being, Ash, and he’s trying his hardest to do better.”

“Yeah, right,” I huffed, recalling back to that time I found him passed out. “And you believe him?” A broken laugh escaped me. “He’s just going to relapse again and again until the day he overdoses. Save yourself the trouble, Uncle. That’s how addicts are.”

Aiden’s face, which had been serious until now, turned blank. Dropping his hand from me, he stepped back. “I have never been so disappointed in you as I am right now,” he said, his eyes locked with mine.

My heart clenched at his words, and I swallowed back the lump that formed in my throat.

“I know that you’re young, and part of being young is being stupid, but I expected more from you.”

Another punch to the gut.

“Well, I don’t care,” I hissed and climbed into my car. Even if what I’d said was cruel, and perhaps stupid, Kai was no longer a part of my life. So why should I care?

I ignored Aiden, turned on the car, and drove out of there. I couldn’t understand why they hated Soren so much while they were more than willing to forgive Kai? The guilt they burdened me with was unfair, and unable to hold back my tears, I cried. I cried because I hated failing them, and somehow, I’d ended up doing just that. Each tear I shed burdened me with guilt because it forced me to doubt what I knew in my heart. Their hatred toward Soren made me doubt myself, even if just for a little bit. Ashamed of those thoughts, I bit my lip. I loved Soren with a full heart, and he loved me back. So why did they make me feel so bad about it?

Kai

4 Years Later

Beads of sweat covered my skin as I dropped my last box on the bed. With my hands free, I used my shirt to clean up my forehead, then grunted with the flaming heat. For fuck’s sake, moving to a new place was hard enough, but doing it in the middle of August? Real fucking smart, Kai. But hey, at least this was my last box to unpack, and since I didn’t have work tonight, once I finished this up, I got the evening to myself.

“Need a hand?” my new landlord asked while peeking into the room.

“Nah.” I cleaned my face from sweat with my shirt one more time before turning to meet Aiden. “I’m almost done here, but thanks, old man.”

Aiden smiled before knocking on the doorframe with his knuckle. “Well, if you need any help, don’t hesitate to ask, kid.”