The Captain's Dirty Little Secret

Chapter 377: Chapter 377 - One Pill

Roxie barely looked at her. She kept her eyes on the girl instead.

”Did she take something?”

The girl looked at Karen and that was enough.

Roxie went still. ”What did she take?”

Karen rolled her eyes. ”Jesus.”

Roxie turned toward her. ”What did you take?”

”Nothing.”

The girl finally spoke. ”It was just a pill.”

Roxie felt her stomach drop. She grabbed Karen’s arm before she even realized she had moved.

”What pill?”

Karen frowned. ”Ow.”

”What did you take?”

”I don’t know.”

Roxie stared at her. ”You don’t know?”

”It was one fucking pill.”

”What pill?”

”I said I don’t know.”

Roxie turned back toward the girl. ”Who gave it to her?”

”I don’t know his name.”

”What was it?”

”I don’t know.”

That answer made Roxie’s chest tighten until breathing started to hurt. Karen had taken some random pill from somebody none of them knew, and now nobody could even tell Roxie what was inside her. She could hear everything around her, the music through the wall, people laughing somewhere behind the house, Karen complaining, but all of it was being pushed underneath one thought she couldn’t stop.

Claire.

”We’re taking her to the hospital.”

Karen laughed.

Roxie looked at her. ”What?”

”I’m not going.”

”You don’t even know what you took.”

”So?”

”So you could fucking die.”

Karen rolled her eyes. ”I’m drunk.”

”You don’t get like this when you’re drunk.”

”Maybe I wanted to.”

Roxie grabbed her arm again. ”We’re leaving.”

Karen shoved her, and Mason caught Karen before she lost her balance while Ethan grabbed Roxie by the arm.

”Roxie.”

”She took some random fucking pill.”

Karen was leaning against Mason now while Angela stood beside her looking like she had no idea what to say. Karen looked at Roxie and frowned.

”Why are you freaking out? It’s not like I’m going to die.”

Roxie couldn’t answer because the possibility had already gotten into her head.

Karen watched her for another second before her expression changed.

”Oh. Because of your mom.”

Everything in Roxie seemed to lock up.

Karen laughed under her breath. ”My God, Roxie. Your mom overdosed. That doesn’t mean I’m going to fucking die because I took one pill.”

Roxie stepped toward her before she had even decided what she was going to do, but Ethan caught both her shoulders.

”Move.”

”Roxie.”

”Move.”

He stayed where he was.

Mason looked at Karen. ”That was fucked up.”

Karen rolled her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes like none of this mattered. Roxie’s anger disappeared the moment she saw it.

”Karen.”

Karen opened them again. ”What?”

”Keep them open.”

”I’m tired.”

Roxie’s fear got worse. She had spent months trying to bury everything connected to Claire’s death, but now all of it was back at once. The motel. The overdose. The phone call. The fact that there had been nothing Roxie could do because by the time she knew anything, Claire was already gone.

Now Karen had some unknown drug inside her body and kept telling Roxie she was fine.

Roxie looked at Mason. ”Hospital.”

Karen groaned. ”No.”

”Yes.”

Mason rubbed a hand over his face. ”Let’s get her out of here first.”

”She needs a hospital.”

”I know. I’m saying get her away from this place first.”

Karen pushed weakly against him. ”Stop talking about me like I’m not here.”

”Then help me walk you out.”

”Fuck you.”

Mason stared at her for a second. ”Fine. Hate me tomorrow. Walk.”

Between Mason and Angela, they managed to get Karen moving. Roxie followed behind with Ethan beside her, but she couldn’t stop watching Karen. Every time Karen stumbled, Roxie expected her legs to give out completely.

Every time her head dropped, Roxie waited for her to stop responding. She kept reminding herself that Karen was still walking and still swearing at Mason, but it barely helped.

They pushed back through the party surrounded by people who were still drinking, shouting and laughing like nothing had happened. Someone called Roxie’s name again, but she kept moving. The place made her skin crawl now, and all she wanted was to get Karen away from it.

Once they reached the front yard, Karen finally seemed to notice Ethan. She looked at him for a few seconds, then turned toward Roxie with a lazy smile.

”I’m just wondering why the boy best friend is here and not the boyfriend.”

Roxie stared at her. ”Can you stop right now?”

Karen shrugged and looked at Ethan again. ”Just saying Zac is going to lose it.”

Roxie’s stomach tightened, but she pushed it away. ”Get her in the car.”

Mason looked toward his own car farther down the street. ”I’ll take Karen.”

”No.”

The answer came out so quickly everyone looked at Roxie.

She didn’t care. She wanted Karen in the same car where she could keep watching her.

Mason sighed. ”Fine. I’ll leave mine here and get it tomorrow.”

Karen ended up in the back between Angela and Mason while Roxie sat in front beside Ethan. The argument about the hospital started before Ethan even pulled away.

”I’m not going,” Karen said.

”You took something.”

”One pill. God, you’re overreacting.”

”You don’t know what it was.”

”I’m fine.”

”You can barely keep your eyes open.”

”I’m tired.”

Mason shifted toward her. ”Then stay awake until we get you home.”

Karen looked at him. ”Stop ordering me around.”

”Then stop making everybody babysit you.”

”Fuck you.”

Angela stayed close beside her while Roxie kept turning around from the front seat. After the third or fourth time, Karen finally snapped.

”Stop fucking looking at me.”

Roxie ignored her.

”I’m fine.”

Roxie faced forward before she said something worse. Taking Karen home still felt completely wrong to her, and she wanted the hospital badly enough that she almost told Ethan to turn the car around.

Mason kept reminding her that Karen was awake, answering them and still fighting everything they said, and he promised that if she started vomiting badly, passed out or became harder to wake, he would take her in himself.

Roxie hated agreeing, but for now Karen was still awake.

When they reached Karen’s house, her aunt opened the door and looked at Karen leaning heavily against Mason before looking at everyone else.

”What happened?”

”She drank,” Mason said. ”And took something.”

Her aunt frowned slightly. ”Karen?”

”I’m fine.”

Roxie almost lost it again.

Karen’s aunt simply stepped aside and let them in. Roxie had expected more than that. She expected questions, shouting, panic, anything that looked like someone understood how badly this could go, but her aunt only watched while Mason and Angela helped Karen toward the couch.

Mason stayed, and Angela helped settle Karen while Roxie stood near the doorway watching. Mason placed water on the table and looked over at her.

”I’ll call you.”

”You better.”

”I will.”

”If anything changes, Mason. If she gets sleepy again, if she starts throwing up, if anything feels wrong, you take her in.”

”I will.”

Karen groaned from the couch. ”Can everyone stop acting like I’m dying?”

Roxie looked at her, and that dreadful feeling came back so hard that she froze near the door. Part of her wanted to stay because leaving Karen felt wrong, but the other part couldn’t sit beside her and watch her sleep all night while wondering every few minutes whether she was still breathing.

Karen on that couch was pulling Roxie straight back into everything she had spent months trying to bury about Claire, and suddenly she needed to get out of that room before she completely lost it.

Karen looked away.

Ethan touched Roxie’s arm. ”Come on.”

This time Roxie went with him.

Angela came too, and when Ethan dropped her home, she paused with the door still open and looked back at him.

”Thanks for coming. And nice finally talking to you.”

Ethan smiled. ”You too.”

Angela looked him over for a second, then glanced at Roxie. ”Okay. Now I understand why Zac knows your name so well. You’re hot.”

Roxie’s mouth dropped open. ”Angela.”

Angela laughed and looked back at Ethan. ”Need a girlfriend?”

”Angela!”

She laughed harder and got out before Roxie could reach her.

Ethan waited until Angela closed the door before he started chuckling. Roxie moved into the front seat and immediately pointed at him.

”Don’t.”

”I didn’t say anything.”

”You’re about to.”

”I was just going to say Prescott apparently did a pretty good job making sure everybody knew who I was.”

Roxie groaned and leaned back against the seat. ”He was jealous. That was ages ago.”

”Sure.”

”What does that mean?”

”Nothing.”

”You sound like Mason.”

”That hurts.”

Roxie looked out the window and stayed quiet for a while, but Karen’s comment kept coming back to her. She had called Ethan because she needed a ride, and at the time there had been nothing complicated about it. Zac had worked his last shift and gone straight into training, Mason was already at the party, and Ethan had been nearby with a car. That was all.

Still, Mason had looked at her strangely the moment he realized who Ethan was. Karen had noticed it while barely able to stand, and Angela knew the entire history even though she had only properly spoken to Ethan tonight.

Roxie sighed. ”Maybe I should’ve called Zac.”

Ethan glanced at her. ”Probably.”

She turned toward him. ”Seriously?”

”What?”

”You’re supposed to tell me I made the right decision.”

”You called because you needed a ride. That made sense.”

”Exactly.”

”But you also know your boyfriend.”

Roxie went quiet because that was the problem. She did know him, and the closer they got to the bungalow, the more she could already imagine his face when she told him who had driven her around all night.

When Ethan stopped outside, the lights were already on.

Zac was home.

Roxie stared at the house for a moment before reaching for the door. ”Thanks.”

”Yeah.”

She started to get out, but Ethan called her name.

”Roxie.”

She looked back.

”I really just drove you around tonight. I already told you I want nothing to do with your relationship drama.”

Roxie almost laughed. ”I know.”

”I’m saying it now before Prescott decides I kidnapped you.”

”He’s not that bad.”

Ethan just looked at her until Roxie sighed.

”Okay. Thank you for coming.”

”Anytime. Preferably next time without mystery pills.”

”Agreed.”

Roxie got out and closed the door. As she walked toward the bungalow, Karen’s words came back again, followed by the look Mason had given her at the party.

Roxie still didn’t think she had done anything wrong. She needed help, Ethan had been available, and Karen had mattered more than whatever stupid jealousy Zac had once had over him.

But by the time Roxie reached for the front door, she was starting to think calling Ethan might still have been a stupid idea.