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back.”
    “Too late. We’ll just throw it away,” he said, grabbing the flannel and throwing it out of the window before I had the chance to say anything.
    “What the hell!” I shrieked. “What’s the matter with you?”
    “What the hell’s the matter with you?” he fired back. “Why were you even hanging out at a party like that?”
    I crossed my arms across my chest. “A party like what? We go to school with those people,” I kind-of-lied. Okay, maybe a few of those people went to school with us. “And don’t act like you’ve never gotten drunk and stumbled around a few parties before. Don’t be a hypocrite.”
    He snorted, turning at a stop sign. “That was different, and you know it. I wasn’t around strangers. You couldn’t even trust someone to hold your phone.”
    I rolled down the window, needing some fresh air. “So what? Now all of a sudden you give a shit about me? Now you’re worried about the guys I hang out with?”
    He winced, clenching his hands around the beat-up steering wheel. “Don’t start that bullshit. You know I’ve always,” he clenched his hands again, “always, cared about you. Yeah, we’ve had some arguments and some shit has happened that I regret, but that doesn’t mean for one second I’ve stopped giving a shit about you. So stop trying to make bullshit excuses for your childish behavior.”
    I scoffed. “You regret it, but how many times has it happened? You can’t keep doing the same thing and then say you regret it.”
    “Shit. I hate it when you have alcohol in your system,” he muttered under his breath. “You know damn well why it couldn’t happen. All it would’ve done is complicate shit.”
    I threw my hands up. “Oh, so hurt me to make everyone else happy and keep your life uncomplicated.” I sunk deeper into my seat. I was sick of his crappy excuses. He’d indirectly hurt me too many times. It wasn’t anything big, but with each compromising situation we’d find ourselves in, the hurt built up as he’d pull away, and say, “this can’t happen.”
    The truck was silent until we pulled in front of my house. “Selfish asshole,” I muttered, opening up the door to get out, but falling to my knees instead. Well, shit. That’s not how I’d planned my landing.
    “Jesus Christ,” he said, and I heard his door slam shut. I fell back, sinking against his truck, and began swatting at the small, dirty pebbles covering my jeans at the knees.
    He bent down in front of me, grabbed my arm, and tried to find a good angle to get me up. I swatted at his hands. “Get away from me.” I was being immature. I knew that. But I was drunk, and I’d never been one to get sloppy drunk, so I was blaming it on the alcohol and inexperience.
    He tipped his head back and cursed to the dark sky. “Quit acting like a damn child. You’re better than this shit.” His hands gripped my wrist as I continued my struggle against him.
    “I’m not doing anything,” I cried, finally giving up to my losing fight. “I’m nobody now. I have nobody now.” My eyelids began to feel heavy as tears pricked at them.
    He knelt down again and grabbed my face with both hands. “Look at me,” he said, lifting up my chin. Our eyes were directly across from each other’s, our lips only a few inches away. “Don’t you dare say that shit. You’re somebody to me. You’re somebody to Derrick and your family. You’re the reason he’s happy. You’re the reason I’ve had a happy life. You’re the reason Tanner had a happy life. And we’re all here for you.”
    “You know nothing.” Tanner wasn’t here for me anymore. My parents gave up once their golden, football star son died. I did well in school, but I didn’t shine at any sports. I didn’t have colleges looking at me because I could run a touchdown in record time.
    “I know you’re the reason I’m where I’m at now. You know all the shit I’ve been through. Who knows where I’d be if it wasn’t for you talking