Chapter 90 Playing 'Stranger'

• The dim lights of the bar flickered as Aiden slumped against the counter, his eyes red and swollen like he'd been crying the whole day. The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke, matching the storm inside him.
• He exhaled shakily, the cigarette between his fingers trembling as he brought it to his lips. The bitter taste mixed with the burn of the whiskey he had been drinking for hours.
• His friends—Kai, Sam, Jefferson, Colby, and Troy stood nearby, watching him with worried eyes. They hadn’t seen Aiden like this in a long time.