Page 47 of Back to You

“Sometimes even love isn’t enough,” Steven said, clasping Brandon’s shoulder in sympathy.

“Now,” Michelle said in her mom voice. “You’re going to sit down at the table and eat this breakfast, because I know damn well you didn’t eat anything yesterday. And then we’ll figure out what’s next. One step at a time, okay?”

“Yeah,” said Brandon. “Yeah.”

***

Ethan pulled the covers over his head, hoping to block out the world. If only he could block out the pain.

“Ethan?”

He pulled the covers back enough to regard Lake with dead eyes.

“You need to eat something.”

Ethan just pulled the covers back up without comment.

He’d still been sobbing on the floor when Lake had appeared the day before. Apparently Brandon had texted him a simple “Ethan needs you now,” and Lake had run out of his house in his pajamas. He’d held Ethan all through the day, and slept next to him at night. He was appreciative of all Lake had done, but the thought of food was like a lead weight in his stomach.

“He must still love me if he told you to come,” Ethan said wobbily. “Right?”

Lake sat down on the bed with a sigh. “Love has never been the problem for you two.”

Ethan nodded even though Lake couldn’t see. “How am I ever going to survive without him?”

“You just will. I’ll help you.”

Lake was really all he had now. Ethan had realized in the cruel light of yesterday that most of his family and friends, save Lake and Nia, had come with Brandon. Not only had he cost himself the love of his life, but he’d lost more than half his family in the process.

This thought was almost enough to drive him back to tears, but he was pretty sure he’d used them all up the day before.

“He doesn’t trust me anymore,” Ethan whispered. “How could I have messed up so badly?”

“You thought you were doing the right thing for you.”

“But I didn’t,” Ethan argued. “I knew it was wrong and I knew Brandon hated it. So why did I keep doing it?”

Lake sighed again. “Ethan, I love you. But I need to say this. You desperately need some therapy.”

Ethan poked his head out of the covers again. “Like a shrink?”

“Yes. You’ve let your parents’ neglect impact your entire life to the point that it’s now lost you the best thing that ever happened to you. I’m not trying to get onto you, you’re doing a good enough job of that on your own. But you have to realize that you need some help here before you ruin your entire life.”

“I already ruined my entire life!”

“But you have to keep on living,” Lake said. “And is this the way you want to live?”

Ethan retreated back under the covers, laying there quietly until he heard Lake get up and leave the room.

***

Brandon stared blankly at the computer, unsure what exactly he’d been doing. He kept spacing out, to the point where Marcus was starting to look a little frantic every time he saw Brandon.

Maybe coming back to work Monday hadn’t been his best idea. But what was he supposed to do, keep moping around Michelle and Steven’s house? He needed to be productive, to try to keep his mind off everything.

“Doing a great job of that,” he muttered, restarting his supply order.

“Are you talking to yourself in here now?” Marcus said, peering around the door warily.

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