Page 16 of Shattered

“Hey,” Bex pulls back, his eyebrows draw down as a frown mars his face. “What makes you say that?” My eyes flicker between his, taking in this moment. Bex has always appeared to have a superhero complex in my eyes. He protected me and wanted nothing but good things for me. Until the drugs took over. I can’t ever think of the good days without the bad days. He doesn’t realize it, but he is the only person I’ve ever really let in. Kal is my best friend and I love him for everything he has done and continues to do, but no one is Bex. No one shares the connection we have. It’s not something that can be explained. I let Bex in the day I was born, but along the way he left me. He left me on my own in a pitch-black room and I still haven’t worked out how to get out. My silence must speak a thousand words as Bex palms my face, squishing my cheeks together while smiling.

“Are you heading to Brewtap later?” He releases my cheeks and puts his hands in his pockets. I frown but quickly mask it. I didn’t even know Bex knew we went there. Brewtap is a bar near campus, but Tray, being the dodgy fucker he is, hooked us up with fake IDs. I’m pretty sure every single bar staff in thereknows they’re fake, but they say nothing. To be honest, half the fucking bar is filled with underage people.

“Yeah . . . ” I drag it out. Wondering why he’s asking. “I usually meet Tray and Kal there for a few.” Bex nods, zipping up his sweater.

“Cool, I was thinking of stopping by tonight. I got ID.” He grins wide, and it seems as though the air has been knocked out of me. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I’ve seen Bexley appear this happy. And he wants to go meet me for a drink and spend time with me, Tray and Kal. The boys are going to be so happy. I nod eagerly, my grin matching his, no doubt bigger because of how happy I feel right now.

“Yeah, yeah. You can come whenever you want. We usually arrive around 7, but if you want to arrive earlier, drop me a text me and I’ll be there at any time.” I rush out and Bex smiles, but the smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as it did last time. His eyebrows furrow briefly before he quickly composed himself, but I caught it. The guilt at how excited I am right now. He doesn’t realize how long I’ve waited for this moment.

“Sweet. I’ll catch you later, Bro. I’ll be there at seven.” He nods, walking backward out of our room.

“Yeah, see you later.” I shout through the trailer when I hear the trailer door open and slam. I let myself sink onto the bed, lying back and grinning at the ceiling. I pull my phone out of my pocket and hastily open my group chat with Tray and Kal.

Me:

Bex is meeting us at the pub tonight :D.

Kal:

Sweet will be good to see him.

Monster dick:

Cool.

Me:

Tray, stop changing your name on my phone.

Kal:

What’s it say this time? Nothing can be as bad as anal destroyer

Me:

*Screenshot of chat*

Kal:

Pft, he wishes.

I can see Tray has read the messages, but he doesn’t reply. Tray wouldn’t ever give up a conversation about his dick, but I know why it is. It’s Bex. Something went wrong between Tray and Bex when we were younger. They got close as we grew, but then Bex changed, and Tray held onto Bex. We all did, but then Tray realized Bex wouldn’t change for no one and I think Tray thought he might for him. It crushed him when he realized that wasn’t the case. Trayton stopped coming to mine after long, I think seeing Bex the way he was hurt him too much. Tray never shared the details with me or Kal, and whenever I brought it up to Bex, he acted clueless. Bex overlooks the fact that he and I are essentially the same. Neither of us has ever been good at lying. Hopefully, they can handle whatever the problem is tonight.

With a burst of energy, I spring up and find myself walking with a bounce in my step. I have a lot of shit to deal with tomorrow, but that’s tomorrow’s problem.

Tonight may be the beginning of getting my brother back.

Chapter twelve

Bohdi

Surprisingly, this bar is not as bad as I expected. I thought being nearer to campus; it was going to be a bit of a dive and full of seniors, but I’ve only seen a few around so far. There could be others here, but I haven’t come across them on campus. There are a couple of bars around campus, but I’ve heard Pythons is quieter and I need some downtime after the day I’ve had. I glance around the busy bar, which becomes more crowded with each passing minute. Suddenly my attention is captivated by a gorgeous blonde who is staring directly at me from across the bar. She flashes me a larger-than-life smile, her pearly white teeth shining brightly. I tilt my head, racking my brain to recall where I’ve encountered her. Judging by her giggle and the way she heads toward me, it’s from somewhere. I can’t help but notice the way her curvy hips sway in that tight pencil dress and sky-high heels.

That dress would look fucking amazing on my bedroom floor.

“Mr. Stiles,” her mischievous voice causes my dick to stir in my pants. I can absolutely visualize her calling me Mr. Stiles while on her knees.

With a smirk, she wraps her lips around her straw, takes a sip of her drink, and asks, “Do you even know who I am?” It’s hard for me to believe that I could ever forget a beautiful woman like her. It’s annoying because I can’t figure out where I know her from, even though I recognize her. Sipping her drink through a straw, she smirks at me and raises a quizzical eyebrow. I take a swig from my beer bottle, downing half of it in one gulp, attempting to buy myself some time, but my mind is completely empty. I flash a smirk while playing with the bottle top, spinning it between my fingertips, and then I place it on the table.

---