Page 29 of Suspicious

Maybe even my friendship with Theo.

And with the party raging, I don’t want to go out there, so I do the only thing I can think of to help me right now. Reaching for my cell, I unlock it, hesitating upon seeing the time, but Ireallyneed this, so I press the call button.

It rings a few times, and then she answers soon after. “Alex? Honey, is that you?”

Closing my eyes, a calmness washes over me almost instantly as I sink into my chair. “Hey, Mom… sorry to call so late—”

“You can call me any damn time you like. Just don’t leave it solong between calls next time, please.”

Finally smiling, I nod my head. “Yeah, sorry about that. You know how it gets. Life is bus—”

“But never too busy for family, Alex. You know that. We miss you. You haven’t been by to see us in months, honey.”

Regret surges through me, churning my stomach like a noxious weed, creeping through my soul and taking on a vicious stranglehold. “I’ll come see you soon… promise.”

Mom is quiet for a moment, then sighs. “You don’t sound your normal self. You wanna tell me what’s going on?”

She always could read me like a book.

I guess maybe that’s why I called her.

Because she knows me so well that maybe I thought she could offer me some genuine advice. I figure it’s best to just tell her what’s really going on. “Bea’s at the clubhouse.”

“Oh?” Mom’s voice raises like she is excited by this news. “I, uh… have to say thisissurprising to hear, considering you two haven’t seen each other for… what is it now?”

“Thirteen years,” I respond quickly.

“Mm… thirteen years is a long time, honey… um, whyisshe there exactly?”

My shoulders tense again, and I sigh. “Problems with our app. Big problems. Tech issues that I’m currently trying to fix, but honestly, I don’t know if I can. It could be a disastrous problem.”

Mom softly hums down the line. “And it’s got you thinking about Jason and howhewould fix it?”

Resting my head in my hand, I shrug. “I can’t live up to him, Mom.”

“Oh, honey, you don’teverhave to. He wouldn’t want that for you. Whatyouneed to do is get out of your own damn head. Stop comparing yourself to your brother and do the job that you know how to do the wayyouknow how to do it. Alex, I love you. But theonlyperson who is holding onto the blame…” She pauses fora few seconds before saying, “… is you. It’s holding you back. You have to let it go. Youhaveto.”

My bottom lip trembles, my eyes instantly well, and my chest constricts as the breath is knocked from my lungs.

Laughter filled the air of the hospital room as we sat as a family waiting. I’d had my testing done to see if I was a match for Jason, and it came back positive. We finally had it all figured out, and in a couple of days, I would start the process of donating my marrow to my brother to help with his leukemia. I was the only member of the family to positively match, but I would have given anything to him. He’s my little brother and my best fucking friend. Seeing him sick, even though he always tried to put on a brave face for us, was the hardest thing to watch.

So, a little bit of marrow was nothing.

They could have it all if it meant he got to live.

Sitting next to him on the bed, I handed him the latest Loki comic that had just landed.

He smirked, tilting his head. “This should keep me occupied for at least half an hour… thanks, man.”

Snorting out a laugh, I nudged his side. “Hey, I had to go to five different stores to get this stupid thing for you. They were sold out all over the damn place.”

Jason smirked, waggling his brows. “Oh, I know. Why do you think I sent you?”

Mom and Dad laughed as I glared at him. “You’re a shithead. Remind me never to do anything nice for you again,” I snapped with a huge smile on my face.

Jason shrugged, glancing up at the intravenous drip in his arm. “Guess we better call off the marrow donation then. Can someone get a nurse in here, please? Alex is pulling out!” He chuckled.

Shoving him in the side again, I grinned. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

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