Page 26 of We Are the Stars

“Let me finish, Fish, okay?” He nods, so I continue. “Then he was nice, for all of three minutes. After that, a flip switched, and he was a jerk again. But, I swear, Fish, those three minutes? Amazing. He was…different.”

Fish scoffs, and I slap his arm. “Ouch. I’m just saying—”

“Everyone is alwaysjust saying.”

“I know, but he’s dangerous.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve heard things.”

I sigh. “Fish, he didn’t kill his mom.”

“Not just that. He’s been in a few fights and they’ve been brutal.”

“Did you witness them?”

“No.”

“Okay then,” I tell him sternly.

My brother leans back against my bed, stretching his legs out as far as he can. His hands fall into his lap and he begins to twist his fingers together. It’s his thinking mode.

“You’ve always been a fixer, Elliott. You fixed Jase when his first girlfriend broke up with him. Erik when he scrapes his knee. Hell, you’ve been trying to fix me since my accident—even though it’s futile. It’s who you are, and I love that about you.” He takes a deep breath. “But that’s what this is. That’sallthis is. You think he’s broken, think he needs someone to fix him. He doesn’t, Elliott. He brought this on himself.”

“Don’t say that!”

“But I’mright!”

“So you think. You’re not, though. Fish, do you trust me?”

“Implicitly.”

“Then why won’t you trust me with this?”

Fish takes a moment to think, and I appreciate that.

I don’t appreciate the false hope it gives me.

“I…I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t. You’re right when you say I don’t know him, and I’ve onlyheardthat he’s guilty, but I can’t overlook the way you talk about him, his anger. You have that ‘fixing’ look in your eyes, and I don’t feel like this is something you can repair.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I could be. I could be right, too, but honestly, either way, I don’t want to find out.”

“I don’t need your permission,” I tell him, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighs. “I know you don’t, Elliott. You never have and you never will. But…shit, kid. Be careful, okay? If he keeps it up with the anger, walk away. If he tries to take advantage of you, walk away. And if at any moment he scares you, fucking run. Deal?”

Fish holds out his pinky finger and I loop mine with his. “Deal.”

I go back to scouring my bookshelf for something to read and my brother sits there quietly, watching me. I can feel his stare. I know he wants to say more, wants to try to sway me from my opinion on Carsen, but he can’t.

I get it. He hasn’t exactly shown what a great guy he is. Hell, I kneed him in the balls for being an intimidating ass only a couple hours ago, but deep down, he isn’t a bad guy. At least, I don’t think he is. Something feels…different about him, and I’m ninety-nine percent certain it’s a good something.

“So…are you, like, into him?”

“Fish…”

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