Page 19 of Reckless Roses
“She’s cool, but,” she stretches her arms over her head, her Stevie Nicks T-shirt rising just enough to give me a glimpse of her stomach, “with how in love Leo is with her, I imagine she’s going to be my sister-in-law someday, so I better take care of her.” She winks at me before strolling inside.
I wait a few minutes, so it doesn’t appear as though I’m following her, but sitting outside in the dark alone is uncomfortable. I figure I’ll find the bathroom, and by the time I’m done there, Everett should be about finished with his hookup of the evening, and I can fuck around with him. I polish off my drink, tossing my cup into the trash as I head inside. I’m sure there are a million bathrooms in this house, but I go upstairs in hopes of finding one with less noise.
Turning left at the top of the landing, I make my way down the hall, opening and closing a few doors before I find one that must be a fucking bathroom—because I’ve now exhausted all the other options. I grab the handle and find it’s unlocked, so I push it open with my shoulder.
Sure enough, there is a toilet in the corner next to a shower, a sink right in front of me. A brunette girl sits on said sink, her head tossed back against the glass, her lipstick smeared. It’s my brother who stands between her legs, his mouth on her neck.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
My voice startles them both, and they jerk apart as Zach whips around.
“What the fuck! This room is occu—” His eyes go wide when he realizes it’s me. “August?—”
I shut the door, cutting off his words as it slams in his face.
I don’t make it far down the hall before he’s chasing after me. “August, wait! Wait, that wasn’t what?—”
“It was exactly what it looked like!” I yell, spinning to face him.
He stops in front of me, only a few inches taller than me now, whereas a year ago, he towered above me. He crosses his arms over his chest, muscles rippling beneath his Henley. He watches me for a moment, saying nothing.
I don’t back down this time, not like before.
He might be my brother, but he’s no good for Elena, and I’m tired of protecting him. She deserves to know what he’s like, deserves to knowshedeserves so much better.
As if he reads that in my expression, his eyes soften. “I’m sorry.” Dragging a hand down his face, he continues, “Fuck. I’m sorry. I fucked up. I wasn’t thinking.”
“I don’t care. That’s not an excuse, and I’m not lying for you again.”
This isn’t the first time I’ve caught him. Every time, he swears it’ll be the last, convincing me to keep his secrets from my best friend, from the girl of my dreams. Each time, I’ve done it, because despite how much he pisses me off, I love him. I look up to him. I search for the best in him, even if it feels like he’s disappointing me time and time again.
Zach nods. “Just… Let me be the one to tell her. It shouldn’t come from you.” He rubs the back of his neck, pacing the hall. “I’ll tell her, I promise. I’ll tell her tonight. It was a mistake, I swear.”
I know his emotions are genuine. I know, for how awful he is at showing it, he does care about Elena. I just can’t wrap my head around why he continues to hurt her, or why she lets him.
“Why don’t you guys just call it off if you’re constantly doing this shit to each other?”
He pauses, sharp jaw ticking beneath stubble, thick brows furrowing with frustration, full lips parting as he sighs. “I have a shit way of showing it, I know.” He shakes his head. “And you know what? So does she. But I do love her.” He runs a shaking hand through his hair. “I know I’m bad for her, I know she’s bad for me, but I love her, and that’s more important than the rest of it.”
“At what point does the love you receive stop being worth more than the pain you cause?”
He lifts his head, meeting my eyes. “When we’ve reached that point, I’ll let you know. Until then, stay the fuck out of it, August.”
7
ELENA
“LOVE ME ANYWAY” - CHAPPELL ROAN
AGE SIXTEEN – JULY
I’m pleasantly drunk,cuddled up next to my twin on a small couch around the fire pit.
I feel like I could fall asleep soon, but if there is one thing every teenage girl knows, it’s that it’s never safe to let your guard down at a house party. This is the point of the night when I’m stuck to one of my brothers, or to August, like glue, because they’re not going to let another guy so much as look in my direction.
I’m wearing Everett’s sweatshirt, and the fire’s flames dance across my vision, sending sparks up into the night sky. The cracking of the wood drowns out the music and the conversations around me. It’s peaceful.
Leo and Darby took off a while ago after some handsy motherfucker tried touching her while we were dancing. I’ve never danced at a party like that. I’ve never danced with anyone except August—and my dad. I’ve never had the courage. But Darby looked like she had never danced before either, likemaybe she was also lacking in the bravery department. I thought maybe together, we’d figure it out, and we did.
