Page 32 of Mr. Bad News

16

percy

The air isthick as Ella and I basically drag Ian back to my place. He’s out of his mind high. I love him, because we’re family. Though I don’t know how much longer I can keep on pulling him out of the fucking gutter.

“So you have a brother?” Ella says as we drop him on the couch. Her chest heaving up and down from the exertion. Her eyes are glued to his face as if she’s trying to see all the different ways we’re similar.

“Yes. I do.”

She shakes her head for a second and looks at me in shock, “How is that possible?” Curiosity takes over and my gut rolls at the thought of telling a member of the press my family's deep dark secret. I’ve never trusted anyone with this information before and now that I have it feels like the walls are closing in on me.

"What do you mean how? He’s my brother, I’d think there would be no explanation needed.” I snap at her.

She puts her hands up, but doesn’t back off like the gesture signifies, “I’m just saying, everyone knows that your mother was only able to have one child and that’s you. So where did a brother come from? Your father had an affair?” She asks.

“Does it matter?” I can hear how short I’m being with her and even though I know she didn’t do anything to put me in this situation I want to hide this part of my life from her. I want her to look at me like she was looking at me in the restaurant. Like I can do no wrong.

“Yes, it matters. It matters to me. Why didn’t you say anything about it when I showed you the video? Is that why you were so angry when I first showed it to you?” She pushes more and I feel my control snap.

“No! I was angry, because you were being a bitch and trying to ruin my fucking life. You were using a small speck of what you think you know about my life and trying to turn it around to take me down. That’s why I was angry. All of you reporters are just alike, you want nothing more than the fucking story. You don’t care who you have to run over to get it.”

She gasps before she shakes off her shock and gets right in my face, “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to Percy? You forget you’re in the same field as I am? You employ reporters and journalists that do the same things as me. What makes you so fucking better than me?”

“All this arguing over little old me? I like her already.” Ian slurs out from the couch.

“Shut up!” I bark at him.

“Don’t yell at him like that! Can’t you see he’s sick.” Ella yells right at me.

“He’s not sick, he’s a fucking junkie!” I bellow. Both she and Ian flinch at the strength of it. I take a few breaths trying to get myself under control. “Ella, you need to go. I need to handle him and I don’t have time to deal with your incessant questions right now. I’ll call you some other time.” I turn my back on her and hear her hiccup a breath.

“Don’t bother.” She spits out as she turns and walks to the elevator that will take her straight downstairs and out of my space.

I can feel my body missing her the second the elevator door closes.

“Humph, and I always thought I was the dumb one in the family.” Ian says sleepily from the couch. I want to tell him to shut up again, but it’s not my way to turn away from the truth and that’s exactly what he’s saying. I’m such a fucking dumb ass.

* * *

I stand at the entryway of my bathroom as my brother leans over the toilet and throws up everything in his system.

“Why the fuck do you do this to yourself? You told me you were going to get clean.” I’m beyond fucking frustrated. I know I should be sympathetic with him being so sick right now, but I’ve seen him in this same situation so many times that it doesn’t even bother me anymore.

“I did, I was clean for about two days. But then I met up with a couple of friends and I tried … I just couldn’t.” Ian speaks and his voice echoes inside the porcelain throne.

“Whatever. That sounds like a bullshit fucking excuse to me.” I roll my eyes and turn away from him. I wasn’t expecting him to get up. My body jerks forward after what feels like a battering ram collides with me.

“What the fuck do you know, you entitled piece of shit! You don’t know anything.” Ian yells at me, His fists come down toward my face and I have only about a second to react. I pull my arms up to block my face, but Ian doesn’t let up. He swings his arm into my gut and I roll to the side as my air gushes out of my mouth.

“You think I want to be like this! You think I want to just be a damn fucked up shadow, a nobody, a fucking mistake!” He screams at me and tears rain down on me from his chin.

I see an opening when he pulls his fist back again. I yank his arm to the side and flip him, so I’m on top of him this time. Before I even think about what I’m doing I pull my fist back and ram it into his face. It only takes one hit for me to knock him out. My brother may be strong, but he’s got a glass jaw.

“Shit!” I hop off him and roll him to his side when I hear him start to gag. Instant regret hits me when his body jerks and a small river of vomit ejects from out of his mouth. “Fuck, come on Ian. Wake up!” I want to shake him, but I don’t want him to make it worse.

“Ian, what the fuck!” I use my fingers to wipe out some of the throw up but just as I do he gags harder and his body starts to convulse. “Shit, shit shit!” I move away from him and watch as his lips go from pink to dusky blue.

A fear that I’ve never felt before in my life seizes my muscles and I look for anything that I can do to help him. The sound of the elevator opening up down the hall barely registers.

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