Page 37 of Don’t Love the Boy Next Door (Hotties Next Door #2)

Chapter Thirty-Three

Ethan

I drop down on my bed as I text my girlfriend. Phoenix is…she’s something else. She definitely keeps me on my toes, which is something I really love about her. She’s in the middle of telling me not to stress over the concert, that things will be okay. One minor setback isn’t the end of the world.

I want to believe her, I really do, but Eric’s been moping around more than usual. Cody’s second guessing his decision to follow us all the way to Virginia. And Amber? I think the entire ordeal traumatized her.

Dad was there and saw the whole thing, but I don’t give a hoot. Eric does, though. It was so important to him to perform well. Dad’s been pretty cool and understanding about the whole thing…not that it means anything to me. I still hate the guy.

As I continue texting Phoenix, telling her I’m logging into the game so we can play together, Eric steps into my room. He looks like crap—eyes are puffy, face pale, and his hair looks like it hasn’t seen a brush in years.

Sighing the heaviest sigh on the planet, he plops down on my bed, burying his face in his hands. He’s so bent over, as if he’s carrying the world on his shoulders.

“What’s up?” I ask, swiveling to face him.

He inhales a deep breath before letting out an equally deep one. “I messed everything up.” He lifts his head. Eyes are twisted in pain and guilt. He leans back, shaking his head. “Amber quit.”

“What?”

He throws his hands up helplessly. “She was so upset over what happened that she can’t even leave her house. It’s all my fault. I can’t…” He rubs his temples. “I can’t do this anymore. We had something amazing, something perfect, and I wrecked it.”

I quickly type to Phoenix that I’ll be back soon and join my brother on the bed. Resting my hand on his arm, I say, “It’s not too late to fix it. I’m sorry about what happened to Amber. It sucks, but I understand how she feels. We really did make fools of ourselves.”

The pain in his eyes only intensifies.

I squeeze his arm. “You can fix this, bro. We all want Katie back and I know she wants to be back. Phoenix told me she hasn’t been the same since she quit. Since you broke up with her. Eric, I don’t know why you’re keeping it a secret, but maybe if you tell me, I can help you.”

He shakes his head. “No. You’ll just talk me out of it. I made my mind. I don’t want to hurt her.”

I drop my hand from his arm. “Why in the world would you ever hurt her? You’ve been nothing but sweet and kind to her. You stood up for her when I didn’t want her in the band. You were on her side since day one.”

He buries his face in his hands again. “I’m trying to protect her.”

“From what ?”

He slowly lifts his head. “From me.”

I give him a look like I have no clue what the heck he’s talking about. He rubs the back of his neck, letting out another one of his heavy sighs. He doesn’t meet my gaze. “I don’t want her to end up like Mom.”

I just stare at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Mom hasn’t been the same since Dad left. He chose his music over her. He has this drive to be a musician, something he can’t get rid of, no matter how much he tries. Mom understood and that’s why she told him to follow his dreams. But she still loves him and she’s hurting.”

I still have no idea where he’s going with this.

He holds up his hands. “I have that same drive. No matter how much I try, I won’t be able to balance the two. If Katie and I end up together, I’ll hurt her the same way Dad hurt Mom.”

I don’t say anything as I think over his words. He has a point—he and Dad share a special bond and love for music that I’ll never have.

“Mom was so depressed the other day—after Katie told me she liked me. I was so happy, so hopeful for the future. But then I saw Mom and the reality hit me. I want to be on the road like Dad, and I don’t want Katie to wait for me or cry for me to come home. She deserves more than that.”

I replace my hand on his arm. “Bro, you’re not Dad. He hasn’t tried to make it work, but you can. You can choose Katie and still have a career as a musician.”

He shakes his head resolutely. “I see how things turned out with Mom and Dad. Dad hardly calls us, barely has a relationship with us.” He looks at me. “You hate him. You’ve resented him for years. If Katie and I have a future and we have kids, I don’t want my kids to resent me.”

“Eric, that might not happen.”

He gets to his feet, tearing at his hair. “It will. And I don’t want you to talk me out of it. Because I’ve seen Mom in so much pain. I don’t want to hurt Katie, no matter how much I care about her.”

“Eric—”

“No, Ethan. I made my decision.” He leaves.

I watch him drag himself back to his room. He’s so hurt and messed up about this that he can barely keep himself upright.

Why is he so sure that he’ll end up like Dad? Is he more hurt by Dad abandoning us than I thought? I used to think he supported Dad’s dream, but now I realize he’s been torn about it this whole time. And it’s destroying his future with a girl who means the world to him.

Getting to my feet, I head to the guest room and throw the door open. Dad’s on the phone and his eyes widen when I walk in. He hangs up, a bright smile on his face. But it drops the second I cross my arms over my chest and give him a hard glare.

“Is something wrong?” he asks. “Is this about the concert? I told you boys you’ll do better next time. Don’t let this deter you or discourage you.”

I tighten my arms on my chest. “This isn’t about the concert.” I narrow my eyes. “Never mind the fact that you destroyed Mom’s life and mine, but don’t take away something special from Eric.”

“What are you talking about?”

I step closer to him, keeping my arms crossed. “Eric met an amazing girl. He has very strong feelings for her, and she makes him happy. But he broke up with her.” I narrow my eyes. “Because of you.”

Dad’s eyes widen. He reaches to touch me, but I flinch back. “Son, please tell me what you’re talking about.”

“He saw what happened between you and Mom, how you chose your music over her. How you pretty much ditched us all. He thinks the same thing will happen to him and that’s why he broke up with the girl he cares about.”

Dad just stands there in complete shock.

“Stop destroying our lives,” I snap. “Look what you’re doing to Eric. Because of what you did, he doesn’t think he can ever have a future with her.”

He lowers himself on the bed. “I never meant for that to happen. He has to know his life will turn out differently than mine.”

I hold up my hands. “Why would he think that? He looks up to you. He wants to be just like you. Talk to him. Tell him he’s crazy for breaking up with Katie. If you don’t talk some sense into him, he’ll lose out on something amazing.”

I whirl around and storm out of his room.