Page 33

Grant

We all stare in shock at Adam, not having expected him to say anything.

"I mean, I know she did something wrong, but if we are going to talk and she apologises to me about it, maybe we can move forward," Brooke stutters, trying to explain it to him, playing with the label on her cider bottle.

"That will not happen, and you know it, B," Adam insists. "People like your mom are never wrong. You said it yourself when we first met."

"Look, I was hurt after I found out what she and Josh had done, but I think if we are going to move forward, I need to talk to her." She's rambles trying to get Adam on her side, but he's not having it.

"I care about you, Brookie, so I'm begging you, please don't hurt yourself," Adam said, leaning his elbows on the table and looking in her eyes.

"I'm a big girl; I know you all think I just showed up like some sheltered rich bitch, but I'm not stupid." She huffs, getting off her stool and grabbing her coat.

"Brooke, just hold on." I stand, touching her arm. "He's just looking out for you; we all are."

"Do you all feel the same way?" She looks around the table. "Do you all think that letting my only family back into my life is a mistake?"

"B, it's not that simple and you know it," Cami pleads, shifting in her seat. "Grant is right; we want the best for you."

"Doesn't feel like it," she mutters to herself before marching out of the bar.

"I got her," I say to Cami, who's gathering her stuff to go after her. "I'll follow behind her and give her space if she wants it, and text you when we get back."

Cami nods, and Bear pulls her in for a side hug, rubbing her back while Adam sits there, looking pissed.

"I know where that came from." I pat him on the back, and he looks up. “And you're right, but don't hurt her because of your pain." He nods his head and drains his beer as I walk out of the bar, jogging to catch up with Brooke.

"Go away, Cami." I hear her sniffle as I walk behind her back to the apartment; she holds her arms around herself.

"Not Cami," I call out, still sticking behind her. "I won't tell her you said that because my footsteps are way heavier than hers."

"Ha, ha," she wipes her nose. "You can walk next to me."

"Thank God, at least four cars have slowed down after seeing me following you." I grin, taking the extra strides to put us next to each other and putting my arm around her to fight off the cold I know she's feeling.

"I know; I noticed after the first one."

I laugh, squeezing her teasingly and pulling her closer; she comes willingly.

"I know you're upset with us about your mom," I hesitantly start, but she cuts me off.

"No, why would you think that?" I can't see her face, but I know she's rolling her eyes.

"We are just looking out for you," I choose to ignore her and carry on. "When we first met you, what your mom and Josh had done messed you up."

She pulls her coat closer around herself as I talk. "None of us wants to see you like that again. "

"I get that, but Adam can't just tell me not to go."

"I know, and he shouldn't, but he has his reasons. He's just trying to protect you."

She stops walking and turns, looking up at me.

"Do you think I shouldn't go?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Brooke."

"Doesn't come under the 'just having fun' rules, huh?"

I step forward, putting my hands on her hips and pulling her towards me, choosing to ignore the sting of being reminded this is just temporary. "I don't want you getting hurt again. "

She places her hands on my shoulders, pouting up at me, giving me her best puppy eyes. "Can we just go home and watch a movie? I don't want to talk about it anymore."

She's running away from the problem, and if it were anyone else, I wouldn't let them, but it's not anyone else, it's Brooke, and she's playing me like a fiddle.

"Sure, but I'm picking", I sigh and give in as we start walking again

"No, you're not," she pokes my side playfully, and I pull her close again.

Brooke

"I just want to get comfy and get into bed." I sigh as I get my keys out of my bag and let us in.

"Sounds good to me," Grant replies with his hand on my back as I let us in.

Someone flicks the light on and I scream.Bear, Cami, Adam, and Gunnar are all sitting in the living room. I put a hand to my chest, my heart pounding.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" Grant shouts, letting go of my waist where he grabbed me when I screamed.

"Why are you all sitting in here at all?" I question, taking my coat off and waiting for my heart rate to return to normal.

"I'm not here by choice," Adam huffs, arms crossed, sitting on the sofa next to Gunnar, who elbows him.

"Well, you can leave then." I hold a hand, gesturing towards the door. Grant puts his hands on my shoulders, moving me toward the sofas.

"No one is leaving. We are going to talk this out." He manoeuvres me to sit opposite Adam, and I turn and glare at him. "We are not leaving until then."

"Well, I'll stay as long as I can, but I can't stay all night." Gunnar grimaces. "I told Sasha I was going to check on my parents."

Everyone stops and stares at him, and just as Adam opens his mouth, Bear slaps a hand over his mouth, cutting him off. "No! This isn't Gunnar's intervention." He shakes his head, pointing between Adam and me. "This is about you two."

"Intervention?" Adam and I both burst out, and Gunnar adds, "I don't need an intervention!"

"I am completely against this," Adam says before pointing to Grant and me opposite him. "It took three days of them not talking to think we needed to sit them down, and it took one hour to implement one for us."

"You were going to hold an intervention for Brooke and me." Grant laughs, and I can't help but join him.

"Hey, it's not funny," Cami shakes her head at us. "You were both miserable, and we had to do something, but then you worked it out, so we didn't end up having to do it."

"Also, that would have happened on day two, but Adam wanted to hand-paint the sign," Gunnar says, massaging his temple like he's got a headache.

"We wanted to order one, but he insisted on doing it himself," Bear adds.

"You made a sign?" I ask Adam, who looks up and shrugs.

"It has alternating colours for each letter." He shrugs again, slumping further into the sofa.

When he first said it was a mistake going to see my mom, I thought it was because he was trying to be an asshole, but now I'm not so sure.

"That was thoughtful," I say, looking at him.

"I didn't want it to be some shitty sign." He crosses his arms and pouts, looking away like he's uncomfortable with eye contact. "What would have been thoughtful is if someone had got it for this intervention."

"No!" Cami and Gunnar say together as Bear murmurs, "I said you would have wanted a sign."

"I feel like we are off track a little here." Grant sighs, putting his head in his hands.

"What's the real reason you don't want me to see my mom, Adam?" I attempt to be the bigger person here even though i'm still pissed at him, there’s something more going on with him.

Everyone looks at him, and he finally looks toward me.

"Because I've been where you are before, thinking they will change, but they are always going to let us down, Brookie,"

"Your parents?"

"I don't want you to end up like me," he whispers, clasping his hands between his legs and letting out a long sigh.

Cami moves to sit on the sofa arm next to him and rubs his back.

I can tell that whatever happened with his family, he's not ready to fully discuss, and tonight isn't the night.

"B, we just want you to be one hundred per cent sure you know what you're doing," Cami pleads with me. "Why do you want to see her now?"

"When I spoke to her, I genuinely felt like she wanted to talk this out," I explain "I can't expect you guys to understand completely, but spending time with Gunnar's parents just reminded me it's not something I'm going to have if I don't have a relationship with her."

Grant reaches over and touches my arm comfortingly while Gunnar looks a little guilty, probably because he takes them for granted when they try to look out for him.

"I won't know if she is going to change unless I go." I bite my lip and look at Adam, who is still looking frustrated.

"If you need to go, Brookie, go," he says, standing up and holding his arms out, and I stand up and hug him. "But I still think it's a mistake, and I need you just to be okay with that."

I sigh and hug him a little tighter. He will tell me about it when he's ready. But I hope he's wrong and my mum and I will work through this.

"Are we all good?" Cami asks hesitantly, biting her nail. Adam and I both nod, and she lets out a breath. "Thank God. There's a party on campus; shall we go?"

"Brookie, let's go bury the hatchet with some lukewarm beer." Adam pulls me with him towards the door, and I look back at Grant, who is looking just as disappointed as I feel. I wanted to get comfy with him for the rest of the night.

Bear and Cami get up and grab their coats as we all head to the door while Gunnar stays seatedleaning his elbows on his knees.

"You alright, bud?" Grant asks him when he still doesn't move.

"Yeah." He sighs, sounding defeated, and gets up. "Kind of want to join, but Sasha's already in bed, and I've been out long enough."

I elbow Adam before he can say anything to rile him up.

"Why don't you just ask her?" Bear speaks up instead, and we all groan, knowing that's the wrong thing to say.

"It's not worth the argument." Gunnar shakes his head, and I feel we are all holding our tongues, not to say anything.

"By the way, I don't need an intervention about Sasha," he says as we walk out of the apartment, "I'm aware of how it looks to you guys, but I'm not just giving a five-year relationship up over a rough patch."

With that, he walks into his apartment, and we all look at Adam, waiting for him to say something. "Not this time," he mutters, walking down the stairs. "My opinions have got me in enough trouble tonight."

"Well, that is a first," Cami whispers to me, linking arms as we walk toward campus.

"Tell me about it,"