Page 32 of We Are Yours

I wasn’t my brother, and she’d learn quickly who she answered to.

I hitched a ride with my friend Brian. I’d known him since grade school. Despite knowing a lot of people, I didn’t have many friends. They were more like acquaintances. We went to a party in the woods at Steve’s house. It was the same old thing. He lived in the boonies, and his parents were never home.

Their huge house was on acres of land. He was constantly throwing some sort of festivity every day of the week. Since they lived in the middle of nowhere, the cops weren’t called, and we were able to do whatever we wanted, and that we did.

I spent most of the night smoking weed while drinking beer and keeping to myself. Watching everyone else get wasted was what I did best. I wasn’t much for small talk, and unless I wanted to get lost in a girl, I stayed in a corner observing instead. I found it just as entertaining.

I’d get fucked up sometimes, but it wasn’t my MO. I found that getting intoxicated didn’t help my mind from betraying me. It made it so much worse, and it was enough to keep me on the straight and narrow for the most part. At least when it came to this stuff.

Tomorrow would be a new day indeed, one where I had to play babysitter, and I’d never done that before with anyone. However, I refused to let her get under my skin. This was a test I didn’t ask for, and I wouldn’t be playing by my brother’s rules.

I never did.

I made my own…

There was too much at stake if I failed this, and I didn’t understand until later that losing was the consequence I was trying to run away from. Though when that finally occurred, it was too late. The damage was already done.

There was no turning back, nor was there any moving forward. We were all stuck in this triangle, where destiny captured us together.

* * *

Whether we wanted it to… or not.

Chapter

Thirteen

Kraven

“You’re so full of shit!” Brian shouted at me later that night. We were in the game room, playing pool.

I nodded to the corner pocket.

It was almost midnight, and the party was just getting started with swarms of people going in and out of the house. I couldn’t stop thinking about this weekend and what I willingly got myself into.

Julius might have been older, but he wasn’t wiser. I had inherited that trait. With him, everyone knew what they were getting.

He was stable.

Complacent.

Safe.

It was why Isla wouldn’t leave the house. Julius provided what she never had, and the longer she was there, the harder it was going to be to get rid of her. I mean, how long did she think this was going to go on for? She wasn’t my problem, yet now I was the one who was stuck with her all weekend.

One thing was for sure: I wasn’t going to change my plans or revolve my life around hers. She would have to tag along. Except she was going to play by my rules, and she wouldn’t even know it. If I were going to do this, I had to do it the right way to make it work.

Bottom line, I’d do whatever it took to get words out of her mouth. Even if it meant I had to play nice with her. She responded to Julius’s kindness and warmth. I was the exact opposite of that. Except when it came to getting what I wanted, I could pretend she meant something to me.

When, in reality, she meant nothing.

My brother was too emotional, too involved. He felt too much, exactly like our mother. You see, Julius had a heart.

I was certain…

I didn’t.

Cold.