Chapter Five

Brandon

She won’t respond.

It’s been five days and she won’t pick up the phone, answer any texts or, embarrassingly enough, accept my friend request on Facebook or accept my follow request on Instagram. Yes. I’m that desperate. And a bit pathetic. Whatever.

“Why isn’t she answering?” My voice is whiny, my sister merely scoffs.

“What? This is your fault. You brought her to me.”

“How is it my fault you couldn’t close the deal?”

“Close the deal? Are you a dude? You sound like a total douchebag.”

“Awesome books.” Her eyes take on a wistful gaze.

I stare at her, confused by the change of subject. “I’m sorry. What the hell are you talking about?”

“Those books about douchebags and the Iowa wrestlers. They’re seriously the best books ever. And spot on. The author cracks my shit up.”

“Cracks your shit… who even are you?”

“Oh shut your pie hole… I’m awesome.”

“Whatever. Just tell me what the hell to do here.”

“Well, gee, I don’t know. Want me to braid your hair first or shall we paint each other’s nails?”

“You’re mean.”

“You’re a wuss.”

“A wuss!?”

“A wuss! Go get her! Don’t be such a wussy dumb ass and go after her.”

I shake my head not even believing what I’m hearing and hold my phone up, like it contains some magical formula. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

“Calling?” she asks incredulously. “Texting? That’s all you’ve got?”

“I don’t understand who you are right now.”

“Brandon. Pull your head out of your ass. Savannah’s worth more than one night, right?”

I nod.

“Then do something more.”

“I’m… I…”

She groans, annoyed.

“You’re so helpless.”

She’s so rude. “And you took a damn mean pill this morning!”

“Whatever. Grow a pair.”

“Douche.”

“Women can’t be douches.”

“Yes. They can.” I point directly at her so she’s not confused as to who I’m talking about. “Just help,” I grumble.

“Fine. I shouldn’t tell you this but we’re meeting tomorrow for lunch. I wanted to take her to James’s new place. Why don’t you just happen to be there?”

James is Cole’s uncle who moved back to Liberty and reopened a restaurant that was run the fuck down. It was scary as shit. Now it’s the coolest, hottest new restaurant in the state of Michigan. People from Chicago travel north just to come to Balance.

“Won’t she get pissed?”

“No.”

I look at her, one eye squinted.

She raises her eyebrows and crosses her arms.

“Do you have a better idea? Wuss?” She’s taunting me.

“Fine! You win.”

She fist pumps. Several times. Alternating between her right and left arm.

“I LOVE it when I win.”

Could she be more annoying?

“Couldn’t tell.”

“Oh stop. You love me.”

“I literally have zero choice in that matter.”

“Like you could resist me.”

“How does Cole deal with you every day?”

She shrugs her shoulders, smiling proudly. “He loves me.”

I look at my phone one more time, hoping she’s miraculously responded in the last few minutes.

No such luck.

And I’ve turned into a girl.

I groan and throw my head back, stand up and pace the room. I walk over to the kitchen and lean on the counter, my fingers gripping the countertop so tightly my knuckles turn white.

“You need to chill out, Brandon.”

“Why won’t she respond to my texts?” I whine.

“Stop whining!”

“I’m not whining!”

“Why is my baby boy whining?”

Oh crap. My parents are here. And I have no idea how long they’ve been standing in my house because I was in the middle of an epic pity party.

“Who is she?” Mom asks, her eyes narrowed in on me.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I say, voice full of innocence as I pick off a non-existent piece of lint… from my bare chest.

“That’s what you’re rolling with? With that one?” My dad points with his thumb in Mom’s direction.

I look to my sister, her eyes wide and nose scrunched. “Did you just enter our family? Remember when Cole and I started dating? She was shrewd. And knew everything, whether or not I told her.”

“That could have something to do with Barrett being a big mouth, though.”

“Like you have room to talk, Dad!”

“This isn’t about me! It’s about you. Lying to your mother. Shame on you.” Dad shakes his head, scoffing, but I don’t miss the twinkle in his eye that proves he’s joking.

“Your dad’s right. You should be ashamed of yourself. You’re hiding something. Someone.” Mom moves to the couch and pats the seat beside her. “Come. Tell Mama all about her.”

“Oh my word! Mom! Stop! I’m not ten!”

“Well, you’re sure acting like it, hiding important life moments.”

“I’m not hiding anything!” I shout, the lie slipping off my tongue too easily.

My mom clutches her chest then her arm as she slumps farther down onto the couch. “You see… what… you’re doing… to me? I’m an old woman, Brandon.”

She gets a big eye roll for that show.

“I gave you life. Eight months, two weeks, five days, and seventeen excruciating hours…”

“Of pain and suffering, carrying Mia and me in your stomach, pushing to get the two of us squeezed out, enduring all that because you love us more than yourself.” I finish for her. Only heard it a time or a thousand.

My mom narrows her eyes, suddenly over her fake heart attack.

I glance at my sister who shifts her eyes away quickly, whistling. Now it’s my turn to narrow my eyes.

“What’d you do?” I ask her, my voice low.

“Nothing!” she squeaks as her fingers fly across her phone.

“Mia?” I growl.

“What?” Big damn doe eyes trying to look innocent.

She seems to have momentarily forgotten that we’re twins.

I march over and stand in front of her, lift her chin and look into her eyes.

I gasp.

“You told them?!”

She jerks her chin out of my grasp to avoid my eyes. Then rolls her own.

Mom interrupts our twin moment. “Oh please. You don’t think we’ve known the whole time?”

I shift my gaze to my parents who have their arms crossed over their chests then back to my sister who’s going between inspecting her nails and looking at her phone.

“Who were you texting?”

“What?”

I point to her phone. “Just now.”

“No one.”

I reach for her phone but she shoves it down her bra. Clearly she’s a practiced hand at hiding things from me. “What did no one have to say?”

She looks up at me and smiles. “That they’re almost here.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose, completely over this entire conversation. “Who?”

“Your other parents who you’ve been lying to.”

I close my eyes at the sound of Tess’s voice. I’ve known Tess and Barrett since I was a baby considering they’ve been best friends with my parents since they were kids. And now my dad and Barrett run a general contractor business together. A business that I work for. Am being groomed to one day take over.

Not complicated at all.

They had to be waiting in the car in my driveway because they got here in seconds.

I drop my face into my hands and groan. When I lift my head, Tess, Barrett, Mia, Cole and my parents, Lauren and Josh, are all looking at me. Cole with a smirk that says “hey, I tried,” the moms with a “mom look,” the dads with a “well, we’re waiting look” and Mia trying, but failing miserably, to look apologetic.

I sigh and cross my arms, my legs in a wide stance. “Okay. Tell me what you know.”

My mom lifts her hands and starts ticking off everything one by one. “We know that you’ve been writing music since you were ten years old. When you were fifteen and Cole and you met Walker, it was an instant friendship because finally someone understood that side of your life. Walker introduced you to Azner and Jude and soon you started playing in Azner’s garage and basement after school and on weekends, whenever you had time. We know that the night Grady got in trouble for beating the crap out of Dawson, you guys were going to play at the party, and it would have been your first show. We know that you guys have an increasingly large following on YouTube, and we’re only a few of them,” she points to my dad and Barrett and Tess. “And finally, we know that Mia introduced you to her friend Savannah and you’ve been trying to reach out to her ever since because you fell hard and fast. And guess what? Her big sister is a friend of Lily’s so it seems I know something you didn’t. But, did I miss anything?”

With every tick of her fingers I get angrier and angrier. The level of betrayal I feel from my sister and best friend is deep. “Nope. Seems like you’ve got it all figured out. So since you’re all caught up, if you’ll just excuse me…” I walk over to the door and open it, inviting them all to walk their asses straight on through it.

“Right. Like you’re going to get rid of us. We’re not in the wrong here. You are.” My dad’s voice booms, full of authority.

“How am I in the wrong here? I wanted something to keep to myself! How is that not allowed?”

“Oh it’s allowed. But why wouldn’t you want us to know? Are we really that awful?” my mom says, her voice full of guilt. Guilt that’s directed right at me.

“Don’t. Do not try to turn this around on me, Mom. First of all, Mia. How could you? And Cole? You’re my best friend, man,” I scoff and shake my head. “My entire life I’ve been labeled something. There’s always been a plan. I’ve been the one who would take over the business one day. I’ve been Mia’s twin brother. Cole’s best friend. The oldest boy of our weird mixed family, molded to protect everyone younger. And you know, none of that bothers me. I love it but… finally, I had something just for me. This is important to me. My music? The band? They’re like family.”

“And what does that make us?” My mom asks, hurt laced in her voice.

“You’re not listening. This,” I gesture between us, “is what I was trying to avoid. You’re making it about you! Just like I knew you would! You guys would be telling everyone you know that your son is a rock star or some bull shit like that.” I point to every one of them standing before me with a look on their faces like I just kicked their puppy. “It’s not about you! This is my thing. It’s not about notoriety or becoming some big name. It’s sharing music and that’s it! You can’t change the music I create. You can’t decide to change the name of the band. Or plan a venue where I need to be playing. This is all me. Did I plan to tell you eventually? Honestly? I don’t know. Yeah. Probably. But that, too, was taken away from me.” Out of the corner of my eye I see my sister flinches beside me and Cole wraps an arm around her. “Was it really so hard to let me have one thing just for me? Leave one little tiny corner of my life be? I expect this from you,” I point to Barrett and my dad who are known for blabbing secrets to everyone. They both look around the room and Barrett shrugs his shoulders before sliding his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. “And especially you two,” I gesture to the moms who both harrumph. “But Mia and Cole? I expected more from you guys. How long did I know you were together before you told our parents? Did I whisper a word?”

“You knew!?” my mom shouts then covers her mouth when Tess nudges her.

I look around the room at the people who have been there for every other thing in my life every step of the way and finally land on Mia. She has tears streaking down her face and she’s biting her bottom lip.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispers as Cole pulls her in tighter, leans down and kisses the top of her head.

I scoff. “That’s the bitch of it all. I know you are. And I get it, I know you want to be excited with me or whatever but this wasn’t for you. Mia, we’ve never lied to each other so to know that you betrayed me over this? I just can’t right now. I’m out. Don’t follow me.”

With that, I turn on my heel and push through the door, the screen door slamming against the side of the house when I push through it. The sound of my family’s shouts behind me. Anger and irritation course through my veins as I get in my pickup and peel out of the driveway.

I have one destination in mind. A place that I haven’t been able to get out of my thoughts for five long nights.

A place my imagination conjures up when I’m lying in bed at night, recounting the night I met Savannah, my hand dipping under the waistband of my boxer briefs every one of those nights, with a vision of dark hair and haunted hazel eyes under my eyelids.