Dark Attraction

Chapter two - surfing and sisters

On the drive home from the beach, Max lay back, trying to go to sleep, leaving me alone with my thoughts and the Sufjan Stevens playlist I'd made for chill out times. I couldn't really believe I'd gone there with Mackenzie, she wasn't even my type. Did I have a type at this point? Why couldn't I stop questioning everything today?

"So what are you doing dude?" Max asked, after a few songs.

"What?" I asked, jolted out of my thoughts.

"Your sister called last night, asking after you."

"What?" I frowned. "Why didn't she call my phone?"

"She said she did and it went right to voicemail, so she called me. She hasn't heard from you in ages and she wanted to meet up for your birthday."

I groaned a little. "I forgot that was coming up."

"Did you really? And why didn't you take Martina's call?"

I chewed on my lower lip. "I'm... I don't remember it coming through. I guess I drank a few last night."

Max groaned and shoved me in the shoulder. "Maybe you oughta think of doing one of those drink free months things. No beers June or whatever it is."

I winced at the shove to his shoulder, I'd found a bruise there when I put my wetsuit on. It looked more and more like I'd gotten into a fight the night before, or at least some kind of rough and tumble wrestling match with someone at the party.

I hadn't thought I was drinking that much but if I'd rejected a call from my sister, possibly had a fight and then ended up with Mackenzie and I couldn't remember any of it? That was probably a bad sign. Maybe a few weeks with no alcohol would be a good thing...

"Shit. But I have that bottle of Spreyside whiskey, the really good stuff."

"It'll keep, bud."

I sighed. Max usually didn't suggest stuff out of nowhere. "You really think it's a good idea?"

"Hey, you know that movie Trainwreck? If you don't want to recreate it? Focus on your classes, do some homework and drag that grade up, work out and eat some goddamn vegetables. Maybe you'll feel more on top of things."

I nodded, sighing heavily. This was not going to be fun. "Okay, I'll give it a try. And for the record? You're so much of a hippy I can't stand it sometimes."

"Liking vegetables doesn't make me a hippy, you know." Max chuckled, turned partially on his side and went to sleep. I wondered how long I could stay sober.

I didn't like thinking of that too much, so I switched on the radio instead of the playlist and tuned into the news. It appeared there was something sort of weird going on...

"The student was found with lacerations over the neck and shoulder area. She's in stable condition in the hospital. The campus security team was quick to deny any suggestions that this attack was part of a pattern or that students were in any way unsafe."

I listened for a while, frowning as the DJ spoke about an attack on someone in my campus, and played an interview from some stoner joking about a vampire. I couldn't remember ever hearing of a violent attack like that on campus before. Sure people sometimes got into fights but it was usually two drunk dudes at a frat. I switched over to a station playing music and tried to forget about it.

I called my sister once we got back to our apartment.
"Hey Martina, it's me."

"Brandon, are you okay?" Martina cut straight to the chase, it was one of the things I admired about my big sister. Of course, she was using my full name which always made me think I was in trouble.

"Uh, yeah, I'm good." I sat down on the end of my bed.

"Because Mom said she got a letter from the dean."

"Oh, uh, I guess I've missed a couple of classes but it's fine, I can make it up." I frowned, I didn't think things had got that bad.

"Brand, the family's not paying for you to go through college just to drink and flunk out of every class. You've gotta shape up." Her tone changed abruptly. "I know it's hard this time of year..."

Instinctively, I looked at the photo tacked to my pinboard, a family picture from five years earlier. My father, Jeffrey, stood with an arm around my mom. My sister and me stood in front and we were all smiling at the camera. It was from a family holiday in California, few months before my dad had died.

It had been right around this time of year. I frowned.

"It's not about that, Marty," I said. Although I wasn't sure as I said it if it was true. "I'm okay. I'll do better, Max has a plan and he'll help me out. Look, don't worry about me, okay?"

Martina sighed a little. "You're my baby brother, I can't help but worry. I'm gonna be coming through on the campaign trail in a week, let's meet up for your birthday, okay?"

I nodded. Every time I remembered my sister's highflying job, working with a state senator, I felt like a failure.

"Right, sounds good." Even I could tell I sounded dull and defeated.

"I'll take you to that Italian place, my treat," she said, extra cheery. "Take care of yourself, okay? I don't want to have to call Max again."

"Yeah, yeah. Love you Marty."

"Love you, little brother," she said as she hung up. I stared at the floor for a moment and then checked the rest of my messages. There was another party happening over the East side of campus... Maybe one last night of fun before I got serious?