My Brother's Best Friend (Shay Mooney)

Chapter 19

The days get longer and the temperatures grow hotter as the month of May rolls around. This is usually the month I look forward to; it's the month school ends. However, in this particular May, both Dan and Shay are graduating. That means my two best friends are leaving.

Shay and I remain the the same position: unofficially-but-basically dating but keeping it a complete secret while I actually date Jason. I desperately want to talk to Jason and let him down easily before he finds out I've been cheating on him.

There's another thing coming up: prom. It's Shay's senior and final prom and I'm really hoping he'll ask me to go with him.

Things with Dan have stayed the same as well. He's refusing to come back home and I occasionally sneak clothes, books, journals, money, and other possessions of his to his hotel room. It looks like this will be his home until he leaves for college or for wherever he's going after high school. Abby's practically living with him. Every time I go hang out with Dan, she's there, and all of her stuff is there.

I fantasize over Shay asking me to prom and the different ways he could ask as the lunch bell rings. I stand up from my table and quickly rush to my locker to drop my things and grab my wallet. As I turn to leave, I come eye-to-eye with Jason.

"Hey," I say, wondering if I should kiss him or not. I decide against kissing him for fear of Shay seeing us.

"Emily we need to talk."

"About what?" I ask, confused.

"I don't think us being a couple is gonna work. Obviously I love you so much, but I think we're trying to force a romantic relationship when all we're meant to be is best friends. I really hope you understand. Can we just go back to the way we used to be?"

I prevent myself from showing the smile that's emerging on my face. "I think that's a good idea. I completely agree," I respond.

"Oh thank God," Jason breathes, pulling me in for a hug and kissing between my eyebrows.

"Best friends?" I ask.

"Best friends," he agrees.

I'm relieved as we walk out of the building together. I can be with Shay now. I can actually be with him without having to worry about getting caught by Jason or any of my other friends.

Except Dan.

Dan.

Dan would kill Shay if he found out he's dating his little sister. He's extremely protective over me and I'm scared of what he'll do to Shay if he finds out. Shay's his best friend and I don't want to come between them.

"Hey Em," a soothing voice rings in my ear.

"Hi Shay," I respond, feeling my face grow hot.

"Oh hey Shay!" Jason exclaims.

"What's up man?" Shay says to Jason. He stands incredibly close to me. He knows he's driving me crazy.

As Jason and Shay converse about who knows what, Shay runs his fingers down my back. He doesn't stop until his fingers are brushing against my thigh. He repeats the movement several times, slowly running his hand from my leg over my butt and onto my hip. I know Jason can't see what Shay's doing. I breathe in sharply, gaining laughter from Shay. He takes my belt loop in his fingers and plays with it. He's standing so close to me I feel his warm breath tickling my neck.

"You wanna go somewhere for lunch?" Jason asks us.

"Actually Dan said he needed to talk to us. Sorry Jason," Shay says.

"Alright, that's cool. See you later," he says, walking off in an opposite direction.

I pull Shay by the hand around the corner of the school. I push him against the wall and crash my lips onto his. "He broke up with me," I breathe before pressing my lips to his again.

"Really? Are you serious?" Shay exclaims.

"Yep."

He pulls me closer to his body by tugging on my belt loops. He reattaches our lips. "You're so beautiful Emily," he sighs. I tangle my fingers in his hair as he kisses down my neck.

"Shay," I start. I can't form the words to what I want to say. He's distracting me from everything. "Does Dan really need to see us?"

"No, love," he responds. He gently bites the skin of my neck. I bite my lip but fail to prevent the quiet moan that escapes my mouth. Shay smiles into my neck, tickling my skin with the stubble on his chin. I laugh, causing him to pull back and press his forehead to mine.

I notice a small bruise next to Shay's right eye. "Shay what happened? Who keeps doing this to you?" I ask, biting back tears.

"Em, please don't worry about it. I'm fine." He gently kisses my lips again. He slips his tongue between them and explores my mouth. My fingers trail under his shirt making teasing motions all over his body. Shay quietly moans into my mouth and cups my cheek with his hand. "Baby we should probably stop."

"I know," I respond softly. "But I really am worried about you. Are you sure you're okay?" I ask, hoping he'll tell me what the source creating all of his bruises is.

"I'm fine. No need to worry." I can tell he's lying. "Let's go find Dan," he whispers.

I nod in agreement as he takes my hand and leads me inside the cafeteria. We find Dan and sit at a table with him. Abby joins us shortly later.

"Hey," Dan greets us. He greets Abby by kissing her cheek. "Shay," he whispers.

"Yeah?" Shay responds, puzzled.

Dan reaches across the table and presses his fingers to the side of Shay's face where the bruise is. "Again?" he asks, concern in his voice. Shay gulps and nods his head. His face scrunches up as he squeezes his eyes shut. "Oh my God," Dan whispers.

The conversation dies as we eat our lunches in silence. I reassuringly take Shay's hand in mine under the table and hold onto him, wondering what's going on with him.

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A/N: Sorry it's been a while! Let me know what you think of this chapter <3