Beyond Reason

Chapter 4: Brother of the year

~Joey~

Wyatt, Tayo and I sit in the living room, awaiting Kevin. We don't talk much, but only because they're playing call of duty and I'm watching, snacking on the remains of their cereal box. I can't play but it's pretty cool from what I've seen. The other guy, Brett and the girl, Saanvi both left about thirty minutes ago.

"Joey! Thank fuck! What happened to you?!" Kev blurts at me the second he steps into the house through the open door. He looks like shit, with his blond hair tousled, glasses missing and bags present under his blue eyes. He's wearing a rumpled flannel shirt and black jeans with a weird white stain on the knee. His white sneakers are also browned with dirt and he's clutching his phone in his left hand, looking at me like I'm a ghost. I don't have to ask to know he's been looking for me.

Serves him right.

"You're brother of the year, you know that?" The stocky guy known as Wyatt asks with a grin.

"You shut the fuck up, man. What the hell is my sister doing here? I called you and you said you didn't know where she was!"

"We didn't!" The dark skinned one, Tayo, says. "We had no idea she even came back here with us until she woke up this morning."

I frown as the new information reaches me. Kevin looks from me to the guys with confusion written all over him. "Hold up. Woke up this morning?"

I shrug. "I was passed out since the night of the party, I think I might've taken something," I say, but Kevin's not even speaking to me anymore at this point.

"She was roofied?! Which one of you jerkoffs brought her here? Was it Brett?" He looks at the guys, who shake their heads in unison. "Who was it?"

"Well, she was in Keenan's room," Wyatt says. "Maybe you should ask him."

I hold out a hand to stop my brother from overreacting, but the flash of anger in his eyes stops me. Shoulders suddenly five inches higher than normal, he darts past us in the direction of the stairs. I quickly follow behind, tailed by Wyatt and Tayo, who ditch their controllers to go with the drama.

"Hey, asshole!" Kevin says, kicking at Keenan's door with a loud bang. It's locked, so it doesn't budge.

"Kevin, calm down," I say, getting tired of his overreaction. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

The door opens from the other side, revealing Keenan without a shirt on. My heartbeat spikes immediately at the sight of the body I imagined earlier. He's exactly how I pictured him, maybe even better, from a firm, tight abdomen up to several pieces of ink that form a complete sleeve on one of his arms. He looks like my dreams. I'm clearly the only one affected, because my brother sticks a finger up at him.

"How the hell did Joey end up in your room?"

Keenan's eyes are droopy from sleep, so he has to squint to realise who's talking to him. "What?"

"You slipped her something?"

"Kev stop it!" I caution, suddenly wishing this were happening anywhere but in Keenan's presence. I don't like what happened either but you don't see me losing my shit over it. Besides, I know it wasn't them. Some random idiot must've been the one to spike my drink, because I believe Keenan would've told me if any of them was responsible for knocking me out cold for two good days.