[ 18+ ]
Avrey Pret is Lina Andrews best friend. But if there's one thing that Lina was clear about, it's that she never crosses the line between her and her brother, Brooks Andrews.
Brooks Andrews is the school quarterback with a guaranteed scholar...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
BEFORE
It had been a tough couple weeks recovering from the tornado.
Was I worried when the tornado hit? Of course I was. It was unexpected and that's the worst kind of mental torture to go through—all the questions racking up in your head. Did I do everything I wanted to? Would anyone remember me? Would I be missed? Did I tell the one person who needed to hear it how I really feel about them?
Was this really it?
All those questions raced through my mind that night as I stood there, defenseless, against the tornado. Put me up against a huge, built guy and I can defend the goal against them any day, no problem. But a natural disaster? I was useless.
It wasn't a good feeling, especially seeing how Lina was acting. She was not okay, even I could see that. I get it, she was in the middle of it. But I'm helpless even to make her feel better.
So I texted Avrey.
Me: Has Lina been acting weird with you, too?
Her response was immediate.
Avrey: Uh, yeah. I hate it :( Me: She literally just stabbed her cheesecake. Barely touched her milkshake. You know when I surprise her with that, she goes crazy. That was hours ago. Avrey: I'm worried, Brooks. Right after the tornado, she was basically saying that she wasn't sure why she was alive, in a nutshell. She didn't think she deserved it. I'm worried about her, Brooks.
I run a hand through my hair and tug on the roots of it. Lina was not okay, and she needed me. I lock my phone and walk out of my room. I can hear Roy and mom arguing as I pass by their room, but I just shrug it off. It's not unnatural to hear them bickering and yelling at each other anymore. It's almost a daily thing.
The door slam was unexpected, though. I entered the kitchen, wide-eyed as I found Lina, sandwich in front of her.
"What the hell was that?" I ask.
She shrugs a shoulder. "It's not the first fight they have. Won't be the last."
"True," I sigh. When I get a text with party details, I grin at Lina. "Since we've been training all week, and we have a game on Monday, the team is throwing a party. Something chill, so we can all just relax. Wanna come with?"
"You don't mind little Andrews cramping your style?"
Lina, for some reason, has always thought that stupid nickname labelled her in that school. That for some reason, my friends only tolerated her because of me. When in reality, that's not the case at all. And if it ever has been? I ended that friendship quicker than she could even have the chance to think about it.
"My legacy at that school is you, nerd," I smile. "I encourage you coming with me—responsibly, of course."
I didn't mean that, really. The point of this was to shake Lina out of this funk and get her back into her old self. If that meant her going crazy and me having to take care of her, then by all means, it'll happen.
