𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚊𝚍 𝙱𝚘𝚢 (𝚋𝚡𝚋)

14.

Shawn moves out of the way and allows Gavin to walk in the front door. He watches as he throws his bag down before plopping onto the couch.

Shawn shuts the door before sitting next to Gavin. He glances at him and shrugs. "Wanna tell me why you need to stay here for a while."

"Chantel and I are fighting again," Gavin grabs his phone from his pocket and throws it down on the coffee table. "That's why."

"Okay...Why? What's going on now?"

Gavin sighs and brings his hands up to tussle his hair quickly. He shakes his head and begins to bounce his leg up and down. "I...Fucked up."

Shawn raises his eyebrows. "You cheated?"

"Nah! No! Nothing like that," Gavin sighs. "I-I've been in contact with Mia for a few weeks."

Shawn draws his eyebrows together, leaning away from Gavin a little. "What? The fuck you mean in contact?"

"She reached out to me. And I wasn't gonna answer or anything but I couldn't stop thinking about it so...We've been talking."

"Gavin, what the fuck?"

"I'm sorry! We got to talking about her abortion and how it really affected her and I-."

"What felt sorry for her?"

"You don't know the shit she went through."

Shawn crosses his arms and sits back on the couch. "How did Chantel find out?"

"I asked her to check my phone while driving and Mia sent a text back. Chantel read through our messages."

Shawn lets out a breath and stands up. He walks to the fridge to grab two beers. He brings them over, handing one to Gavin. "She kicked you out?"

"Asked for space." Gavin pops open the bottle, taking a long drink. He clears his throat. "I know I fucked up but I didn't know how to tell her."

Shawn and Gavin both turn their heads when they hear the door handle shake. Jaxon walks into the house, holding a bunch of textbooks.

"Shawn!? Did you fucking hear what Gavin did to Chant-." Jaxon stops in his tracks when he sees Gavin sitting on the couch, a beer in his hands.

Shawn glances at Gavin before setting his beer on the coffee table and standing up to walk over to Jaxon. He grabs his free hand and smiles. "Can we...Talk in the room, please?"

Jaxon nods his head and they walk into their bedroom. Jaxon sets his things on the bed before turning to Shawn. "Why would he do something like that?"

"Look, I don't know but...H-He needs a place to stay for a few days and I already told him yes."

Jaxon lets out an annoyed sigh."Why? Why would you do that without talking to me? Chantel is one of my best friends."

"I know and I'm sorry but...Where else is he gonna go?" Shawn asks directly.

"I don't know. Maybe he shouldn't be a fucking idiot and mess up something really good!"

"Look, I get it. But...It's not like he cheated."

"Okay wow, no. Lies go a long way. He should've at least told her." Jaxon crosses his arms. "You should know that."

"You're right...I-I know it's just Gavin-."

Jaxon sighs and uncrosses his arms. "I know, I know. He's your brother. I'm still pissed at him though."

Shawn smiles softly. "Will you try and be civil? We haven't even heard the full story yet."

"Okay...Promise," Jaxon exhales once before looking up at Shawn. "You're forgetting something."

Shawn furrows his brows before he realizes. He steps forward and plants a kiss on Jaxon's lips. "Sorry."

**
Jaxon and Shawn were sat with Gavin in the kitchen as Jaxon cooked dinner for them all.

"I mean, no it's not technically cheating," Shawn says.

Jaxon nods his head, setting the plates down. "Exactly. Maybe just a really fucked up secret to keep but-."

Shawn squints his eyes at Jaxon, shaking his head subtly at him. Jaxon rolls his eyes at him before looking at Gavin. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little...Upset."

Gavin nods. "You're allowed to be. It's alright."

Shawn walks to the drawers to grab silverware. "I just am a little confused. Why are you so interested in talking to Mia all of a sudden?"

"She just reached out at first...But we got to talking and...She went through a lot with her abortion. Aaliyah was really mean to her and...I promised to never be like my dad and I couldn't stand hearing her so upset."

Shawn glances at Jaxon. Gavin notices and crosses his arms. "I saw that," He stands up and grabs his phone off the coffee table. "Read the texts. Read them and you'll understand."

Shawn shakes his head. "Nah, man. I don't wanna do that."

"I'll read them," Jaxon says as he watches the two argue. "I wanna read them."

Shawn glances at Jaxon and shrugs. "Why would you wanna do that?"

"Because. I've known Mia longer than anyone and for her to hurt me the way she did, I wanna know what she went through."

Shawn sighs. "Can we please just eat dinner? We'll discuss this later."

Jaxon furrows his brows. "Discuss what? You're not my father, Shawn. I wanna read them so I will."

"Okay! But we're sitting and eating dinner." Shawn picks the plates back up and sets them on the table.

**
"I just don't think you need to read them. You just got to a place where you can think about that shit and be okay with it."

Jaxon spits his toothpaste into the sink. "I get that but, she hurt Gavin and I can't understand why he would allow himself to start caring about her again."

Shawn grabs his towel as he steps out of the shower. "I understand but...What's the point?"

"For Chantel...T-To understand why he would hurt one of the sweetest girls in the world. And just how badly Mia was being treated for her to do what she did to me."

Shawn shakes his head and walks into their bedroom. He finds some clothes to wear to bed. "I just don't think it's good for your mental health, babe."

Jaxon rinses his mouth a few times before joining Shawn in the room. "I get it but...I really want to. I wanna know why she would do that."

Shawn sits on the bed. "Are you positive you'll be okay? And talk to me about it once you finish."

"I promise," Jaxon walks to the bed where Shawn was sitting, placing his hands on either side of his face. "Promise."

**