Spitfire - Eric Coulter

Chapter XVII

I move through the crowd, finding Uriah and Marlene making out and Sammy standing by the bar, looking concerned.

"Hey, Sammy."

"Tessie! Where were you?"

"Looking for the toilets, couldn't find them. Found the roof instead and watched the sunrise."

"Well, one thing less to worry about."

"What is the other thing?", I question. Sammy points to the other end of the bar, where my brother is clutching a bottle of beer, looking rather dazed.

"I think he is thrashed. It was after you left. What is going on with you two?"

"I want to tell you, I do, but I can't right now."

"You know that it is prohibited to be in a relationship with an instructor, right? They could kick you out."

"I can assure you, it isn't like that between us. Listen...meet me later today and I'll explain."

He nods and I walk over to my brother.

"Let's get you to bed, shall we?", I say and pull him from his seat, placing his arms around my shoulders.

"Tessie", he slurs.

"What the fuck where you thinking?", I growl, while dragging him through the Pit, towards the hall leading to the elevator.

"You changed so much", he says, barely audible.

"Is that so surprising?", I ask, "you changed too, so what?"

"I just, if you like Eric, what if you become like him? Take his side?"

I press the elevator button, leaning my brother against the stone wall.

"Take his side on what?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"If you don't talk to me, I won't. But you are drunk, so I won't discuss this with you now", I sigh, basically carrying him.

"He killed her", Four murmurs.

"Who? Who killed who?"

But my brother passed out.

"Just fucking great", I groan and try to find a way to move him into the elevator.

"Need a hand?", a familiar voice rings out and I spot Zeke catching up to us.

"Yes, please."

So Zeke and I carry my brother into the elevator and I press the button to his floor.

"You know where he lives?", Zeke asks.

There is no way out of the situation, so I nod.

"So you two are a thing."

"For fucks sake, no, we aren't dating. He likes someone else and so do I."

"Hasn't stopped anyone around here."

"Zeke, please shut up. If Four wants to tell you, he will. But I trust that you have enough of a brain to figure out what Four and I are, if not a couple."

Zeke furrows his brows, then looks into my eyes, looking at Tobias and back at me.

"Holy hell, I am stupid. You have the same eyes."

I smirk.

"He figured it out. Bravo. Now let's get my drunk as brother back to his apartment. Since when is he like this?"

"Just sometimes. He barely drinks, but if he does..."

"Great..."

He helps me carry Tobias to his apartment door.