Flowers || [T.K.]

Chapter 30

Brandon's POV

I didn't see Abby in the morning and the guys didn't know where she was. I grew so worried that I went into the school early to look for her.

I only made it a couple of feet in when Craig came up to me, and he looked pretty panicked.

"Hey--whoa, it's okay I'm-I'm not gonna hurt you," he spoke quickly when I flinched at his presence. He took a deep breath before talking again, "I'm really sorry for bullying you for all these years-- you know, for calling you a fag and stuff, I really am."

I was so shocked, the only thing I could do was stare at him in awe.

He stared at me back for a couple of seconds before shaking his head, "I-I'll see you later, Brandon," he took off.

As strange as that encounter was, I still had my mind set on finding Abby. I turned a couple of corners and spotted Abby entering the boys' bathroom with her brother with a third person. Concerned, I followed them.

I heard crying and found that it was coming from the third person, the third person being Andrew.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking up to them.

Abby looked at me, bewildered. "Oh God, Brandon, now's not the time--" she began to push me away from the scene.

I looked down and saw Andrew sobbing his eyes out in his knees as Bradly sat next to him and wrapped his arm around him.

"Abby, what is going on?" I quickly managed.

"No- Brandon, I'm sorry--I can't tell you," Abby winced.

Andrew looked up and I couldn't help but gasp. His right eye was purple and swollen, he had a pretty nasty cut on his bottom lip which was just as swollen as his eye.

Maybe Craig apologizing to me had something to do with this.

"No--Abby, he can stay," Bradly stopped. Abby stopped pushing me back and looked at him. He wore a cold expression, "he can have the truth."

"All of it?" Abby asked in a whisper.

Bradly nodded and turned his head away, back to Andrew.

Abby grabbed my shoulders, "Brandon, look at me-" I couldn't stop staring at Andrew, "-look at me!" I made eye contact with Abby. "This is a lot of information, okay? Don't freak out."

I nodded.

"The reason why my parents and Bradly fight so much is because he isn't straight." She paused to let it sink in. "A few months ago, at a party, Andrew got drunk and messed around with Bradly-- which lead him to turn cold. All those times he attacked you, it was him running away from himself. It wasn't the fact that we were together that kept him away, it was the fact that he finally let himself come to terms  with himself and Bradly was finally coming to terms with his feelings towards Andrew--so they started to date in secrecy and today someone outed Andrew to his parents-- his dad-" Abby sighed, "-his dad was beyond disgusted, and now we're here."

I stared at her blankly, processing the information. "So his dad..."

Abby nodded.

Everything in the past years suddenly made sense, and as I was making those connection, Andrew let out a loud cry. I wasn't sure how to react, I was only now processing that the years of torment from him was not only torturing me, but him too. I tugged on Abby's shirt before she could spin around and comfort Abby.

"Does his dad know about Bradly?" I asked softly.

She nodded her head, "he--threatened to kill him--and Andrew."

I couldn't help but widen my eyes, "I-I don't know what to say."

"It's okay, Brandon, you don't have to say anything."

She turned away from me and sat with Andrew and her brother.

Abby's POV

I was only aware of Bradly and Andrew's relationship a few days before this event. All along I thought Bradly hated Andrew's guts, but now I find that it was all an act. The bell rung as I sat with Bradly who was hopelessly comforting Andrew.

"Abby, go to class--there's nothing you can do," Bradly whispered solemnly.

"Bradly--"

"Take Brandon with you," he paused. "We'll be okay, Abby. Don't worry."

I stood up and stepped back towards Brandon, still locking eyes with Bradly, doing nothing but hoping that he was right.

Brandon wrapped an arm around me as we stepped out of the bathroom. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked.

"Yeah--probably. It's Bradly that I'm worried about-- I'm afraid that Andrew's dad will hunt him down and kill him," I managed.

He ran his hand up and down my arm to comfort me a little, "if you need anything, I'm here. I'll always be here."

****

Bradly and Andrew sat at Brandon and I's table, and no one could really say anything about it because the cat was out of the bag and not a single person in the lunchroom were unaware of the situation.

"Brandon, I'm sorry about everything-- for taunting you all these years. It was wrong to let out all my anger towards myself on you," Andrew apologized to Brandon.

"It's okay, I guess," he suddenly shook his head, "I feel like I'm in bizarro world. All the times you called me gay-- everytime you called me a fa--" he paused, his face slightly twisted in confusion. "You were the one--"

"--Yes, I am what I ridiculed you with for years-- and I am beyond sorry," Andrew quickly sputtered.

Brandon looked up to face Andrew, "I'm not sure if I should forgive you or not--you made my life hell."

"You don't need to, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

And then we sat in silence. Brandon was the one to speak again.

"But Bradly, you beat Andrew up," he said.

Bradly winced. "I know--that was when I was still pretending..." He trailed off. "To hate him..."

Brandon's eyebrows raised as he saw the pain wash over Bradly's face. He didn't further the conversation.