Rhett and Link: Buies Creek

Brother

All day at school, Rhett would not stop rambling about the sleepover. If he wasn't talking to Link, he would be chatting away toward their classmates. But Link could still hear. He could hear their pitying tones, as if they felt bad that Rhett was being forced to hangout with him. He could hear their mocking laughs at Rhett, but directed toward Link. It didn't faze him, though. He was used to it.

When school let out, Link rushed to the bathroom to check on his eye. The concealer was holding up alright. He had gained a few distrustful glances from his teacher throughout the day, but she didn't elaborate her worries.

Link took his time walking home, unlike yesterday, knowing he had much time to kill.

Once he arrived, he noticed his blue bag peaking out from under the hedges. The boy smiled to himself and scurried to grab it.

Looking at his home, he saw no dreaded truck. Jimmy wasn't here.

Taking advantage of the situation, the small boy squealed for joy as he ran through the flimsy back door.

When he stepped onto the back porch, he listened for any sounds of his step-dad's presence. Hearing nothing, Link eagerly walked into the living room.

He had asked Rhett earlier today how far a walk it was to his house from the school. Rhett had answered that it would take about twenty-five minutes. The taller boy was a little confused to why Link would need to go from the school, much less walk there, but he shook it off, his active mind moving too fast to ponder the subject much longer.

Now that Link knew that, he used his knowledge to conclude that it would take forty minutes as a whole to get from his home to Rhett's. He figured he had about an hour until he had to leave.

Knowing this, Link rested uneasily on the couch, the smell of cigarette burns and alcohol etched deeply into it, just like the rest of the house. He had no homework since it was a Friday, and he wasn't sure what to do now. This happened just about every Friday, though. Link was scared to coop up in his room without anybody else home. Even though Jimmy was an absolute monster, he still felt more secure when he was home, in a strange, twisted way.

The young boy sat on the edge of the couch, his body tightly wound and anxious. He was not a very good relaxer. And today was no exception. He felt a strange come-on while sitting there. He felt something building inside him that he would not be able to stop once it arrived.

■~~~~~■~~~~~■~~~~~■~~~~~■

The time came for Link to finally walk to Rhett's house. He eagerly fled the empty house, the cumbersome feeling still with him.

Arriving at what seemed to be the correct house, Link approached the front door anxiously. He hugged his blue bag tighter in attempt to calm his nerves. Attachment to familiar objects was something Link needed to feel more secure. That, and company.

Talking a deep breath, he tapped softly at the door. Each knock made the door seem to grow in size.

After a few moments, the door swung open, causing Link to jump back in fear. A boy, barely shorter than Rhett but still looking years older, stood there looking down at him.

Link was always intimidated by older kids. His breathing grew irregular as he tried to hear what the boy had to say.

"Who are you and why're you here?"he asked bluntly.

Link tried to focus. He met the boy's gaze. "I-I'm Charles or L-Link. Rhett's friend. I'm sleeping o-over, I think."

The boy grunted. "Well I'm his older brother, Cole. Rhett's at basketball still. Where's your mom?"

"Work." he replied, meekly.

"Daddy?"

Link shrugged. His step-dad wasn't his dad. He saw his real father from time to time, but not too regularly. He knew he worked as a tobacco farmer and that he looked like him, but that was about all.

Cole shrugged as well in response. He looked closely at Link. "What's on your eye?"

Link's heart sped up. Self-consciously, he brought a few trembling fingers to his eye. "Uhh, n-nothing."

Cole took a step closer to him, causing Link to withdrawl in his stance; coiling up away from him, still clutching his eye.

Cole's expression softened. "It's okay, Link," he said, "Relax. You don't have to show me."

The older boy's big-brother instincts were kicking in, breaking down his tough-guy facade.

Link was inexperienced with this kind of affection from someone other than his mother. But he decided to welcome it.

"Uh, well...if you don't tell anyone, you can know."

Cole nodded in agreement.

"I have a black eye and my mama put makeup on it so no one would know I got hurt by my fake daddy." He released this statement in one breath, feeling exposed and more vulnerable than before.

Cole stood up straight in shock. Realizing this boy was clearly shaken. He decided he needed to keep calm for Link's sake.

Just as he was about to respond, the Dynasty pulled up hurriedly in the driveway. A stressed out Dianne and Rhett climbed out of the car.

Rhett beamed at the sight of Link already being there. Dianne smiled gently at the boy before asking, "Where's your mother, Link?"

Link answered her inaudibly. Confused, Dianne looked at her older son standing on the porch. He mouthed the word 'work'. Dianne didn't press it any further. Instead, she walked up to Link and rubbed small circles on his tense back, making him relax in the slightest bit. She gently took hold of his blue bag, prying it from Link's clammy fingers. She assured him she would set up everything in Rhett's room.

Rhett bounded up beside Link as Dianne and Cole went inside, whispering to eachother nervously.

"I'm so excited!" Rhett cheered in Link's ear.

Link gave a small smile, his worries leaving him for the moment.