Surviving On My Own Terms | Sequel to Stay By My Side

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

       "Infinity!" Mom called from the kitchen. "Can you come here please?!"

       I sighed, pulling myself up from the couch and walking to the kitchen. Mom was running back and forth from the stove and one of the counters. "Yes?"

       "Would you be able to run to the store and get some chocolate cheesecake?" she asked without even looking at me. She was way too busy making dinner.

       "Mom, there's no point," I said. "He's still not going to talk." Lately, Mom has been making or buying all of Flynn's favorite foods in an attempt to get him to talk again and be himself. He did talk to me and Logan the day before, but that was it. And it was only for him to tell us why he was so upset.

       "Please?" Mom asked. "I know it won't change anything, but I need to show Flynn that we are here for him."

        "So spoiling him with his favorite foods will show him that we're here for him?" I asked. "Mom, Logan and I both tried talking to him. Jake tried talking to him. Nothing is working."

       Mom sighed. "I know that. I want to see him smile. I know how much he loves chocolate cheese cake. I'm hoping he'll smile when he sees it for dessert."

       "Fine," I said. I really wanted to see Flynn smile again as well, so I had to agree. "I'll go." I walked out of the kitchen and went to the living room. Logan was sitting on the couch where I left him. We were at each other's house almost all the time. I felt safer with him near me. "Logan, can you take me to the grocery store? My mom wants me to get some chocolate cheesecake."

       "Sure," he said, standing up from the couch and putting his cell phone in the pocket of his jeans. He led me outside of my house after Mom gave me some money, and to his car. I climbed in the passenger seat and immediately sighed. "You okay, Fin?"

       "Of course not," I said as he started up his car. "Don't you ever miss Flynn's random jokes or when he makes no sense?"

       "All the time," Logan said. "That guy always had something that a smart-aleck would say. Even though it got annoying, I miss it. You and your mom tried doing everything?"

       I nodded. "Yup. Getting his favorite foods, watching his favorite movies, trying to talk to him. Nothing works. Do you have any ideas?"

       "I wish," Logan said. "Trust me, if I had any ideas, I would try."

       The rest of the ride to the grocery store was quiet, and thankfully it wasn't too far. When we got there, Logan and I went to the dessert aisle. After picking up the cheesecake, we walked through other aisles to see if there were any snacks we could get, even though Mom was making dinner.

       I stopped when I saw a large bottle of soda. I softly chuckled. "Remember that time when Flynn decided to spray us with soda because apparently, we were being too lovey-dovey."

       Logan chuckled as well. "How could I forget? My hair was sticky for the longest time."

       I grabbed the bottle of soda, telling Logan it was the flavor Flynn liked. I knew I told my mom that buying my brother's favorite food wouldn't help him, but there was nothing else to do.

       We went out to the checkout, paying for the two items. The cashier, a girl who went to our school, seemed a bit nervous to check out our items. Ever since everyone in our town found out that Logan and I were targeted by  Ryan Sage, one of the most violet men in the world. He created a group, Death by Death, and they targeted innocent people, forcing them to do tasks. And the only way to survive was to complete all ten tasks.

       Nobody has ever completed them before except for me and Logan.

       Everyone was also so nervous around us. Most of the time, I hated it. But other times, I was thankful that girls, especially the cheerleaders, no longer flirted with Logan when they knew he had a girlfriend.

       We paid for the items and went back to Logan's car. When we got to my house, I set the cake and soda on the counter. Dinner was made and both Mom and Flynn were sitting at the table. Logan and I sat down in the two empty seats and began eating the bowl of spaghetti, once of Flynn's favorite meals. However, he still looked the same; sad and lost in space.

       "Fin and Logan got dessert," Mom said to Flynn. "Chocolate cheesecake."

       Flynn didn't reply as he repeatedly spun his spaghetti on his fork, not even eating it. I sighed, getting up from my seat and pouring four small glasses of the soda. I sat them down in front of everyone, getting a thank you from both Logan and Mom. Like always, Flynn said nothing.

       After a very quiet dinner, Mom served the dessert. Flynn, who didn't even finish the spaghetti, accepted the cake and stabbed it repeatedly with his fork.

       Mom finished her cake and announced that she was going to be in her office for the rest of the night. Logan helped me clean up the kitchen as Flynn stayed where he was. I hated seeing my little brother like this.

       Logan and I walked out of the kitchen, leaving Flynn in the kitchen. "Do you think he's going to stay like this forever?" I asked Logan once we were standing in the living room.

       "I really don't know, Fin," Logan said. "I know it hurts for you to see him like this. It hurts me to and he's not even my brother." He gently intertwined his hands with mine and held them between us. "We'll get through this. It seems tough, but we just have to stick together."

       I gave him a faint smile. "Yeah. Together."

       He removed one of his hands from mine and brushed a few strands of hair out of my face. "Fin, don't worry about it," he said. "I know this isn't just about Flynn. You're also worried about Ryan finding us. What's the worst he can do? He's just a man."

       "One who has been in prison and broke out," I said. "And the man who created the most dangerous group in the country. Innocent people died because of him, Logan."

       "This is about your dad, isn't it?" Logan asked. I nodded. "I'm sorry about him, you know. I wish you got to know him."

       "Yeah, me too," I said quietly, looking down. My dad was a victim of Death by Death while my mom was pregnant with me. He got into a car crash while doing one of the tasks and didn't survive. I never even got to meet him.

       Logan gently placed his thumb under my chin and lifted it up to face me. "Hey. You still have your mom and brother and Lilly and me. We're all here for you, especially me. I'll always be here for you." He lowered his head and pressed his lips onto mine.

       Suddenly, Logan and I both got soaked with a sticky liquid. We pulled away and I saw Flynn holding the bottle of soda, a wide smile on his face. "No lovey-dovey stuff," he said.

       "Flynn!" I said, trying to wipe the soda off of me. However, it was already sticking onto my skin.

       "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "The soda slipped from my hand." 

       "Really?" I asked. "The soda slipped?"

        "Yup," he said. "Oh, and by the way....I'm back."

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Flynn is back to himself. (: He's a little mischievous at times, though, so expect many not-so-harmless pranks.