Add sugar with a pinch of spice(complete)

Chapter one.

Chapter one.

The house is decorated in the typical Halloween theme. Carved pumpkins, cotton cobwebs with plastic spiders hanging in the middle, along with plastic skeletons and goblins. In the middle of the room, sits a witches pot with dry ice in it. The party host, Amanda, spills water into the pot creating a thick fog.

I take my seat on her leather couch as people start to show up at her party. Amanda nervously walks to me,"Alexander, I want to ask a favor of you."

She knows I won't say no to her, after being friends for twenty-four years, she's proven to be trust worthy; so I know she won't ask anything bad. "Yes Amanda?"

"I need you to let my brother live with you. He's having a hard time with his roommate and my parents won't let him come home. No matter how much I love my brother, I can't afford Madison AND my brother. This is Keaton's second year of college, but he's struggling badly. Not with school but emotionally. I need him somewhere stable." Amanda's eyes are pleading, I had no choice, I was going to accept.

"Alright Amanda. Will he pay rent?"

Amanda bites her lip. "I've talked to him about it. He's living on a scholarship and the thirty dollars my parents sent him every month. He's willing to get a job to help pay."

"He's living on only thirty dollars? That's hardly anything!" I'm astounded. How is it someone can live off of only thirty dollars?

Amanda's phones dings, after a quick look she smiles. "He's here."

I let her run outside while I try to remember Keaton. He had been pretty normal up until his freshman year, but after that, things had gone down hill. He locked himself into his room the rest of high school only making appearances when he went to the bathroom.

"Oh my god, these are so good!" Amanda groans walking in the house. A small pale reflection of her brother follows close behind. Both carry large cupcake containers, only Amanda's is open and two missing.

"You're going to eat them all." Keaton says. His soft voice floats around my head sending my hands into uncharacteristic shakes.

"You're just such a good cook!" Amanda sets the small cakes out for everyone to see. I'm amazed at the patience put into these. Each are small, black and orange icing swirls around them with small candy pumpkins on top. Staring longer, I notice not all of them are just candied, on a few, the icing has morphed a cat or pumpkin.

"He's over there, he's agreed to let you live with him, but you would have to help with rent." Amanda's voice drags me out of my admiring of the small cakes. Looking up, I lock eyes with Keaton. His eyes are like honey, a soft brown that blends into a darker brown around the edge. He looks away, breaking my stare. Standing up, I make my way over to them.

"Thank you."

Keaton's words are soft yet they pierce through my heart. What was it about Keaton? I've practically grew up around him, never once have I felt like this.

I take his hand and gently shake it. "You're welcome. When are your plans for moving In?"

His mouth opens but Amanda answers him. "As soon as possible! He needs to get away from his god forsaken roommate! Look!"

Amanda jerks up Keaton's sweater to show a collection of bruises forming along his abdominal area. The marks are brutal and sloppy, they send my pleasant mood into anger.

Pain flashes through Keaton's eyes before he jerks his top down with a red face. "That's enough Amanda." He doesn't wait for her reply before he walks away from us and disappears into the crowd of people.