RUN

Chapter 16

I shook his hand, my mind still reeling from the revelation. William had an older brother—an older brother—and I had never heard a single mention of him. Not once. Even when we were kids, there was never a hint. It was hard to believe that William had kept this huge secret from me for so long. He and Nathan were busy getting our bags, while Christina and I tried to make ourselves comfortable in the unfamiliar house. The place was huge inside, much bigger than it appeared from the outside. The house was a dirty white, two stories tall, and the only clean thing about it were the windows. But when you stepped inside, it felt like a completely different world. Modern. Sleek. The walls and furniture were bathed in whites, golds, turquoise, and navy blues. The color scheme was exquisite, and the long, artistic furniture made the house feel spacious and elegant. I couldn't help but feel a little excited about living here. But I wasn't about to tell William that. I couldn't speak to him right now.

It wasn't just that he'd kept his dislike for my singing a secret from me—it was that he had kept an even bigger secret, one that affected us both. He better have a damn good reason.

Suddenly, Christina tugged at my arm, pulling me out of my thoughts and leading me around the house.

"Umm," I said, trying to keep up, "where are we going?"

She didn't answer until she pulled me outside into the backyard.

"To a safe place," she replied simply. I exhaled deeply. "What's wrong with you? You look miserable." She eyed me, waiting for an answer. "I mean, it's William's family. Haven't you seen him?"

My silence was all the answer she needed.

"Oh my god, you haven't even met him yet?" Christina looked horrified. "But didn't you go to his football games?"

I shook my head.

"I played volleyball, remember? So I had games, too," I said, trying to keep the irritation from seeping into my voice.

Christina nodded, but now, more than anything, I was angry. How did she know Nathan so well and yet I—his supposed best friend—had never met him? It didn't make any sense.

"Christina," I started, my voice quiet but tense, "I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm really confused and angry and—"

"Are you going to ask him about this?" she interrupted, her voice serious.

I shook my head violently, my frustration bubbling up. "No way. He has to come to me. I can't just force him to answer."

"Well, you're going to have to," she said, her tone calm but firm. "If you don't ask, and if he doesn't come clean either, this will ruin your relationship and trust. Besides, he must have kept it a secret for a reason."

I paused, the weight of her words sinking in. "Yeah, I mean, I am his," I muttered, bitterness creeping into my voice. 

After Nathan showed us our rooms, we decided to split up by gender. It made sense, given there were only two extra rooms. Christina left to join the boys, and I was left alone in the quiet room, pacing around.

That was when the knock came.

I didn't need to answer. I knew who it was.

"Kristen?" William's voice, softer now, but still with an edge of uncertainty.

Immediately, I exploded. Anger surged through me like wildfire, and I marched straight to the door. Without hesitation, I got right in his face.

"Why?" I demanded.

He blinked, confused. "What?"

"Why don't you trust me with big things?" My voice cracked with raw emotion, the frustration bubbling over.

"I don't really get what you're saying," he replied, his confusion evident.

"How could you not tell me that you had a brother?" I crossed my arms, waiting for his response.

William sat down on Christina's bed, avoiding my eyes. I stayed standing, arms crossed, my eyes boring into him. "You don't know, but you did it anyway. William, tell me the truth. Why did you keep your brother a secret?"

The room seemed to grow quieter as William hesitated. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

"Do you remember when Christina's mother died in 7th grade?" he asked softly.

I nodded, the memory rushing back. Christina had lost her mother in November of 7th grade. She had taken two weeks off from school to grieve, and it was around that time William had started pulling away from me.

"Well, my parents were getting a divorce around the same time. But they didn't tell me or Nathan about it. When everything went down, and they separated, we did too." He paused, and I frowned, still trying to piece it together. "I didn't know how to tell you, Kris. I didn't know how to tell anyone that my brother wasn't going to be living with me anymore."

The weight of his words hit me all at once. I froze, the full impact of what he was saying settling in. He hadn't just pulled away from me—he was in pain.

"Is this why you didn't speak to me until December?" I whispered.

William stood up, pacing the room. "Kristen, I didn't know how to tell you. You knew my brother. You came to my house a million times. You loved Nathan. I was surprised you didn't remember him." A soft laugh escaped him. "You even had a little crush on him when you were younger, right?"

Suddenly, memories flooded back—playing tag with both William and Nathan, laughing and running around the yard at parties. Nathan. How could I have been so oblivious?

"I just couldn't bring myself to talk about it," William continued, his voice strained. "So I thought silence would be the safest way to handle it."

I felt guilty, my heart heavy. How had I not realized sooner? I'd been so self-absorbed, so focused on my own feelings, I hadn't seen the bigger picture.

"Are you still mad at me?" he asked, his voice almost hesitant.

I walked over to him, my anger gone. Instead, I laced my fingers through his, a soft smile tugging at my lips. "Not at all," I replied. "But I still have some questions."

"Ask away," he said, his smile returning.

"First," I said, "why did you introduce me to him if you knew I already knew him?"

William's smile widened a little. "I just wanted to show my brother my amazing and beautiful girlfriend. A little bragging, you know?"

I nodded, a smile of my own tugging at the corners of my mouth. "Second, where has he been living all this time?"

"With my dad," William said, his tone suddenly tight with emotion. "When we started high school, my father passed away, and Nathan—he was a senior, had a scholarship to a college nearby. He went there. Then last year, he dropped out of college and went to a community one. He met a girl named Alice, and they've been living here for almost a year now."

I nodded thoughtfully. "What's her name?"

"Alice," he replied, a slight hint of bitterness in his voice before it faded. "She's a good person."

"Cool," I said, absorbing the information.

Just then, there was another knock on the door, and Christina poked her head in. "Lunch?" she asked brightly.

"We'll be down in a second," William said, and she nodded, closing the door behind her.

I turned to William, the questions in my mind slowly fading into the background. "How long are we staying here?"

He grinned, kissing my forehead before turning to leave. "As long as you like."

I watched him walk away, my stomach growling in hunger as the smell of pancakes and maple syrup wafted up from downstairs. Despite everything, despite the confusion and the anger, I couldn't help but feel... hopeful.

"I think I'm going to like it here," I murmured to myself, following him down to breakfast.

End of Book #1.