Don't Make Me Love You

Chapter 15

"So, Max, how long have you known Brandon?" Brandon's mother was smiling politely at me from across the table.

I picked at my food, slightly uncomfortable by the stern look Brandon's father was giving me. "Not that long. A few weeks." I mumbled. Brandon was oddly silent, making me feel even more unnerved. I didn't understand why the air was so heavy, but it was. I felt like I was trying to breath smoke. "We met at school."

Brandon's father seemed to glance at Brandon who in turn dropped his eyes with a nod. Brandon's mother seem to understand my unrest and placed her hand on her husband's arm. "I forgot to tell you, Brandon's progress report card just came in the mail." She said, sounding proud. "All A's again."

Brandon smiled at his mom slightly, looked reliefed for the change of subject. "The classes aren't very hard." He said.

"That's no reason to slack off." Brandon's dad said, making Brandon frown again. "Keep up those grades."

I glanced at Brandon, he was looking at his plate with an obvious loss of appetite. Tentatively, I said, "It's funny, I always had the highest grades in school, but Brandon actually beat my scores last time." I tried to smile when I said it, and Brandon looked at me with a hint of surprise before his expression softed and he squeezed my hand under the table. I don't know why I defended him, but something about his dad annoyed me.

"I suppose that means you do well in school too." Brandon's mother said.

I nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Well, then, maybe you can help Brandon out sometimes." She said as she smiled at me, seemingly pleased to hear that. Her husband didn't look as swayed.

The rest of dinner was relatively silent. It wasn't comfortable at all and I was so glad to get out of that house. Brandon had received a harsh look from his father when he said he'd walk me home, but he ignored it. I was just glad for the company, even if it was Brandon. I wanted to ask him something anyways.

When we reached my house, Brandon stood on the porch steps with an air of uncertainty. "Today was fun." He said, trying to smile at me with his usual spunk.

I didn't return his smile. "What's the matter with your parents? They're like drill sergeants or something."

His smile slipped and a flash of fear crossed his face before disappearing entirely. "They're not that bad. They just worry a lot." He said.

"That didn't look like worry." I grumbled.

Brandon frowned at that and glanced around nervously. "I'm sorry if they were rude." He said. "They're just old fashioned."

Something about his attitude told me there was more to the story, but I figured it wasn't my place to pry. It was kind of my place to know, being his boyfriend and all, but if he didn't want to tell me I wouldn't force him. I really did want to know though.

That night he said goodbye, without trying to kiss me, and I watched him leave from the porch. He was walking slower than usual as he disappeared around the corner, and if I wasn't mistaken, he had sighed heavily as well. There was definitely something wrong, but I couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

I tried not to think about it as I called Jake to ask for an update. He said since it was Friday, he'd drop by in the morning to show me the pictures he'd taken. I agreed and hung up shortly thereafter.

That night I didn't get much sleep. My mind was on Brandon's strange behavior at dinner. Maybe it had to do with what he said about small towns. Hm. Now that was a thought. It intrigued me so much I subconsciously filed it away for further consideration. I wasn't sure why I was so curious, but I felt as though I wouldn't be able to rest until I was certian nothing was wrong.

The next morning was spent writing down theories. I was so absorbed in my ideas that I didn't hear my phone ring. It was well past noon when my mom knocked on my door. "Honey? You have a friend here." She said.

I blinked and stared down at my notebook. Then I remembered I had agreed to meet Jake today. I stood up instantly and hurried to my bedroom door. "Sorry, I'm coming." I said. That was weird. I really needed to get Brandon out of my head. Hopefully Jake had some pictures I could use and I wouldn't have to think about him anymore.

Jake looked somewhat annoyed when I met him at the front door. He frowned at me. "You didn't answer your phone."

"Sorry, I was distracted." I said, leading him up to my room.

He huffed as we entered, dropping his bag on my bed. "With what?" He asked, obviously not happy with having to walk all the way to my house when we'd agreed to meet at his place.

Realizing I had left my notebook open and on my desk in plain sight, I snapped it closed. "Just school stuff." I said, slipping the book under a nearby blanket. He didn't need to know about to sudden fascination with Brandon's secret. It would only cause weird questions that I wouldn't be able answer.

Jake rolled his eyes, but sat down, pulling photos out from his bag. "I got some of you guys in the park holding hands." He said. "But then you went into his house and I couldn't see anything."

I took them from him and looked them over. They were good. They showed Brandon and our hands clasped together, but not my face at all. I smiled at the one that showed just our hands, swinging between us as we walked. It looked like something you would see in a couple's photo album.

Suddenly, I realized my expression and nearly dropped the pictures. Get it together, I told myself, rubbing my forehead. "These look good. I think they'll work." I said.

Jake nodded. "I thought so too. All that's left is to show them to Bobby."

"Yeah." I said, then I stopped. "No." If we showed them to Bobby, I wouldn't get to see Brandon anymore. I wouldn't get to find out what was bothering him last night. I bit my lip. "No, we should wait."

Jake frowned. "Why?"

I hesitated. It would probably be a bad excuse to tell him the truth. "I just think that we should get more photos, you know? Like, more evidence."

Jake stared at me before he looked down at the pictures, sighing as he thought. "I guess..." He said.

"Bobby's really forgiving." I urged, furthering my argument. "With more pictures, Brandon can't say it was just a one time thing."

Jake looked reluctant, but he still nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." Then he chuckled. "I'm just glad I'm not one having to go out with him."

I scowled at him before shrugging with a smirk. "No, but at least I don't have to be the stalker. You've had that covered for a while."

He frowned at me. "That's not funny." He said. He likely wasn't enjoying the memories of Bobby's first rejection as much as I was.

"Maybe not, but it's true." I said. It was a low blow, but felt I had the right. My crush chose Jake over me even after being raped by him. I straightened the pictures and handed them back to Jake. "I'll call you when I know the details of our next date."

He took the pictures. "Alright, but don't chose another house date." he said. Then he packed up and left.

It was only after I returned to my room that what I had done truly sank in. "Damn it!" I shouted. I kicked my bedside table. Why did I want to know Brandon's secret so badly that I dug myself a deeper hole into hell? I snatched my notebook out from under the blanket and found the page I had been writing that afternoon.

I needed to get my head on straight. I ripped the page out and crumpled it up, aiming to throw it in the garbage can across the room. However, as I raised my arm I paused. I already agreed on one last date; I might as well see what I can find out in the meantime... Carefully, I smoothed the page back into place in the notebook and tucked it away in my desk drawer. I'd throw it out after our last date.

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Hey everyone! Sorry this is kind of late. I was having some writer's block. I'm having trouble coming up with ideas. I hope you enjoyed this chapter either way though! AS ALWAYS, VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, AND STAY AWESOME!

-Nekoco