Afterlight ✔️

chapter eight

— Jay Bieber

The sun was beaming through my eyes. I looked over to the guy standing in front of me, recognizing him immediately. Dean Hill, my former best friend. Everything seemed to change when he moved to London, Canada. We were so close that I'd drive all the way to his house on the norm just to visit with him, but some mistakes were made for our brotherhood to end.

"Dean." I clenched my jaw, "Why are you here in Stratford?"

"Just came to visit my old buddy." He smirked playfully. "I was missing you." I could see in his eyes that he was fibbing. Every time we come in contact with each other, things never worked out well.

"Yeah, sure you did," I spat sarcastically. "Now, cut the bullshit and spill it. What are you here for, Hill?" I gazed at him darkly, my cheeks grew warm with distemper. He glared up at the sky, down to the ground, then to me. With his mouth closed, a smile curled from the right corner of his lips.

"I told you already, Jay." He stated confidently, raising his left eyebrow up, and back down again. I shook my head and started to walk up the sidewalk to get into my house.

I bumped shoulders with him on the way up there, signalling that I was obviously pissed off beyond belief. "It was your choice, you know!" He called after me. "You should've stayed with us in London, I heard the guys in your brother's gang aren't treating you well. Looks like you're out of business."

I was supposed to be part of his gang, The Royals. But unfortunately for him, I've never seen myself being part of a gang, I was always more comfortable being on my own.

"Stay with you guys?" I turned around slowly, bucking my eyebrows, "After all you've put me through? I've been through hell and back," I paused, remembering the event that happened months ago. "Should I remember that you fucking shot me?" I pointed at the lower right corner of my torso, where the bullet once penetrated through me.

I rested my hands down, trying to relax myself a little. I needed a cigarette, but I remembered that I had quit smoking months ago. After getting shot by Dean, I thought it'd be better if I just stopped altogether. It was a challenge, since my brother got me hooked, but I was fine now. When I got angry, I thought of other ways to take it out.

"That's what you get for fucking my girlfriend, thinking I wasn't there to find out." Dean spat, raising the right side of his upper lip up.

That was how our so called friendship started to crumble. I hooked up with a girl, but I had no idea it was Dean's girlfriend. Alexa Augustine, to be exact approached me at a party and I knew she wanted me, so naturally, we booked up but of course, Dean happened to be at the party which lead Dean spotted us walking out of the room together. After he shot me, I continued seeing Alexa, knowing it would hurt more than just a bullet.

"Oh, Alexa?" I chuckled. "Damn, she was so fucking good in bed."

Suddenly, I felt a fist clash into my jaw. "You really have a death wish." My face grew red, the veins in my neck popped out. I had finally reached my boiling point of the day, and with that, I clutched him by the collar and slammed him into the grass.

"Don't you fucking touch me again!" I hovered over him, spitting into the grass to the right of his body. He shoved me off, shooting me an expression of disgust. I stood up on my feet, dusting myself off. "I did you a favor, Dean. You were falling for a girl who obviously didn't give a fuck about you. I don't have time to deal with a loverboy."

"You're just pissed because I could actually find someone who loves me." He stated bluntly, standing up from the ground, beginning to walk to his car.