Step-Brothers

~Chapter Ten~

He calls Jared after that.

"What happened?"

"Jeremy is staying at Michael's for the week. Obviously he doesn't want to be around me."

"You don't know that. You've barely even got a chance to be around him."

"But if he didn't hate me, why would he avoid me like this?"

"Maybe he just wants to spend the week with his boyfriend? Maybe they want to get it on."

"Maybe... I don't know, I guess I'm just paranoid, being somewhere unfamiliar..."

"It takes awhile to get used to it."

"Yeah..."

"And I'll be here as long as you need me"

"Okay... God, I'm not liking it here, really... It's like home but lonelier"

"I know it's hard. And I sounds like a Fucking mom, but it's going to get better. We can go to college together, remember?"

"Yeah... I just... Wish you were here NOW, you know?"

"Yeah, I do too. But all we can do is wait."

"Yeah... Ugh, school starts soon."

"Yeah.. I'll text you ever morning. During school. After school." He giggles.

"I appreciate it, Jar." he pauses as his phone buzzes with a text.

C: [Yo Tree boy, how's Jersey?]

"Oh, Conner."

E: [Okay. Lonely.]

Jared looks away. He had almost gotten into a fight with him on the street the day before.

C: [Taking care of your Bonsai?]

E: [I am. Why, were you worried I wasn't?]

C: [Nah, I knew you would, Hansen]

"He needs more friends. Guess that's kind of hypocritical though, huh?"

"It's not that no one will be friends with him, it's that he refuses to have other friends."

"Hmph. He needs them though. He needs a little love."

"Again, he refuses to get it. I've seen people actually try to be his friend and he turns them down every time"

"...wonder why it was so easy for me then..." Jared mumbles.

"Because the prick has fucking heart eyes for you."

"hm?"

E: [Can I ask you to do something?]

C: [sure ev, shoot]

E: [Work on being nice to people? Being friends with people? You need to have more than me, Con]

C: [jared told you about our screaming match then?]

Evan looks confused.

"What he'd say?"

"That... That the two of you had a screaming match?" Jared freezes. That fucker.

"Jared, what's he talking about?"

"I don't know what he's talking about it" he's clearly trying to avoid the subject.

"Jared, don't lie to me, you had a screaming match with Conner??"

"............."

"I will ask him and he will tell me, Jared, I'll listen to his version or yours"