Step-Brothers

~Chapter Twenty-One~

Connor takes a breath. "Listen up, Fuckhead, cause I'm gonna say this once and only once. You call this fucking number again and I'll rip your goddamn throat out. Understood?"

".........what?" It doesn't sound like his dad. More of a feminine voice.

"Oh. Uh... Okay, this is awkward. You aren't Mr Kleinman."

"Is this.... is this Jared?" Jared doesn't exactly know who that is. He's heard the voice once and it was a really long time ago.

"Uh... No this is... Well, it's his phone, but I'm not Jared. I'm a friend. Can... I ask who this is?"

"Jared?"

"Y-yeah?"

"Hey, I'm, uh, Im at dad's house and..."

"Dad's? Wait, are you..? Jared, do you have a sister?"

"What about Dad?"

"He's, uh, he's dead. Heart attack."

"Oh..." Connor refrains from shouting "Hell yes!!"

"Now I bet that you're kind of relieved but we're gonna have a funeral for him. I'd like o know where you are."

"I'm, uh, I'm at the hospital..."

"Things have been rough for him."

"Can I come down?"

"Uh..... yeah... I'll text you the floor and room number..."

"Should I not be here when she comes?"

"Well I mean you know now... it's fine. Just don't tell Evan. Please. It's like his dad thing"

"All right, no problem, I won't." She gets there soon walking in.

"Jar...."

"Hey Han..." Connor sits in his chair and watches carefully.

"So dad's dead?"

"Yeah..."

"Do I get the live there again?"

"Um, well Actually since you aren't eighteen yet, you have to come live with me.."

"But you live in California!"

"Fuckin California??"

"I-I can't move there! I was supposed to go to Mew Jersey with Evan..."

"Well you can move there after you've graduated high school.. right?"

"I mean I could... but I could stand just being a. Few hours away. That's a weeks drive from him to me"

"That'd crush Evan."

"He needs me.."

"Who's Evan?"

"My boyfriend.."

"Oh.."

"He's... Fragile."

"Well..... I mean it's a legal thing. They'd have to adopt you-"

"That's what they were gonna do. They were gonna take Dad to court and then adopt me."

"Wouldn't have to take you to court to get those papers signed, would they?"

"Yeah... well we're gonna have to tell Mrs. Hansen that plans changed."

"Heidi might be a little relieved." he pauses.

"...Sorry for calling you a fuckhead earlier."

"It's fine. I knew you were talking about my dad."