She's Kind of a Disaster

22- I'm Here

Getting back to campus is even worse than the drive home because I have become so upset with my brother that I can't even look at him anymore. I know that it's not all his fault and even some of it is my fault that this weekend went by so awfully but I can't help but want to blame him for everything.

I just wanted him to stand up for me with our family. He didn't have to tell them the entire truth, but just something so that I wasn't getting ganged up on by myself against three people that don't know when to leave things alone.

Yesterday after I had returned home from spending some time with Josh in the old diner, my parents were very upset at me. Not just for ditching their party early but also for being rude, yelling, making a scene, not telling them what was going on in my life (they call it lying), and I just sat there and took all of their nagging. Jesse didn't come home until late, probably to avoid the whole mess.

Jesse says that he feels bad about yesterday, he's tried apologizing but I kept my headphones on with music blasting the entire time. I couldn't hear a word he said the entire way back. When I get to the apartment, I put all of my stuff back in my room and then I make a bee line for Clayton's room. I want to know if he told Bella what's been going on or if I have to suck up what I have left of my pride to tell her myself.

When I knock on his door and he answers, I'm immediately given my answer. His left eye is swollen and a dark purplish color and he looks a bit miserable.

"You told her," I realize because I know that Bella probably would have given him a shiner after learning that he's been cheating on me for so long. I'm fairly confident that she's okay with him being gay so it's definitely not because of that. Her mother has gotten harassed in our town for being vocal about gay rights and other left-wing agendas so I can't imagine that Bella would ever have a problem with anybody ever being gay.

"Yeah," He sighs. "I told her. Didn't take it very well."

"Clearly."

"I heard you had a shit weekend too," He says, stepping away from the door so that I can enter his studio apartment. I don't want to go into his apartment but he's already walking away from the door so I go inside and shut it behind me. It's a small, messy apartment that smells like burnt garlic bread. 

"Jesse told you?"

He nods. "Jesse. Brianna, your mother, my mother, my grandmother. Yeah, my phone's been blowing up all day. My dad's been sending me a text every hour about how infidelity is a sin."

"They cornered me and Jesse didn't have my back. I didn't have a choice," I explain. "Not that I owe you anything."

"I know," Clay says. "Thanks for not telling them everything."

I was expecting a lot more anger from him because I told my parents about his cheating, which was basically telling his parents too because news travels so fast in that town. Maybe Bella knocked some sense into him when she gave him the black eye.

"Do you have some time to talk?" He asks. "I know you're probably tired, but we haven't really discussed everything and I want to explain some things."

Thankfully, I don't have to answer him due to the screaming down the hall that interrupts us. Of course I don't want to have a sit down discussion with Clay about his serial cheating. What could possibly need to be discussed?

"I think Bella found Jesse," I say. "I'm going to go make sure she doesn't commit a crime."

Without letting him respond, I leave him in his room and go down the hall where the shouting is coming from.

"And another thing," Bella is saying but when she hears the door shut behind me, she looks over at me at the same time that Jesse does.

"Oh, good. Wren is here," Jesse springs up from the couch, his skin is pale white and clammy. "Bella is here to see you, I'll see you guys later."