Mistakes We Made (Wattys2016)

Mistakes I Made - Short Story

** prequel to Mistakes We Made **

Jace's Pov

"How much have you had to drink?" My older brother, Kade demanded when I stumbled into the living room of his white farm house late one Friday night in August.

I grinned as I plopped down onto his sofa, "Just a couple of beers, some bourbon ... and maybe a teeny tiny bit of Jose Cuervo."

Kade sighed and ran his hand across his face, "Please tell me that you didn't drive here."

"Mayyy-beee."

"Do you think this is funny?"

"Shhhhh," I interrupted him, "You don't want to wake your fiancé,"

"This isn't a joke. Do you not understand how serious this is? You could have hurt someone."

I smirked, "But, I didn't."

He stared at me in disbelief, "What is wrong with you? Do you want to destroy your entire life up? Do you want to die, is that it?"

"Yes, Kade, that's exactly it. I want to die." I replied sarcastically.

"Well then, what is your problem?"

"You, you're my problem, Mr. Freaking Perfect" I exploded, "You never do anything wrong, and now, to top it all off, you're getting married to Princess Perfect. Meanwhile, I'm the town screw up and you never let me forget it."

"So now my engagement offends you?"

"I'm just sick of watching you get everything. You've got a good job, a nice house... a girl."

A look of understanding passed across Kade's face, "This isn't about me and my fiancé is it? It's about the fact that my engagement makes you think about Rae."

"Don't bring her into this," I warned him. He knew that the topic of my ex-girlfriend was off limits.

"You don't want to talk about Rae? Fine we won't. Instead, we can discuss your inferiority complex. Because, I am not the reason you feel like you're worthless. You make yourself feel like that. You make your own choices; I don't make them for you. If you don't like how your life has turned out, then it is no one's fault but your own. I get that you're still upset about what happened with Rae, but that is not my problem. I did not cause you to do that, you did. If you're sick of being the town screw up, then why don't you get off your butt and do something about it, instead of wallowing in your self-pity." And with that, he turned away and went upstairs, leaving me to stand alone in the middle of his living room to ponder over his words.

                                                                                       *********

The following Wednesday I was busy replacing a radiator in a Ford truck, when a ghost from my past appeared in the doorway of the auto shop. Her name was Emma Alexander and she was Rae's best friend. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, her face was red from the intense Georgia heat and a little boy, who couldn't have been but a year old, was settled on her hip with his arms wound tightly around her neck.

"McCauley, I'll finish this," My boss, Hank appeared beside me, "Ms. Alexander brought her car in for an oil change, go take care of it." I usually went out of my way to avoid Emma; things were still awkward between us. I mean, what was she supposed to say to the guy who made her best friend get an abortion? But, I knew better than to argue with Hank, so I simply nodded and made my way across the shop to her.

"Hi Em," I offered her a small smile.

"Jace," She titled her chin up in acknowledgement.

"Bye-bye." The blonde haired little boy waved and grinned at me, showing off two tiny teeth.