My Love, My Drug, My Release

Early February, 1969

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"I can't believe you were actually there," Brandon said between kisses in the back room at Uncarbonated. "Everyone's been talking about it."

My boyfriend couldn't shut up over the rooftop concert, and it was starting to get really fucking annoying. "I thought you didn't even like the Beatles."

"I don't, I'm just saying."

Hooking up with Brandon felt, for the first time, oddly boring. It had been many things from the first kiss to the following months of secret rendezvous, but tedious was never one of them. His face had become as familiar to me as my own, so staring at it had lost most of the novelty of our earlier encounters. He was still gorgeous, charismatic, but something was missing. If it weren't for our plans to escape, I wasn't sure I'd want to be with him anymore.

"Are they coming out with another album soon?" he asked, rolling me under him.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" I snapped, turning away from his mouth as he kissed down my neck. "You're being annoying."

"Gee, sorry, I'm just making conversation."

"I'm not dating you for your biting wit; will you just fuck me already?!"

"Ouch, harsh." We both whipped our heads around to see Jackson leaning against the doorframe of the backroom, sipping a beer. "I knew you could be a cold bitch, Lo, but I thought you might at least treat your boyfriend a little better than most."

"What are you doing here, you pervert?" I shouted. "Get out!"

"Alright, it's getting pretty late, I should head back home. I wonder what Paul and Linda will think of you fooling around at Uncarbonated at this hour."

He turned to leave, but Brandon jumped up, grabbing his collar and pinning him to the wall, pulling back a fist like he was preparing to punch him. "Watch your mouth. You might get away talking to your sister like that, but I won't hesitate to kick your ass."

Jack looked past him to me. "Are you gonna let him treat me like this?"

I looked between the two of them, biting my lower lip anxiously. Something inside me told me to protect my brother, that we had an obligation to take care of each other, but what had he done to protect me lately? Other than teasing me about my relationship with Paul or Linda or John and Yoko, he'd been completely absent, choosing his schoolmates and girlfriends over me. He was only interested again because I was dating someone he didn't approve of, and he'd just called me a cold bitch! He didn't deserve my help. "Get lost, Jack."

Brandon smirked, shoving my brother out into the hall. With one final scowl, he disappeared back into the club. My boyfriend came and put his arm around me, settling us back into the couch, but I was distracted. This was going to come back to bite me in the ass, I could feel it.

"Linda, I'm back!" I called, entering the house through the side entrance that evening. We had to be even more careful than usual about our comings and goings after the rooftop concert- the fans were in a frenzy.

"Lorraine, come to the living room, please," she replied.

I did as I was told, albeit reluctantly. When I got there, I saw Linda and Paul sitting on the couch, Jack in the armchair, grinning smugly.