College is coming soon, and Blake Warner is sure that his life is embedded into the dead-end that is Merritt Hills, Georgia. His mother has assured him millions of times, that money has nothing to do with where his future leads.
But whenever he lie...
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Hours had gone by now, and by the amount of sugar Brooks had taken in from the town's parks Cinnabon, he now felt brave enough to face Blake. The Blake he'd been dreading seeing since that morning.
Brooks' bottom sat properly on the parks bench, his teeth grazing the glazed texture, body not wanting anymore, but taste buds completely ignoring the insistent request.
He'd stopped thinking about the situation an hour ago, not wanting anything else to do with Meghan Ukie. The girl he had heard lots about growing up, but never met, and now the girl who had purposely hurt her boyfriend by sleeping with his best friend.
Brooks boyfriend, now.
A sharp movement caught his eye, as Brooks turned his head to the left, coming face-to-face with Jeffery Dawson, who had angry tears rolling down his face, him trying to obviously hide his tears from those walking passed.
Brooks wanted to so badly walk up to Jeff, and console, as he now knew what Blake and Meghan had apparently been up to behind him back. Brooks knew Jeff had an actual reason to be angry with the two, while Brooks simply was confused.
Maybe Jeff would lash out, sooner or later, as did one of Meghan's first boyfriends, Keenan Mulch, the guy who had been shipped off to military school, and no one had seen him since.
Maybe that was just what Meghan Ukie did. She made guys think she loved them, only to rip their hearts from their chests with her red fingernails, a new boy behind her, her ready to hurt him, too.
Screw it, Brooks thought as he shoved the remains of the cinnamon bun into his mouth, feet making a quick wave through children and couples, and over to a heartbroken Jeffery Dawson.
Jeff could see him coming from his bench, him instantly groaning into the crook of sweatshirt, sighing aloud once Brooks finally took the seat beside him. "What do you want?"
Brooks collected his thoughts before speaking. "I'm sorry for, uh, for what Meghan did. And for what Blake did. I know you probably hate everything about now, don't you?" Brooks awkward laugh made Jeff want to cry even harder.
"Well, uh, why did you choose to come cry in the middle of the park? Couldn't you have gone home, you know, for emotional purposes?" Brooks asked, his fingers scratching at his wrist.
Jeff cleared his throat before answering, "my little sisters having a sleepover, wouldn't want her and a bunch of girls in junior high to hear me sobbing into my pillow, like a little bitch."
Brooks chuckled at that, "right. But, I, uh—I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And I know that we don't know each other too well, but if you want to tell me some things you can't tell anyone else, that'd be cool. And I'd listen."
Jeff took a moment to think, his eyes adjusting to the darkness surrounding them, as he wallowed some more. More and more people around them began to fade away, as expected. But Brooks remained beside Jeff.
He knew that the tall, normally happy boy beside him would speak if he felt comfortable, and if he even had anything to say. Because Brooks for sure wasn't in a hurry to get back home to Blake, right away.
Jeff took a deep breath, leaning in closer to Brooks, "Meg and I didn't have an open relationship, at first," His words were quiet, but Brooks only nodded along. "A few months ago, she told me that she didn't feel comfortable being exclusive—so I agreed."
"From then-on-out, it seemed as if she was sleeping with anyone who even gave her the least bit of attention. It hurt, really, really badly. So, I started to follow in her footsteps. I slept with tons of girls, even experimented with Mitchell at some times. All the sex was pointless, but she refused to stop, so neither did I.
"The night at the lake, Meg and I were doing good, we were laughing, talking, she hadn't even argued with Mitchell yet. But on the drive back to her house, I told her I didn't want to go inside, and she flipped out. Started crying about the fact that I didn't love her and what-not. So, I told her I was going off to some girls house—when really, I was going to Mitchell's, and she said that she would invite some boy over."
Jeff shook his head in what seemed to be sheer disappointment. "But I had no idea that that guy would be Blake."
Brooks couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, too. "So, she slept with Blake, and you slept with Mitchell?"
Jeff shook his head, "things have never been purely sexual between Mitchell and I, always emotional. And I really hope for your sake, that the same doesn't goes for Meg and Blake."
Jeff's words caught Brooks by surprise, as he hadn't even thought about the fact that, maybe, just maybe—Blake had some sort of feelings for Meghan, and that was why they had slept together.
His heart dropped into his stomach at the thought that that would ultimately ruin he and Blake's chances of ever being together. For the long haul.
"I'm leaving now," Jeff stood from the bench, an eyebrow raised at Brooks' now nerved figure. "Do you want a ride home?"
Brooks instantly nodded, his lips curled with graciousness. "Yes, please."
