On Me Ch. 02

To this day, his heart still ached when he remembered all those times he'd been denied. If it were up to him, he'd be spending every weekend with them. Their home was warm and lively. Mrs. Roberts was an excellent baker, and her kitchen often smelled of peanut butter cookies or blueberry pie.

She had played with them; board games, card games. And she'd read to them while they snuggled under a warm blanket on a thunderous winter night. Read them this exact story. Lucas still recalled how he'd gobbled every word up while they sipped hot chocolate. She would do the voices, and her narration was second to none.

Nostalgia, goddamn it...

"What's the point," he murmured, cutting Bobby off.

His best friend made a puzzled face. "Huh?"

"She can't hear you."

"You don't know that."

"I don't? Look at her."

Bobby did as he was told.

"It's been over a month now. She's not coming back."

The words hit hard, but Bobby was resolved to stay optimistic. After all, he knew no other way.

"Stop!" Lucas ordered when Bobby resumed reading. "Just fucking stop!" He lurched to his feet and pointed at the feeding tubes slithering out of her arms. "You see this?!" He pointed at the electric pump that was pushing oxygen into her lungs. "And this?! That's what's keeping her alive. Not your stupid stories!"

Bobby shot him a look consisting of anger, fear, and pain.

"She is going to die," Lucas said, his voice softer yet somehow even more bitter. "Maybe not today... maybe not tomorrow... but she will die. All you're doing is just prolonging her suffering out of your own selfish needs."

Bobby's jaw tensed and his eyes were ablaze, and Lucas could tell that he was holding in tears.

He scoffed viciously. "You're pathetic."

He kicked the trash can to hell and back and stormed out of the room.

*

Bobby flashed a grateful smile at the lady at the cafeteria and collected the two cups of coffee. "Thanks."

He walked into the courtyard, where he found Lucas sitting on one of the decorative boulders strewn across the outdoor space. He offered him the beverage and took a seat next to him.

"I didn't mean it," Lucas muttered a minute later.

His friend took a tentative sip from his coffee. "I know."

And he really did know. They'd been best friends for close to seventeen years now. He knew Lucas like the back of his hand.

"Want to talk about it?"

Lucas continued to stare solemnly at nothing at all. "No."

Bobby bobbed his head. Some things never change.

"You know," he started, "your folks bought you that sick bike, but I don't think you've taken it out even once, have you?"

Lucas gave a sigh. "No."

"Have you even fired it up?"

"No."

"Why? Because of the accident?"

The accident. It had been entirely his fault. He pushed that little Ninja more than he should have and couldn't bring it in back in time. The Beemer was bigger, torquier, and with more than double the power. But he wasn't afraid of it.

"No."

"Come on, Aragorn, you gotta give me something to work with here. You know the drill."

Lucas stalled, knowing he had to clue Bobby in. It was going to be such an ugly talk though.

"My dad's sending me to California."

Bobby nearly choked on his coffee. "W-what?"

Lucas explained the deal he'd made with his father the other day, a deal that would see him joining his father's firm when it was all said and done.

"You serious?" Bobby asked, anger coloring his voice.

"I wish I weren't."

Bobby was at a loss for words. Long, tense seconds passed before he stood up and began marching to the complex.

"Dude!" Lucas called, the guilt gnawing at him.

His friend turned around, and a feeling of déjà vu struck Lucas. The expression on Bobby's face closely resembled that of his sister's when he'd broken the news to her.

"I thought we were brothers," Bobby said, his face flushed.

"We are!"

"Are we? My gramma is on her deathbed, and you're saying you're taking off. All the plans we made, all the talks we had about moving to LA, breaking into the industry... I don't even know what to say."

"It's not like this is what I had planned, Bobby. I have no choice."

"You always have a choice! That's literally the one thing you have!"

"Not when it comes to my dad. You know this better than anyone."

"Yet it never stopped you before from standing your ground. Even though you were powerless, even though it was obvious that you couldn't win, you stood your ground, Lucas. And now, for the first time in your life, you're not powerless, you're an adult! And this is when you choose to fold?"

Lucas shook his head, frustrated, largely with himself. "You don't understand..."

"I do understand! When you split town two years ago, I understood! I was furious with you, but I understood! But now... what's your excuse now?"

"He's my dad!" Lucas replied angrily.

Bobby fixed him with a sad, disappointed look, a look that set his insides aflame.

"You know, you're the closest thing to a family I've ever had. You and my gramma. And she's... she's..."

When he realized that he would break down in tears if he finished his thought, he sniffled and walked back inside.

* * * * *

"Let's do another one!" Tiffany slurred, picking up the tequila bottle carelessly.

She poured herself, Brittany and Skylar, and after a countdown to three, they dropped the hammer. All three grimaced as the liquid spilled into their bellies.

Tiffany rose to her feet and swayed to the R&B music playing in the background while the other two kicked back on the couch. A text sent a thrill up her spine. She fetched her phone, and a grin crossed her face as she read the message. She stepped out to the balcony to talk to her newest boyfriend.

"How long do you think it's going to last this time?" Brittany sneered, lying across from Skylar.

"Who knows? He might be the one."

"You don't really believe that, do you?"

Skylar let out a chuckle. "Guess not."

Brittany giggled back. Nowadays, it felt as if Tiffany was swapping boyfriends bimonthly.

"So... what about you?"

"What about me?" Skylar replied, feigning ignorance.

"Exactly."

Skylar forced out a chuckle before she picked up the joint from the coffee table and fired it up. She took a drag, hoping to dull the ache in her chest.

"Skylove...?" Brittany pressed.

The brunette gave a sigh. "You were right, okay? That night, when we talked about why I wasn't... why I wasn't getting all that excited about my date..."

"So, there was another guy," Brittany said, curtailing a victorious smile.

Skylar bobbed her head in defeat. "Yeah... there was."

"Was?"

Skylar pulled on the joint, her heart broken asunder. "It's complicated."

"We have all night."

They were both sleeping over at Tiffany's, and neither was working the next day.

"I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Like I could care less."

She asked the joint from Skylar and tucked her feet to her behind, waiting patiently.

"I told him how I felt—when I realized that there was something there. He said he felt the same about me. It was... an amazing night. It was amazing after, too. Like... super intense. Like... Brody-intense."

"Well, fuck," Brittany said in surprise, knowing how meaningful Skylar's relationship with Brody had been. "How come you haven't said a word about it?"

"I was... not very confident about him yet," Skylar replied, knowing she'd never tell Brittany about her and Lucas regardless.

"And what happened then?" Brittany asked, intrigued.

"What happened next was that"—a sad tear rolled down her cheek—"he b-broke my heart."

Brittany's face fell. She scooched closer and stroked Skylar's leg, offering her comfort.

"I guess I knew it wasn't going to last, but... I just wanted a little more time with him." Tears streamed from her big brown eyes. "A little m-more of him."

"Oh, babe..." Brittany sympathized, her heart heavy. "Who is this fucking guy?"

"The biggest mistake of my life..." the brunette wept.

"Shit, come here."

She pulled Skylar to her, wrapping her arms around her delicate build that trembled with husky sobs.

Tiffany ended her call and walked back in, her grin waning. "What the fuck happened?!"

* * * * *

The next morning, Lucas came downstairs and poured himself a glass of water. His mother greeted him with a smile before she was heading out to meet a friend for brunch. His father was in court for a hearing, she said, but later this evening, he would like to brief him on his expected departure to Sacramento.

"He found you a place," she said.

"Great," her son replied in a flat tone.

"Fully furnished. Completely renovated."

"Wonderful."

"Oh, come on, honey, try to sound a little more excited! You're going to be a lawyer! The most handsome lawyer in the country!"

He took a sip of water, dying a little more inside. "I'm... overjoyed."

Suzan leveled a worried gaze at him.

She pulled the bar stool for him. "Take a seat."

Her son did as she requested, and she sat beside him by the island.

"What's the matter?"

"Whatever do you mean?" he replied in the same dry tone.

"Lucas, I may not be as bright as you and your father, but I'm not that dumb, either."

He raked his hair back. "It's nothing. Just... a whole bunch of nothingness."

"You don't want to move to Sacramento?"

"Well, now that you've brought it up..."

Suzan sighed. This was not how she intended this day to commence. It was very inconvenient. "Because of Bobby?"

"Because... I don't want to go."

"You don't want to go to Sacramento? Or you don't want to be a lawyer?"

"Either; both."

She sighed again, shaking her head this time. She mulled his answer over. "I don't get you. I really don't. Your father has gone through so much trouble to make sure you have a job, a future, and you want to throw it all away?"

"Because I can't have a future unless I'm working for him?"

"No one said that. But you know him, and you know that this won't fly. And just when I thought you two finally started to get along. This is totally going to ruin my weekend."

"I didn't say I wasn't going."

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that..." He sighed, realizing how pointless this conversation truly was. "Nothing. I'm sorry that my unhappiness has marred your weekend."

"Don't give me that. You know very well what utter shitstorm this would've started." She got up and hooked her purse over her right shoulder. She calmed down some, but her face was still flushed. "Well, if you are going, then I don't see why you had to upset me. It was terribly inconsiderate of you."

Lucas gave a bitter chuckle. He should have gotten used to it by now. Lord knows, he should've...

"Okay, I'm outa here."

"Yes, you should be going. Don't want to be late for your brunch."

"Watch it," she hissed over her shoulder.

Anddddddd.... she was gone.

Like every day, Lucas walked out to the garage and sat by his motorcycle, absorbed in thought. And like every day, he departed from it without so much as starting it up. It was much of the same throughout the weekend; long stretches of brooding, only interrupted with the obligatory update from his father.

The last one pertained to the 24-month lease Samuel was planning to sign this coming week. Once the lease was signed, it would be game over, Lucas knew. The clock was ticking, and the pressure inside him rose. Was he really ready to give his dreams up? To give Bobby up? Crucially, was he truly ready to give his sister up?

He walked over to the large Best Buy bag that rested in the corner of his room. Much like his motorcycle, he had been on his mind. Something was different now though. No longer did he feel like a pressure cooker, ready to go off at a moment's notice. In fact, he felt the polar opposite of that; a sense of clarity, serenity.

* * * * *

Bobby was reading to his grandmother when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He screwed his head around, and a look of surprise rose on his face.

Standing at the doorway, Lucas gave a shrug of shoulders along with a sheepish smile. Bobby answered with a much bigger smile.

Lucas paced to the chair on the other side of the bed and plunked himself down. He gave Bobby a small nod, and the latter resumed reading.

*

They sat in the hospital cafeteria an hour later, Bobby having a cappuccino and Lucas settling for a double shot of espresso. They hadn't said a word to each other still.

"Have you told the old man yet?"

Lucas shook his head.

Bobby cringed internally at the thought of how this conversation would go.

"If you need me to come with you, you know I've got your back."

"Don't be ridiculous. He'd eat you alive, Gimli."

Bobby chuckled. "Yeah, probably..."

He knew his friend was right about that. He wasn't made like Lucas. He wasn't a fighter.

"When are you going to tell him?"

"Tomorrow," Lucas said calmly, resigning to his fate. "I'll face the music tomorrow."

A moment of foreboding silence ensued.

Bobby shook off the gloominess first. Unlike his friend, he could never fully soak in melancholy.

"Well, in that case, tonight, sir... we celebrate!"

Lucas gave a laugh. Bobby was happy. It meant a lot to him.

"We'll go out, drink a bunch of ale, and if the gods will it, pick up a couple of chicks. It's gonna be great."

"When was the last time you picked up a chick in a bar?" Lucas wisely questioned.

The embarrassment colored Bobby's face. "Now why do you gotta do me like that?"

Lucas gave a chuckle. "Well, as enticing as that sounds, I have an urgent business I need to take care of tonight. But we'll definitely celebrate—or grieve—later this week."

"What could possibly be more important than toasting our brotherhood?"

A cryptic smile rose on Lucas's lips. "Um... it's... something I can't quite share with you yet. But it's important."

Bobby screwed his eyes suspiciously. "You're keeping secrets from me, eh? From your buddy? Your pal?"

"Just this one. And when the time's right, I'll tell all. I swear."

"Fine. Keep your dirty little secrets. See if I care."

Lucas snickered. "Glad you're so mature about it."

"Oh, come on, you gotta tell me! Please, Lucas, please! Don't leave me in the dark!"

"Dude, I can't. Not right now. It's... rather delicate."

"It's about a girl," Bobby fired.

Lucas scratched the back of his head. "Er... I can neither confirm nor deny."

Bobby sipped his cappuccino and grinned like a Cheshire cat, oblivious to the milk mustache that he was displaying. "Uh-huh..."

Lucas laughed at the sight.

He got up, resolved to let him own it. "Let's head back.

* * * * *

Later that night, Lucas returned home and took a long, pensive shower. He was tense, knowing that he was going to talk to his sister soon. They hadn't communicated for over two weeks. He'd barely seen in her, in fact, as they both had been avoiding one another to stellar results.

It was difficult, painful, but also foreign. He'd never imagined he would find himself in this situation, where Skylar, his sister, would become inaccessible. Was she still his sister though, he wondered more than once. At the moment, she felt more like an ex than a sister.

An ex he'd badly wanted to win back.

He busied himself, trying to come up with scenes for his book; anything that would take his mind off of their impending confrontation. What would he do if she rejected him? It was a very real possibility, one that he hadn't quite considered until now.

She could reject him for any number of reasons, and the realization led to a massive surge of anxiety. Could he let her go if she turned him down? He would have to. Like it or not, he was still her big brother.

He spent so many hours stressing over it that he only now noticed that it was past 1. She should've been home by now. He gnawed his lower lip as he contemplated his next move. He decided to bite the bullet.

He composed a text, "Hi."

Fifteen long, excruciatingly long, minutes later, still no reply.

"U up?" he texted again, fearing that she might be sleeping over at a friend's.

"What do u want?" she texted back.

Fuck...

He took a big breath. It definitely felt like a breakup if he had any doubt about that.

"Where you @?"

"Friends'. Chilling."

His mouth twisted into a pout of disappointment. "2 bad."

"Y?"

"Cuz I really want 2 c u."

He grew agitated, waiting for over five minutes for a response.

"What 4? So you could ease your conscience? Pass."

"We need to talk."

"No, we don't. Actually, we don't ever have to talk. Like... ever... again."

Goddammit...

"I have some stuff to say. Important stuff."

"Such as?"

"Can't on the phone. Face 2 Face."

He waited for her to text back, in vain. He broke down and called her.

She ghosted him.

"Can't talk right now. Literally a dozen people around me."

"What time will u be home?"

"Dunno. Had a few drinks. A friend's driving me home."

"When?"

"Whenever he feels like it."

A pang of jealousy pulsed through Lucas. He hated the thought of other males breathing the same air as her unsupervised.

"Skylar, I want to talk."

He waited with bated breath for her answer, yet the minutes passed by, and his phone was on its best behavior. He was a bundle of nerves by the time it buzzed again.

"Can't commit to a specific time. Just go to bed."

"I'm staying up. I'll stay up 4 u all night if I need to."

He waited and waited for her answer, which never came.

* * * * *

Over two hours later, a BMW M4 sports sedan pulled up to the house, loud hip hop rhythm and thumping bass shaking its frame. Brian turned the music down and put out his cigarette. He turned to look at Skylar, who stared pensively out the window. She'd been preoccupied all evening, he regretfully noted.

He allowed his gaze to trail down her hourglass frame for what must have been the umpteenth time since they met up. He learned the way her bust strained the crop top before his lewd eyes lingered on her trimmed stomach and naval piercing.

Skylar was wearing a short, flared skirt and black peep-toe stiletto heels, and her long bare legs had had him hard all night. She was such a Barbie and was stupidly gorgeous.

"You okay?" he queried, unaccustomed to having so much time to leer at her young luscious body.

"Yeah," she said in a subdued undertone and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for the ride."

She stepped out of the car.

"Yo, Skylar, hole' up," he called on a whim and rounded the car to meet her. He propped himself against the passenger door and took her hands in his. "What's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that something's up. You've been such a downer tonight."

"I have?" she murmured, though not surprised in the least to hear it.

He gently gathered some of her hair behind her ear. "Is your boomer dad giving you hard time or something?"

"My dad? No, not at all."

"Then what's up?"

Skylar cut her eyes at the house, musing on her brother. These days, he was all she was thinking of.

"Nothing," she said in her usual husky murmur. "Listen, I gotta go."

He pulled on her hand, reeling her back to him, as close as he dared.

Skylar rolled her big brown eyes, having an inkling where this was going.

He locked eyes with her, making no effort to disguise his romantic intentions. "I've been wanting to talk to you."

Skylar swallowed, his tone filling her with consternation.

The subtle warnings of her body language hadn't eluded him, but Brian was nothing if not tenacious. It was how he'd made headway with her then.