Trey
It's been a week since Candice found out about us, and everything is tense and awkward. Kiara is too upset to come over, so I've been spending most of my free time at her place. I don't mind it; like I told her, anywhere she is, I'm home. But I know she's only avoiding my sister. Candy must feel like she's the queen of the fucking world right now, causing a disruption in our routine.
I am determined to get them talking again, though. My sister needs to stop acting like Kiara cheated on her and pull out whatever bug crawled up her ass. Multiple times this week, I considered dragging her back to my mom's house, but I'm trying to be understanding of whatever she's going through right now. I've asked her repeatedly if she wants to talk about it, but she pushes me away every time. I've given up on trying to get her to open up.
Today, as promised, I take Jeremiah to the DMV for his driving test. We have spent weeks practicing, and I'm positive that he's more than ready. Upon entering the DMV parking lot, my eyes caught sight of a familiar truck. Raising an eyebrow, I couldn't help but express my disdain in the tone of my question, "You asked him to be here?"
"Yeah, he wanted to come," he pauses, shooting me a look, "You know, since he missed out on everything else."
Because of me, he doesn't need to add.
I purse my lips. "Did you even tell Mom?"
He scrunches up his face. "No, why would I? She would've shown up drunk, making a scene, and embarrassing us. I just wanted you and Dad here," he grumbles, defending his decision.
I remain silent. Mom brought this on herself, and her drinking only seems to get worse. I fear that one day J will come home and find her overdosing, and I know he thinks about it too. We'll have to come together and set up an intervention before something like that happens.
We get out of the car and walk up to meet William. He looks better today, well, sober at least. I'm not naive enough to believe he's undergone a permanent change, but the effort he's putting in is...something.
"William," I grumble my greeting.
He nods in acknowledgment. "Trey."
"Congrats on the engagement." My tone carries the knowledge that I know he only proposed to Lucinda to keep her trapped in his abusive cycle.
"Thanks. We hope to see you at the wedding."
"We'll see," I mumble dismissively, turning my attention back to Jeremiah. The air becomes dense with unspoken tension, but this isn't about us, I'm here to support my brother. J wanted him here, so I'm going to be cordial today and keep my thoughts about his sudden "transformation" to myself.
As Jeremiah goes inside the building to prepare for his driving test, William and I find ourselves standing in an uneasy silence. The tension hangs thick in the air, a palpable reminder of the strained relationship between us. Jeremiah reemerges with the instructor, a blend of nervousness and excitement is evident on his face. The instructor signals that they will be heading to my car for the test.
I quickly dap him up. "You got this, J. Don't get too much in your head, you're a natural."
He smiles curtly. "Thanks, Trey."
"Good luck, Son," William chimes in, offering an encouraging pat on Jeremiah's back.
The engine roars to life as Jeremiah starts the car, and they pull away from the curb, leaving William and me ensnared in an almost suffocating silence. "So, how's that girl of yours?" he asks, slightly easing the oppressive weight in the air.
"She's good," I reply tersely. I'm not opening up to this asshole, especially not about her.
"Lucinda's pretty fond of her, huh? She'll be home soon. If y'all wanna come over and visit, she would enjoy that."
I know Kiara would enjoy it; maybe it would even lift her spirits about Candice, but I don't want to step foot in that trailer. He may have everyone else fooled, but I still don't trust him.
"We won't walk in on her getting her head bashed in, will we?" I grit out.
He shifts uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck. "Look, I don't drink as much anymore, only when I need to wind down after work. I-I want to try to be better. I'm even getting professional help, even if I thought it was bullshit at first. I understand if you don't believe me, Trey. I've messed up a lot, and I can't erase the past. But I'm genuinely trying, for Jeremiah's sake if nothing else."
I fix him with a hard look, my eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and resentment. "Do you think you deserve cool points for shit you should've done a long time ago? You know, before you started beating the shit out of me. Or Mom. Or your fiancé. Physical wounds might heal, but mentally we're all fucked up because of you."
His words echo in my mind, the cruel taunts and threats he used to hurl at me during those brutal episodes. "Stop being a little pussy before I give ya something else to cry about" he'd snarl as if he weren't in the process of beating me so badly with a belt that welts blossomed all over my body.
Angry tears burn in my eyes, the vivid memories of pain and helplessness resurfacing. He didn't even know I wasn't his son at the time, yet he was still relentless. If J wasn't a baby at the time, he would've done the same with him. Now he's trying to play father of the year like everything he did can be overridden. The emotional scars run deep, and no amount of apologies or attempts at redemption can ever erase the past.
His face hardens, and he takes a deep breath before speaking. "I know I can't erase the past. I was a real piece of shit, but I want another chance. I want us to be in the same room without all this awkward tension, and Jeremiah told me today that he wants us to try harder to see eye to eye."
Well, that's fucking news to me. Why didn't he mention that in the car?
"Let's make a deal," he continues calmly, "I'll never ask you for money again in life if you agree to spend one day a month with me and Jeremiah. We can do anything y'all boys want to do. Anything. And if I fuck up again, you have permission to beat my ass."
Silence grows between us as I narrow my eyes, searching for sincerity in his. Abruptly, my green Charger rolls back into the parking lot into its original spot, and Jeremiah hops out with a shit eating grin on his face. He waves a piece of paper up in the air. "Guys, I passed!"
William's eyes widen with genuine pride, a grin breaking across his own face. "That's my boy!"
Warmth spreads through my chest as he hugs me, like a full out, genuine hug, before doing the same to his father. "I told you you're a natural. We'll have to go out to dinner or something and celebrate!" I exclaim.
Jeremiah grins wider. "I'm down!"
Turning my attention back to William, I arch an eyebrow. "One day a month, huh? You think that's all it takes to fix the damage you've done?"
He takes a deep breath, his eyes reflecting a mix of remorse and determination. "It's a start. I know I can't change the past, I've missed out on a lot, but I'm ready to change things around.
I remain skeptical, but for Jeremiah's sake, I'll give this bullshit a chance. "Fine. One day a month. But if you fuck up again, don't expect me to hold back."
I'm looking forward to causing him as much pain as he caused me, because it's garanteed, he will fuck this up. This is William we're talking about.
I glance at Jeremiah, and there's a hopeful look in his eyes. We accompany him to get his temporary license, exchange a few more words with William about the logistics for our monthly meet-ups, and part ways, each heading to our respective cars. As we head back to my car, the air is lighter than before, but I'm not still nowhere convinced that things will change.
Jeremiah is still buzzing with excitement as we drive away from the DMV. "Proud of you, little bro. This is the first step toward freedom."
He grins. "Thanks, Trey. I know it was awkward with Dad, but maybe things can get better. Thank you for giving him a chance, I know it's only because I asked."
I nod, offering a half-smile. As we navigate through the streets, I can't shake off the lingering doubts about William's sincerity. The scars from the past run deep, and mending them won't be easy. He's not even my father, why would he be interested in righting his wrongs with me?
———————————————————
After taking Jeremiah to lunch and dropping him back off, I return to my place to find my sister sprawled out on the couch, an empty wine bottle on the coffee table beside her.
I grimace at her sleeping form. I didn't know she drank. When I met Kiara, I recall her mentioning that her "friend" avoided alcohol out of fear becoming like her parents. Well, whatever happened in New York must've changed her mind.
I throw away the bottle and gently shake her awake. "Candice, wake up. We need to talk."
She groans, rolling over to face me. "What time is it?"
"Two in the afternoon. Shouldn't you be at work?"
Her face scrunches up like a used tissue. "Shouldn't you be off fucking my best friend? Oh wait, you already did that."
Her slurred attempt to deflect doesn't faze me. "Did you lose your job when you went chasing after your girlfriend? There's no way they let you take leave for that long."
I don't even think she's left the house since she's been here and that's extremely concerning.
"Don't worry 'bout me," she slurs, "where have you been all day, anyway? With Kiara?"
"Actually no. I took Jeremiah to take his driver's test and fought with William in front of the DMV," I grumble, grabbing an apple from the fridge and taking a bite.
Hurt flickers in her eyes, but she quickly conceals it. She must feel some type of way that William hasn't put any effort to contact her since he came back into the picture, but that's also a topic she chooses to avoid.
"Isn't it time for you to disappear for the night? I bet Kiara is eager to use you to get her mind off her ex."
I wish she'd use me for something. She hasn't been in the mood for sex since her heart was broken and not by me or her ex, but by her best friend. I've always heard that best friend breakups are the worst kind of breakups, but I didn't know it was true until recently. Kiara's been crying a lot, burying her emotions in ice cream, and when I come over, I always find her in bed watching sad ass movies. Of course, I've been understanding, but the deprivation is real and my hand isn't doing shit to relieve it.
"When are you going to tell Mom that you're back?" I ask, changing the subject. I bet she'd love to hear that my girlfriend is too sad to have sex with me because of her, it would make her entire year.
"When I feel like it," she snaps back.
"You're mouthy for someone staying in my penthouse," I mumble, heading to the kitchen to fill up a glass of water for her. Handing it to her, I take a seat across from her. "When did you start drinking?"
She shrugs nonchalantly. "Why do you care?"
"Because you're my sister, and believe it or not, I care about you," I deadpan.
She grumbles, "You didn't care enough to not fuck my best friend."
I roll my eyes. "Why does it bother you so much what two grown-ass adults are doing?" I ask, fully aware of the answer.
"Because she was off limits!" she retorts, her voice rising in volume, "I told Jeremiah that, I didn't know I had to remind my 25-year-old brother to keep his dick out of my friend. But oops, forgot you're a manwhore. I just didn't think she was so weak."
Kiara is anything but weak. She just doesn't know the extent of her strength because she was off being self centered.
"It isn't just about sex. We're in love with each other-" I start.
She scoffs. "Oh please. Just like you're using her for sex, she's using you to forgot about her ex. He cheated on her, you think she just got over a two year relationship jumping in bed with you?"
My jaw tenses. Why am I letting anything she says get to me? She's obviously experiencing some pain of her own, and taking it out on me and Kiara.
"Are you ready to talk about it?" I ask calmly, folding my arms over my chest.
"Talk about what?" she retorts dismissively.
She knows exactly what I'm referring to. "About the bug that's crawled up your ass since you got back."
That's the nicest way I can put it.
"Fuck off, Trey," she snaps, the drunken slur evident in her words.
I don't want to leave her alone in case she finds a way to get more alcohol, but I also don't want to stick around and have her continue to berate me. I sigh deeply as I grab my keys and head for the door. Just before I close it behind me, I say, "Sober up, Candice. I don't like you when you're like this, and I don't think anyone else would either."