The Family Experiment

11) Mine(Weston)

"... Never, not until you tell me why."

Not until I tell her why.

I could never do that. I could never utter the words out of my mouth, no matter how much I wanted to. I couldn't.

"I can't do that Amelie." I watched the hope fall from her eyes. Why did I always have to be the fucking bad guy?

"Than my statement stands, we will trade off with Scout, for the minimum amount of time it takes. I will tutor you for exactly the two hours, but if you are late it takes away your time. We will get the work done, and that is all. Weston, that is all I will give you." She said as tears welled in her eyes. Don't cry over me, I don't deserve it. My mind flashed with the pictures of all those years ago.

"Yeah, I understand." I said in a trance. More of the memory flew around.

"Wes, what has been wrong with you lately?"

I had been avoiding Amelie, like my life depended on it. Not mine, but hers. I ignored her as she asked three more times. I slowly began to crack. I needed to do something big to get her to leave me alone.

"Your so fucking annoying Lee. Please for the love of god stop being a parasite and get other friends. Leave me alone! We can't be friends anymore. It's really for the better, eventually our social status would get in the way." I wanted to punch myself repeatedly for saying that to her.

"What?" Tears began to fall out of her eyes. "What do you mean Wes, what did I do?"

"Leave Lee."

"Wes, what did I do, please tell me, I-I'll fix it, I promise."

"You can't fix it, I just don't want to be friends anymore."

"Why Weston?"

"Just leave Amelie." I pointed to the door of my house. The one that was directly next to hers. She turned, tears streaming down her perfect face. She walked out of my house. The house that had been filled with our laughter for years. The house that had paintings we made on every wall.

I came back gasping for air. I rested my head on the table. I need to go for a run.

I slowly walked back to my dorm, climbing the stairs I nearly crashed into Bentley.

"Wow, what's got you in such a trance."

"Nothing Bentley." I squeezed by him and continued my way up the stairs. I could hear him jogging up behind me.

"So, how do you know Amelie again? I've heard you sometimes ask girls questions about her. But I've never really known why."

"Why are you all of a sudden curious?" I said, eyeing him from the side of my eye.

"I don't know, I guess I sort of feel protective over her, kind of like a little sister."

"Have you ever even spoken a word to her?"

"Yeah, she comes by Nashs a lot while I'm there. And you know Mila talks about her a lot."

"She doesn't need you protecting her. I've got it under control."

"You sure about that, Wessy? You look like a deranged man every time she steps near."

"Shut up Bentley and get out of here." I said unlocking my door. I went to slam it in his face but he swung it back open.

"What do you want Bentley?"

"For you to smarten the fuck up and stay away from her."

"Last time I checked, she wasn't yours Bentley."

"You're right Weston but she also isn't yours."

"Don't get it twisted Bentley. She has been mine since the very day she breathed her first breath and my mom laid me next to her. Mine. Not yours. Even if she doesn't know it yet, or hell, even want it. But she is mine until the day I take my last breath. I will never let another man touch her skin. I will love her from afar but one day you have my word, I will take her as my wife, and no one will stop me."

"You are delusional Weston Myers."

"And you need to fucking leave Bentley Reid."

Bentley left without another word.

Soon after I changed into shorts and a compression shirt before beginning my run. I never really had a destination in mind, but I always ended up at either the painting studio, a little diner called Moods, or stalking Amelie.

Today was no different as I soon realized the path I had chosen for the day. I walked up to the doors of the painting studio and swung them open. I was greeted with a few heys from the other regulars that come here. I took my seat in front of a huge square canvas. Usually before I began a painting I would do a sketch, then redo it, and redo it again until I was absolutely in love with how it looked. Today I didn't, I would also usually have a reference photo but not today, today I was going off memory. I carefully painted her general face shape, making shadows and highlights. I added a big soiled blob of color as her hair. Painting was tedious, you had to take it in steps and if one went wrong it had the potential to ruin the rest.

"Weston, what a beautiful start, to a beautiful lady, who is she?" The owner Ada said. She was older, small and wrinkly. But she had no problem telling you how it is. She was funny and still had a lot of life in her.

"An old friend." I said, staring at the mess of color.

"You don't just paint old friends, Weston. Tell me truly, what does she mean to you?"

"Our moms, you know, Emma and Brooke?"

"Yes yes, they came in here all the time."

Mom and Auntie Em used to come here and use the pottery wheel.

"This is Emma's daughter, Amelie. We grew up together, best friends since the very start. As we grew up we sort of fizzled from each other I guess." I couldn't bring myself to tell Ada what really happened.

"Yes they always talked about their Wes and Lee. I always assumed Lee was a boy. I never really asked them about it, they liked to keep to each other."

"That was mom and Auntie Em for you. They didn't like other people very much."

"Now, tell me more about the girl, Lee."

"Amelie," I said, correcting her. I couldn't bear to call her Lee. "I mean for a while, I didn't have any friends besides her. She was my whole world. We understood each other like nothing else. We fought like cats and dogs but made up fast. She is the most beautiful person I know...." I trailed off staring at the painting

"You sound in love my boy."

"For years Ada, years."

I went on to tell her many memories of Amelie and I from over the years. Ada never pressed much about things; she was always just there to listen.