My Best Friend's Hot Brother (18+)

You're Lucky That You Fuck Amazingly

Jackson

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sterling exclaims as her gaze roams over my body, a sneer on her face.

"Sometimes, I honestly don't know why I am attracted to you," she states. "You're so embarrassing."

"What?" I ask innocently, glancing down at my outfit. "I thought this was the perfect ensemble for hiking in the woods."

She scoffs, setting her peanut butter and jelly sandwich down upon her plate before steepling her fingers against her mouth. "Jackson, you're wearing a bucket hat and socks with your sandals. How are you not mortified to be seen in public?"

I adjust the drawstring on my headwear and shrug. "Because I'd rather not get bitten alive by mosquitoes or have ticks feeding off my blood."

She rolls her eyes, standing up and grabbing her flannel off the back of her chair. She ties the sleeves around her waist and picks up a can of bug spray, tossing the container at me. 

"That's what this is for," she announces.

"Do you know how many chemicals are loaded into one of these?" I question, scanning over the list of ingredients.

She holds up a palm as she ushers me out the door. "Alright, keep your knee-high socks then, violin boy. You're lucky that you fuck amazingly."

I swing my water bottle backpack onto my shoulders and take a sip, ignoring the gawk I receive from her. "What?" I mumble. "So, now you're going to judge me for staying hydrated?"

With a smirk, she clasps my hand and threads her fingers through mine as we begin our stroll down the gravel pathway. It isn't long before the glare of the afternoon sun is shielded by the pines, their evergreen fragrance creating the atmosphere of Christmas in August.

Light filters in through the cracks in the needles, and other than the noise of the occasional bird chirp or squirrel rustling through leaves, the forest is quiet.

I inhale the heady aroma of the outdoors and sigh it back out in contentment. "This was a good idea," I praise. "I needed the fresh air."

I don't elaborate, but she knows exactly what I am referring to. The past several nights has seen a rapid decline in Gabby's health. She almost never leaves her bed anymore and spends more time asleep than awake.

She is so frail that when she does leave her room, she has to be pushed around in a wheelchair. Speaking leaves her winded, so her words come out staggered in between gasps for air.

The reality of the situation hangs as heavy in the air as the perfume of the pines; her days are limited.

"I'll be shocked if she makes it to the first frost of Autumn," her doctor announced as he tossed his pen onto his clipboard that contained Gabby's entire fate in just a handful of words.

My mother frowned as she dabbed at her mascara smudged eyelids with a tissue. "Isn't there anything else you can do for her?" she pleaded.

He shook his head, sympathy pooling in his large chocolatey brown eyes. "I'm afraid at this point, all you can do is make her comfortable."

He gave my mother's shoulder a squeeze of condolence. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Moretti." 

And with that, he slipped out the door, leaving me to console my mom, whose body was trembling with her uncontrollable sobs.

A howl somewhere off in the distance pulls me back into the present. Sterling stares at me with concern, but I feel the need to pretend that I am tough and unfazed by the shambles that is my life.