Best-Friends with Issues

Chapter 6- Prison Break

But Conner, by far, looked the worst.

He looked devilishly handsome in all black, his slouched posture that outlined the defined muscles in his arms and torso, and the annoyed scowl that practically dared anyone to approach him, making him the perfect poster boy for bad boys. 

But at the same time he looked plain awful. His eyes were tinged with red and glazed with alcohol, and he looked unhealthily pale. There was a nasty looking bruise marring his left cheek, and I frowned when I realized that it would cover the endearing dimple that appeared there when he smiled.

They were all standing close to the bars of their cell, being chewed out by a very angry-looking Stanton.

"-and not only did you get totally smashed and then traipse around town like a hobo, but you brought a bunch of teenagers along with you! What the hell is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea what- HEY! Sam, are you even listening to me?" Stanton's face was turning red from all of his yelling. "Sam??"

"Yeah, yeah." Sam waved him off with his free hand, rolling his eyes and looking unbothered. "I'm a terrible person, yada yada yada, I get it. You know what you're problem is Stanty?" Sam slurred, pointing his finger at his brother. "You're too uptight. You never have any fun! Trust me, if you weren't such a tight ass all the time, you could actually get a girl to not reject you."

Jerry snickered as Stanton's blush darkened further. "You're drunk." He stated.

"Yupp!" Sam grinned back lopsidedly with a semi-vacant look in his eyes, swaying momentarily.

Stanton only sighed, running a hand over his tired face. Finally, he turned away from the drunken trio and face the other side of the room, where I noticed Dave had been standing, watching silently. "Sorry about this, Dave. I'll take them home." 

Dave nodded, before moving to open the cell door. "We'll fill out some paperwork, and then you can haul these idiots away."

Sam and Jerry stumbled out of the cell, giggling at nothing and shoving each other. As Conner followed, Dave reached out a hand to stop him, frowning.

"Conner, you know I usually let your harmless pranks go, but this time...." He gazed at Conner's very un-Conner like expression, looking concerned. "No one has decided to press charges, but this time you guys went too far. Alcohol is not a way to deal with your problems, bud."

Conner sighed and nodded, but didn't say anything as he pushed out of Dave's grip and stumbled over to Sam and Jerry.

My blood ran cold, and I suddenly felt like crying. Jerry and Sam were drinking because they're stupid and reckless, but Conner was drinking to forget. Even Dave could tell.

"C-man!" Jerry cheered when  my boyfriend joined them, roughly smacking Conner across the back and causing both of them to lose their balance a little. "What a night, am I right?" Childish realization lit up Jerry's face. "Hey, that rhymed!"

Sam rolled his eyes and snickered. Conner scowled. 

"But you know," Jerry went on. "Maybe we did take it a little far when we skinny dipped in that fountain. Plus, the water was fucking freezing!"

I could only imagine what had actually transpired that night. 

But I didn't have time to stick around and listen in some more. I had to hurry back to the car and sneak in to the trunk again.

~

Stanton dropped off Conner and Jerry and Conner's house, where they both climbed out of the vehicle and unsteadily made their way to the door, Jerry still blubbering nonsense and Conner still scowling.

I noticed that Stanton hadn't said a single word to Conner the entire night. And Conner certainly wasn't trying to get along with anyone.

Once they made it inside, (with much difficulty, because apparently unlocking doors was hard to do when intoxicated), Stanton pulled out and drove three houses down to our house.

Stanton slammed his car door shut and walked around to Sam's side, wrenching open the door and dragging his brother out by the ear. Or so I assumed, based on Sam's loud protests.

"Ow! Let go you little-" His voice got obscured when the door shut and they walked up to the front door, Stanton still forcefully dragging his twin.

I counted to thirty, then snuck around through the back door. I could hear Stanton yelling at Sam in the kitchen, so I took extra care in tiptoeing up the stairs and thankfully not falling on my face and alerting the planet where I was.

I quietly entered my room and flopped onto my bed, suddenly feeling tired beyond belief. I wondered how many days I had gone without sleep, but after a few moments, I realized that I couldn't even count them all.

Instead, I stared up at the ceiling and pictured Conner's face again, angry and hurt beyond belief. Conner was breaking, little by little. I could tell just by looking at him. 

It suddenly seemed so unfair that such bad things were happening to such a sweet guy. Before now, I had thought that I was the more likely one to collapse first. But just by witnessing him tonight, drinking away his problems, I had a sinking feeling that Conner was worse off than I had thought.

My heart broke just a little bit more.

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Oh Conner!

A little short, but whatevs.

I noticed that some of you are laying claim to the squiggly lines I use. I don't blame you, they're pretty cute.

Anyways, just tell me what you think!