Pure Belleza | ✔️

(14)

"Exactly man," Flynn stood up and I sighed now he was towering above me. "You're her brother. She needed someone to talk to. Someone who wasn't going to give her the 'I told you so' lecture."

"Ya know what it is," I said. "You're soft. And gentle. Just another one of the girls I bet."

He scowled and it seemed I had hit a sore spot with that one. The big idiot thought I couldn't tell how he felt. He was terrible at hiding his feelings. But I didn't have time to get into it. I had other matters I needed to deal with.

"I'm going to go and talk to her," I stepped around Flynn and gave his shoulder a slap. "I need to get the full story before I roll this motherfucker."

When I pulled the door open and looked back at my best friend, I noticed the sullen stare he had directed at the floor.

I'd known him long enough to know he wasn't in good sorts. I sighed and gripped the door handle a little tighter.

It was obvious he didn't want Abby to know he'd been the one to squeal. But he also knew I would have kicked him in the dick if he had known and kept it from me.

"Bro, just tell her how you feel," I said. He raised his head and met me with a pensive stare. "She's got a mad attitude but she does deserve to be happy. You both d—"

My cellphone interrupted. Amalia. Flynn was still looking perplexed with his head hung low.

"Take it," he said with a small voice. "I'm going to finish up here and head home."

"You sure?"

"Yeah man."

"I'll see you at school tomorrow."

I hit answer as I stepped out into the dark cool air. The lights at the bottom of the pool illuminated the rippling water, the shrubs and tree branches on the other side of the gate rustled with the light breeze that had picked up.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Hey," she said. "Is everything okay? Your text said there was a lot going on. I thought I'd see if you needed to talk."

"You're so damn sweet," I said as I opened the pool gate and followed across the concrete path towards the deck. "Yeah there's a lot going on and it feels like it all came on at once. My brothers girlfriend has a brain tumour. It's bad."

"Shit," she replied. "That's awful. Poor Max."

"Yeah. Empathy sort of takes on a new meaning when it comes to my twin. He's not doing too well."

"I can imagine."

"He wants to drop out of school to spend time with her. But I don't think Mom and Dad are too sold on that idea."

"I understand that. Not a lot of people get the option to embrace those last moments. I would be the same if a loved one was sick."

I opened the dining room door and slipped inside. The sound of the television hummed from the living room but when I tip toed past I almost scoffed in disgust because Mom and Dad were having a pash on the couch instead of watching the game highlights.