When the Clouds Fell

Chapter 18: In Which Their Utopia Shatters ~Act 4~

Alternatively Titled: "Y'all Like Vince, Right?"

~🐍~

"What the (fudge) is he talking about?" Vince asked. He wanted to deny everything Mr. Hemingway had just said. He wanted to continue to live his blissful lie. But the words still rang in his head:

You were a mistake.

Karen's hand tightened in his. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy under the glow of the street lights. She mopped her nose with her sleeve. "What...are we?"

Colton pressed his lips together. He could not look at them. Not even now.

That only angered Vince more.

"How are we mistakes? How did we come into this world?" He gritted his teeth. "He was talking about our parents, wasn't he, Colton? Why? Tell me. Who were they? Why can't I remember them?"

Vince's brain pounded. A ringing began somewhere in the back of his mind, vibrating through all of his nerves as he tried to remember something—anything about his parents. His memories were vague and almost nonexistent. Even the people he could remember had no faces. Maybe he had been making everything up until this point?

He swallowed down an iron lump. "...Why can't I remember you?"

Last night at the party, he had begged for answer from Colton. Are you my brother? Just a simple yes or no would have sufficed, but he had not received anything. Today, Colton had the audacity to say he would never lose Vince again.

"Are you really my brother?"

Colton scratched the back of his head. He finally looked up. "Yes."

The heaviness returned to his throat, and tears prickled his eyes. Vince blinked them away. "I don't believe you," he said softly.

"I didn't expect you to. Not after my (crappy) job acting like your brother." He sighed as if the world had fallen on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Vince. I didn't want it to be like this. It was never my intention to lose you."

"Then why did you do it?" Karen snapped. "Where the hell have you been for the past nine years?!"

Vince was so thankful that she was there. If anyone understood him, it was Karen. Karen who promised to stay by his side forever. Karen who had always been there. Karen who knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.

Colton's jaw tightened. "I..." He looked away. "I was being an idiot. I was too stupid to understand what I was doing. I've regretted it my whole life. I'm so, so sorry, Vince." He picked at the lint on his sweater. "I'm sorry for leaving you."

Karen sniffled. Her cheeks were wet once more, and her lips trembled.

Vince was stunned. "Why are you crying, Karen?" He blinked and his own tears slid out. He cupped her face in his hands, heart squeezing.

She shook her head and whimpered harder. A gnarled vine sprouted between her curls. "It's not fair! I-it's not fair to be abandoned and then get an apology like it'll fix everything." She turned to Colton, anger leaking out along with her tears. "How could you? Do you even know h-how (crappy) Vince felt after last night? How dare you think you can make everything all right so easily! And you can barely even look him in the eye, too!"

Colton flinched. "I didn't want that! But I didn't know what to do back then. After the fire, I just—just wanted to forget everything. I know it probably sounds like a (crap) excuse, but I was ten, I didn't know anything back then. And Garret, he—"