NEON

54. Set Up

Booker.

"Booker are you done bro?" I looked up and saw Jacob sitting next to me on the couch.

"What do you want?" I asked him standing up. I put on my coat and watched him turn on the tv, ignoring me completely.

I rolled my eyes and left my house. I walked twelve houses away and knocked on my grandmothers door. "Booker dear!" She smiled and walked her oxygen tank with her to hug me. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Come on Grandma, lets get you inside." I held her tank for her and she followed me inside, up the stairs to her bed. "How you doing Grandma? Holland treating you well? Are you getting caught up on all of the latest sport happenings?" My grandmother was the biggest sports fan in our entire family.

"Oh would you stop getting on ye brother? He has done a brave thing moving in with me." My grandmother is the Irish one in the family. Even after 18 years it is still hard to understand her.

"Yeah but I would've taken the opportunity in a heartbeat if I was told." I began taking her slippers off. She chuckled and rubbed my back.

"Don't stress darling. You were taking care of George." My shoulders slumped and I didn't say anything after that. "You know, they called yesterday and said he was doing quite well." She said trying to cheer me up.

"Yeah Grandma, I know." I smiled and sat at the end of her bed. "Dad told me a while ago." I told her.

"You should visit him. He has been asking for you." She tapped my knee. "What's wrong with you love? You seem a bit more down than usual."

"I just miss him Grandma." Or my girlfriend just dumped me because her stupid fucking idiot brother got inside her head and messed with her feelings so she fucking dumped me. I still can't believe it. She dumped me. We have worked so damn hard just so she could dump me.

"Yeah that's sweet but what else is bothering you." She demanded this time. I huffed and played with my jacket.

"You remember me telling you about my girlfriend?" I asked. She nodded, "well-" now that I think of it, I don't know where to begin. I can't start from her sister is in the hospital because she would just ask why and I can't start from she broke up with me cause then she would ask why and I don't know.

I don't fucking know.

"Grandma, I honestly don't want to talk about it right now? Is that okay?" I said sadly. She smiled and nodded her head. I got off the bed and bent down to give her a hug and kiss goodbye.

"I love you Booker." I responded the same and made my way out of the house.

Once I stepped outside it was already sprinkling. I put my hood up and stuffed my hands in my front pockets, my right hand cradling my phone in case she called.

"Booker!" I turned around and saw the dark brown curls running towards me.

"Lexie I really don't want to talk to you right now." I turned back around and kept walking.

"Please Booker, just please let me explain my side." She walked next to me. She was out of breath from running to me. I can't really have sympathy for her and I won't give her my jacket because she decided to leave her house wearing shorts and a tank-top.

"Yeah okay. Go on explain to me how you lied about who you really are and while you're at it you can explain to me what made you think," I stopped and looked at her, "you had the right to completely fuck up my girlfriends life." I glared at her and watched as she struggled to find the right words. I walked on and she followed.

"I know it doesn't seem like I can explain that and I really can't because it's not my business, but, I can tell you that I didn't want her to come between us. I didn't want her to ruin what I have set up." I stopped walking again.

"What did you set up? I don't want to be any part of another twisted Alder family showcase. I'm done with you Lexie. Absolutely done." I pushed her hands away from me when she tried to reach for my shoulders.

"I'm scared." She said not following me this time when I walked away. "I don't know him and he found me after I tried to avoid him. I wanted to show him that I had someone that could keep me safe." She yelled after me.

I stopped walking and turned around. "And you didn't tell me anything? You were pretending to be my best friend after all." I snapped and walked backwards to talk to her.

"I wasn't pretending Booker! I was your best friend! I am your best friend." I stopped walking and let her catch up to me. She put her arms around my neck and kept saying she is sorry into my shoulder.

I pulled her arms off of me and shoved them away, down to her sides. "You are nothing to me." I growled. I turned to walk away. Having absolutely no intention on turning around.

"So what then? You are gonna throw away everything we ever had for some used up slut!" She yelled.

"We had nothing! And don't talk about yourself that way Lex. It's bad for the confidence you lack." I kept walking forward with a wide smirk on my face.

And then I realized she was talking about my girlfriend- my ex girlfriend I should say and my wicked smile was wiped away and replaced with a straight line and a crease between my eyebrows.

Kaplan isn't a slut. She has only ever been with two guys. I mean, she is still a virgin. Unlike Lexie who can write a book about how many sexual encounters she has had.