38 = the truth & i love you

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brandy's point of view

it was around 10:30 now and the six of us were all drunk as can be. i was currently leaning against the wall watching my friends enjoy themselves. music was blasting on the radio and feldman and jason were lining up more shots. i laughed to myself as jake, naomi, and haim all danced together in the middle of the room. throwing a party in an empty apartment was definitely a good way to go.

i decided i needed some fresh air to cool down so i opened the window the corey's came through and climbed out onto the fire escape.  i sat down, cup of vodka still in hands and breathed in the air of the cool night. there were barely any cars on the road below me so it was quiet out here.

"hey." the sound of corey h's voice rang behind me. he was climbing out of the window to sit beside me.

"hi." i said softly.

"it's nice out here, right?"

"yeah, it's a cool vibe sitting on this thing." i looked down at the black stairs that led to a ladder and then the sidewalk.

"i wanted to tell you i'm sorry that your secret got out ..." haim said quietly, referring to my sexual assault.

"thank you." i said, looking down at my drink.

"and i feel like a really bad friend for not realizing you were using. if i would've known, i would've tried to help-"

"don't. there's no need to feel like that. you're a good friend, corey. the drug abuse was all my fault and my own problem. i purposefully tried to hide it from everyone." a moment of silence passed before i let out a small laugh, "if maggie saw me drinking right now she'd kill me."

"yeah ... was this a bad idea?" he motioned to our drinks.

i shook my head, "nah, i'm fine with alcohol. it won't make me lose control, i promise."

"okay, good. because i really want you to stay clean, kennedy. wow, that feels so weird calling you that."

i smiled at him, "i won't relapse, trust me."

"look at them in there." corey laughed. i turned my head to look back inside. corey f was cheering jason on as he drank multiple shots.

"they're gonna have a rough time tomorrow morning." haim laughed.

"it's actually good they know." I blurted out which caused haim to look at me confusedly, "michael and maggie and everyone. it's actually good they know i was raped."

"really?"

"yeah," i nodded, "because anyone who's endured such trauma always wants to keep it in and bury it inside of them. I think it's the shame it causes you to feel. you feel like you can't tell anyone about it because what if they don't believe you, or what if the person who did it denies it? all that bullshit. and it is bullshit. because it's a crime and we shouldn't feel like we can't come out about it because we're scared of what everyone will think. we need to tell someone because that's the only way you can actually start to heal from it."

corey listened intensively to my rant with his head leaned back against the window.

"so basically, it's good to talk about it no matter how scared you are. because if you don't, you're gonna be living with that secret for the rest of your life and each day it'll eat at you even more until it probably kills you in one way or another."

"why do i feel like this is directed at me?"

I leaned my head against the window like he was doing, "remember how feldman asked if we could tell you guys your futures?"

he nodded.

"i don't know if it's even one hundred percent true but, he talks about it in the years to come. about you and things that happened when the two of you were younger and on set. just like how it happened to me." i shrugged, "at work. a place we should feel safe and not have to go through something as terrible as that."

i watched as corey looked off into the distance at the other buildings around us. "maybe it's not true, i'm not exactly sure. but if it is, i just wanted to try and help in any way I coul-

"thank you." he cut my sentence short and then turned to look at me, "i-it does help."

i gave him a small smile and then held out my pinky, "a promise that you can trust me." that got him to crack a smile and he intertwined his pinky with mine.

"now come on! let's go see what our drunk ass friends have been up to." i stood up and held out my hand to help him up.

"kennedy!" jason drunkenly yelled out once he saw corey and i step back inside. i walked over to him and he pulled me into a hug.

"god, i missed you, where'd you go?" he looked down at me and his eyes were so heavy. the amount of shots he's taken was clearly visible.

"i was just outside with corey." i laughed, "for like ten minutes."

"damn, that's so long." he slurred and grabbed my hand, pulling me off into another room where none of our friends could hear us.

"listen, i wish you weren't here by accident and you really lived here. because i don't wanna live in a world without you." he held me by the waist as i stood with my back to the wall.

"i don't wanna leave here either."

"you know why? because i love you. there, i said it, i fucking love you. and it's not because i'm drunk, ken, i swear. this is sober me talking."

i smiled up at him and I felt my heart beating very fast, "i love you, jason."

"cops!" naomi and jake appeared in the doorway of the room we were in.

"what?" i asked.

"there's a cop knocking at the door!"

"shit, we gotta go." jason said, grabbing my hand and running out of the room. i could hear the knocks on the door now and the man on the other side yelling for us to open it. it was probably a noise complaint and for an apartment that currently is listed as vacant, isn't a good situation at all.

"we gotta go, we gotta go!" feldman whisper-yelled.

"the fire escape!" i said and then ran over, opening the window. we all climbed out one by one as quickly as we could and then carefully ran down the steps. i dropped the ladder down and watched my footing as i descended.

"naomi, be careful!" i yelled to my best friend who was wearing heels.

"god, i'm so glad we parked right here and not in the front of the building." jake said once his feet landed on the sidewalk, "fuck, who's driving?"

"i'm feeling dizzy." naomi said, walking over to the bushes. i opened my mouth to speak but the sound of her throwing up into a bush stopped me from saying anything.

"i'll drive!" jason stumbled towards the car.

"no the fuck you won't, i will. i'm already half way sober."

"half way sober driving is still a death sentence, kennedy." jake said.

"do you have a better idea?"

"HEY!" a voice from above us caused all of our heads to look up. it was the cop leaning out the window we just escaped from.

"get in the car!" jake yelled, running to the vehicle. i quickly hopped in the drivers seat and waited until everyone else was in too.

"all of you better buckle the fuck up." i said, putting the car in drive and then slamming my foot on the gas.

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WAIT READ THIS :

what do y'all wanna see more of in this story bc the plots boutta really pick up next chapter !

more friendships, fame talk, comedy, s e x (consensual obvi), CRIME, anything lmao - LET ME KNOW in a comment bc i want y'all to enjoy reading !! :)

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