Treebros Fanfiction

18

(Connor POV) 

I sit in the passenger seat of the car, waiting for Zoe to finish doing her makeup in the rearview mirror so we can actually go to school. 

"I kissed Evan." I mostly just say it to get a reaction out of her, but also because she should probably know. She and Evan were kind of going out or something, right? 

Her reaction is almost comical. Her hand slips, smearing lip gloss over her face, and lands on the horn. An old lady walking outside glares at us, and I glare back. 

Zoe screws the lid back onto the lip gloss and wipes the smeared makeup off her face with the back of her hand. She doesn't get all of it. I don't tell her that. 

"For real? Like, you're serious?" She doesn't seem angry. In fact, I'd say she's excited about it, for some reason. 

"Yeah, I'm serious. That's a stupid fucking thing to make up." 

"Finally!" She shuts the mirror on the sun visor and flips it up. "He literally talks about you all the time. I was getting worried he'd never have the balls to actually do anything!" 

"I thought you two were dating!" 

"Yeah, as a cover! I like girls!" 

Well, that's stupid. Cynthia and Larry wouldn't care if she wanted to date girls. And after the story he told me about his mom, I think the last thing Larry wants is grandchildren. No need to be passing our fucked genes down. 

And those fucked genes make me goddamn paranoid, so her friendly behavior is suspicious. 

"Why are you being nice to me?" I ask as she finally starts the car and we get on our way to school. 

It's weird. We haven't been nice to each other in years, and the only reason I can think of for why she'd do that is if she wants something from me. But I don't have anything. 

"You're trying to get better," she comes up with a lame excuse. "I can tell. And I want to support you so you can, I don't know, feel more motivated." 

I have made no steps toward getting better. At all. There's no way she 'can tell.' 

"Did Larry say something to you?" I accuse. "What'd he say? 'Cause whatever it is, he's fucking lying." 

Larry just wants everyone to think I'm crazy. I'm not crazy. 

"Dad didn't say anything!" 

"I know he said something-" 

"Connor!" she barks at me, pulling over abruptly even though we've barely gone anywhere. "Shut up- I'm talking now. Look at yourself. You're losing weight, you're either not sleeping or you're asleep all the time, and you're acting like a maniac! You are sick, and it's becoming harder and harder to ignore that. I'm being nice to you because you need support. You need help. Mom and Dad have both failed you, and yeah, that is absolutely their fault, but they're trying now. You gotta meet them halfway. And I'm gonna try, too. I don't... I don't want you to destroy yourself." 

Great, she's crying now. 

I reach toward her and pat her shoulder awkwardly. Physical contact isn't exactly our thing, but she leans into the touch immediately. 

"Can't you just try?" she whimpers. 

"I stopped using." I feel like she deserves something for her efforts, so she gets that. 

"What?" She doesn't believe me. 

"Yeah. My adult boyfriend was kind of my supplier, anyway, and I ditched him, so..." I half grimace/ half smile. "I think that's probably why I've been so... off... this last week. Withdrawal."