IMMORAL
— 2. Revelations
One year ago
"Brie, don't do this. Please! You're gonna get arrested!" Tyson pleaded as he watched Brielle walk down the sidewalk, tightly grasping a baseball bat, "Come on, Brielle, this is not gonna—"
Before Tyson could finish his sentence, Brielle whipped herself around to face him, a furious look on her face. "No, Ty! I'm doing this. I don't give a shit what you say. If you don't like it, leave."
Brielle shot her brother a glare before whipping herself around. She continued to walk down the sidewalk and without a care in the world, she swung at the window of a nearby car. She watched as the window shattered before doing the same to another car. She yelled out as she did so and Tyson flinched.
He watched as she hopped onto one of the cars and smashed the top of it.
"Hey! What are you doing!" A male voice shouted out and Brielle turned to see it was a cop.
She smirked, smashing yet another car window with her bat before she jumped off. She immediately began to run, the cop chasing after her.
When school was over, Brielle was relieved. However, just like the year before, since she didn't have a car and refused to take the bus home or walk home, Brielle was forced to wait for her father to be done working.
That day, instead of just hanging around inside like she used to, she found herself sitting on the school's front steps, waiting for him to be done. She knew she'd probably have to wait another hour but she honestly didn't care.
She had been scrolling through her phone when she heard someone giggle, causing her to see Isabel standing near some trees. She was laughing and smiling as she held hands with Drew.
He ended up tugging her closer to him, just before kissing her. They pulled away and kissed again, just before Isabel walked off with Drew smirking as he watched her walk away.
Once Isabel was out of sight, Drew's smile faded, which caused Brielle to frown. She watched as he walked in the direction of the bus lot before coming to a stop.
He removed his backpack and placed it on the ground. As if on cue, another man walked toward him holding another bag and Brielle sighed when she recognized the man.
Drew and the man talked for a moment before the man ended up stuffing a bag of what Brielle knew to be drugs into Drew's bag.
With that, the man walked off, and Drew stood in place for a moment before walking in the direction of the school. He hadn't even noticed Brielle sitting there until she decided to speak up.
"Why am I not surprised you're involved with Cash and his gang?" Brielle suddenly spoke up, causing Drew to groan and turn to her, "Did you learn anything from the shit he put me through last year?"
"How do you think I got involved with him in the first place?" Drew snapped at her coldly, "You left, he needed someone new to handle his business here at school. He ended up picking me because of you."
"What are you talking about?" Brielle asked, a puzzled look on her face.
"You and me, we're not like these other kids we go to school with," Drew reminded her in a calm tone, "We've had to fight for everything we have. We've gone through more shit than anyone at our school could ever imagine. We didn't grow up being raised by nannies with our mom and dads buying everything we ever wanted. We raised ourselves and supported ourselves. Cash knew that. He used that to his advantage and got me involved. I'm in his gang now and there's nothing I can do about it. Not that I mind. It puts food on the table."
"Your mom's not happy about it, I'm sure," Brielle remarked, only to watch as Drew's face fell, "What happened?"
"Things went downhill for me when we broke up," Drew admitted in a shameful tone, "I got involved in the gang and it didn't end well. My mom found out and kicked me out."
"Where have you been staying?" Brielle asked, a concerned look on her face.
"It doesn't matter," Drew argued and shook his head.
"Drew..." Brielle trailed off, a saddened look on her face. She stood up and slowly moved toward him. She went to reach for Drew, only to have him move away.
"Don't," Drew demanded in a low tone, "I don't want to do this. Not after everything. You've been gone for almost a year. You can't just come back and act as if nothing happened. You cheated on me."
"You cheated first," Brielle replied in a whisper, and Drew scoffed.
"No, I didn't. You thought I did, but I didn't. I would never cheat on you," Drew complained and Brielle frowned in concern.
"But Isa--" She began to say, only to cut herself off and sigh, "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean for it to happen. I never meant to hurt you."
"But you did," Drew pointed out and Brielle sighed in defeat.
"Yeah, I did," She replied in a soft tone. She nodded, stepping away from Drew with a defeated look on her face, "And I've regretted it ever since. I understand why you hate me. I would hate me too if I were you. So if you keep your distance from me, I get it."
Brielle turned on her heel and began to walk away, only to have Drew grab her by the arm. She turned to him, a puzzled look on his face. "What?"
"We were best friends before we dated. We were friends for years," He reminded her in a calm tone, "And I don't want to lose my best friend, Brie."
Brie stared up at Drew and nodded her head. She smiled slightly but didn't dare to respond. Her phone vibrated, causing her to immediately pull out her phone. She looked down at it, finding it to be a text from her dad. He was going to have to work later and was offering to buy her an Uber home.
"What's wrong?" Drew asked her curiously and Brie placed her phone back in her pocket.
"My dad can't bring me home today. He was asking if I wanted him to buy me an Uber," She informed him in a calm tone, "But you know me. I hate those things."
"You watched too many kidnapping videos on Youtube," He commented and Brie playfully rolled her eyes.
"I'm just going to walk," She admitted as she shrugged her shoulder, "See you tomorrow, I guess."
"I would offer to give you a ride, but I don't have a car. So why don't I walk you home?" He asked her curiously and Brielle frowned at him, "What? I'm being nice."
Brielle started up at Drew for a moment, gradually beginning to smile before she nodded her head in response.
Just moments later, Brielle and Drew walked down the street together, in the direction of where Brielle lived. It wasn't on the bad side of town, but it wasn't on the good side, either. She seemed to be in the middle, on a turf considered neutral. She had been lucky in that aspect.
"Since we're friends now, you mind telling me how you started dating Isabel?" Brielle asked, shooting him a questioning look.
Drew sighed in defeat and nodded. He was reluctant to tell her, but he knew she'd keep asking until she told him. "Isabel and I got closer when you went to juvie. I lost my best friend, Isabel did too," He began to explain and Brielle snorted at the part about Isabel, "We tried to fight our feelings, we did for months, but then we couldn't fight it anymore. We've been together since."
"Do you love her?" Brielle suddenly asked, staring up at Drew with an almost concerned look on her face. She watched as Drew didn't answer and instead shrugged, "Do you still love me?"
At that moment, Drew immediately turned away from Brielle, avoiding eye contact with her. "How's your girlfriend in juvie?" He suddenly spoke up and Brielle couldn't help but smile in amusement.
"She was just a fling to pass the time," She admitted, glancing down at the ground as she sighed, "It got lonely in there."
"And Jace? Do you still talk to him?"
"God, no!" Brielle exclaimed, causing Drew to turn to her frown at her outburst, "I haven't talked to him since the week before I went to juvie. He's bad news. I'd be smart to stay clear of him. Plus, he must be almost nineteen now. I'll pass."
"Why did you hook up with him?" Drew questioned, stopping in his tracks as he turned to face her fully, "What made you cheat on me with him?"
"My whole life, I've been alone. No one's had my back but me. Until you. You had my back through it all. I loved you, more than I've loved anyone. Then someone told me that you cheated on me when I was in New York with my family. I was heartbroken, you were distant. You barely texted me or even talked to me so I started to believe it. I felt betrayed. I was so angry. I wanted to get back at you. I needed to get back at you. Jace saw that and used it to his advantage. Not that I stopped him. I knew what he was doing and let it happen."
"I would never cheat on you, you must know that," Drew argued in a low tone, looking sincere as he moved closer to her, "You meant too much to me."
"What about now?" Brielle asked, staring up at Drew as they stood just inches away from each other.
"No, I'm with Isabel," He reminded her and shook his head in disapproval, "Things are different. Nothing will never be the same."
"Yeah, I know that. And I'm fine with that. As much as I hate to see you with her, that's not what hurts me the most. It's seeing you getting yourself involved with Cash and all his bull crap," She admitted, clearly believing it to be her own fault.
"It's not that bad. It's good to have people that will always have your back," He admitted and Brielle couldn't help but smile since she knew the feeling all too well.
"I know. I've been where you are. And trust me when I say there's no escaping what you got yourself into," She informed him, and Drew frowned in confusion.
"You escaped," He pointed out, which caused Brielle to scoff.
"I went to juvie, Drew. I didn't escape. It will be a matter of time before Cash comes knocking on my door, handing me a bag of pills to sell for him," She confessed, and Drew stared at her curiously.
"And will you do it?" He asked as he stepped closer to her.
"Of course," She replied without hesitation, knowing there was no point in lying to Drew, "What other choice do I have?"
Drew sighed and nodded his head in understanding. He knew she had a point but it didn't mean he liked the sound of it. They were both throwing their lives away because they were foolish enough to involve themselves in matters they shouldn't have.
"How's your dad?" Brielle suddenly spoke up, a curious look on his face, "You still see him?"
"Not really. I only see him when I go there to get some clothes. He and Mom are still not talking," He confessed and shrugged his shoulders, "And all of the times I've gone over there, he's drunk out of his mind."
"Does he still get angry?" Brielle asked and without him having to save a word, she knew by the look on his face that the answer was yes.
"We still have to do this interview for Mrs. Powell's class," Drew suddenly spoke up as he purposely changed the subject, "How 'bout you just do it and give me the rundown about it right before class? I think you know enough about me to answer the interview questions about me."
"Oh, you're helping me," Brielle argued as she shook her head in disapproval, "It's time you use your mouth for something useful instead of just using it to mouth people off and complain. Maybe something clever will even come out of it for once."
"Ouch," Drew responded, beginning to laugh, "That hurt. But you know, my mouth is useful. In many ways, actually. Maybe your time in juvie has made you forget that so why don't I show you."
In a teasing manner, Drew began to lean forward, only to have Brielle placed her hand over his face before pushing him back. "Yeah, how about no?" She commented, causing Drew to laugh in amusement, "The last thing I need right now is starting drama with Isabel 'cause her boyfriend kissed me."
"Mhm," Drew hummed in response, the two of them beginning to smile as they continued to walk down the street together.
It wasn't long before they arrived at Brielle's home and when they did, they stopped in front of the porch. They turned to face each other and Brielle sighed as she stared up at him.
"I really hope we can at least be friends," Brielle admitted in a soft tone, "I know I fucked up in the past, but I need you in my life, Drew. You might have been my first love, but more than that, you were my best friend and I don't want to lose my best friend."
"Me neither," Drew agreed, earning a soft smile from Brielle, "So I guess we're friends now?"
"Yup," Brielle nodded her head, "I just wonder what your little girlfriend will have to say about that."
"Who cares?" Drew asked, letting out a large scoff, "I can be friends with whoever I want."
Brielle hummed in response and turned to face her front door. "I guess this is it," She stated, beginning to smile, "See you tomorrow?"
Drew nodded and moved closer to Brielle. "You still have my number?" He asked her and Brielle nodded, "How about my Instagram, my snap?"
Brielle laughed, nodding her head. "Yeah, but it's not like I use them. I'm not dumb enough to put shit on the internet about me," She admitted, and Drew frowned in confusion, "I'm a foster kid, Drew. I'm not really allowed to post stuff about myself in case my parents, whoever they are, see it and try to come claim me back."
"That makes sense," Drew admitted, letting out a deep sigh. He always wondered why when they were dating she never wanted him to post about her. Now he understood why.
It had nothing to do with him. It had to do with the fear she felt regarding her birth parents trying to come find her. She knew nothing about them. She was only told that her mother was in jail and her father was involved with more crime and gangs than could fit on a single page. He was bad news and dangerous and was told that she wanted to be as far away from him as humanly possible if she wanted to keep her life.
"I should get inside," Brielle told Drew, awkwardly pointing to the door.
"Okay," Drew replied, smiling as he nodded his head, "Text me or something and we can finish that project."
Brielle nodded and was about to walk into her house when Drew grabbed her wrist. She turned to him, frowning.
She watched as he walked closer to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek before walking away. She watched him walk away, a puzzled look on her face.
"What the hell was that for?" She muttered under her breath, lightly rubbing where he had kissed her before she walked into her house.