JOSH’S P.O.V.
These kids are lucky most of the parents here are at the fucking bar tonight because they’re hardly being subtle about what they’re doing. At least when we did initiation there was an element of espionage to the whole thing.
The music has been pumping for hours but it’s finally dying down. I promised myself I didn’t care what they were up to but I still did a drive by through the fourth floor just to make sure everyone was safe before my video chat with Liam. He seemed okay with Heather at Steve’s but he didn’t want to stay the night there alone, so he’s sleeping over Al’s instead.
He likes being in their house, I think it makes him feel safe to be surrounded by a strong family. The only place he’s ever felt safe otherwise is with me, sometimes I question why Chrissy even insisted on keeping him. Her mothering instincts are non existent and it’s him that suffers.
I finally managed to get the WiFi boosted to hit this room and after answering the hundred emails I should be ignoring on my week off, I set up Netflix and got ready to settle in. That girl Zoe’s aunt popped by earlier and said she’d make sure all the kids made it back to their own rooms so I was free to just chill.
The film is buffering again but I wasn’t really watching it anyway, flipping through insta and seeing the photos my mum put up from her latest adventure with her sister. The guy with his arm around her in the last one is younger than me and I shudder thinking of what she’s up to right now.
Not that she’ll have any problems telling me all about it when she calls next, since divorcing my father her personal share boundaries have dramatically decreased. She’s happy though, and that’s all I want for her. After so many years sacrificing her life to make everyone else around her more secure, she deserves it.
I spot a photo of Tara and Cole, the first photo she’s posted since May forced her to get with the times and set up an account.
Clicking on her profile I see she’s only got about ten followers, me included. It’s funny, she probably doesn’t even know how to work it. Tara has to be ten years younger than Cole but he’s still better with technology than she is.
I glance through the list of names until I stop at one.
‘TheBetterThompsonBrother’
Can’t imagine Jayce was too impressed with that choice.
I’m not sure why I haven’t looked him up before, I should have. I’m not a massive social media guy but I should’ve checked in on him long before now.
Starting to scroll through his photos, I didn’t realise how adventurous his life is now. There’s ones of him and that boy Eli cliff jumping somewhere off the coast, snowboarding like pros and of course a shit load of them playing ball.
I try not to focus on the ones of him with no top on for too long, but fuck me.. that guy is definitely not fucking around in the gym.
Scrolling back is like watching him grow in reverse, I hadn’t realised how long I’d been staring at his photos until I came to the last one, the first one he ever posted and the one most closely resembling the kid I remember. It’s one from Jayce and Aleah’s wedding, a throw back considering the account was only set up like two years ago. It feels like yesterday we were all there.
It’s one of the professional shots the photographer took but I don’t think it’s one I’ve seen before. He isn’t looking at the camera but he’s smiling widely at something just outside of shot. The caption at the bottom makes my smile grow to match the one I see here.
‘Back when I was cute.’
Yeah, he was. He was so fucking innocent, so gentle. It’s a complete contradiction to the man he’s become. Now he’s so strong, the people around him clearly respect the guy but he’s still got that kind nature too. He’s still Milo, he’s just.. different.
Just as I go to leave the page a loud knock at the door makes me jump out of my skin, accidently smashing the like button on a photo from two fucking years ago!
“Shit!”
Oh fucking hell, he’s going to think I was fucking stalking him! What kind of fucking weirdo likes a photo of a guy they’re not even following from two years ago... Kill me now.
I unlike quickly but I know the damage is done, he’s probably staring at his phone notifications right now and figuring out the best way to avoid me for the next six days.
Another loud knock comes at the door, this time more urgent than the last. Dropping my phone on the bed I rush over to the door, trying not to let the embarrassment eat me alive before I get there.
Pulling it open, I don’t even know what to make of this situation before me. Eli, clearly not entirely sober himself, but carrying an almost unconscious Milo’s weight on his shoulder.
“What the fuck did you two do? I told you not to get smashed!”
Eli struggles under the weight of Milo and I quickly wrap my arm around his waist and loop his arm over my shoulder to help hold him up.
“Well we’re teenagers so clearly we didn’t fucking listen. Look, he can’t stay in our room tonight, Luke is still in there and if Milo sees him he might kill him.”
Luke? Oh, hooter man’s kid. “What did he do?”
Eli helps me shuffle the guy over to the spare bed before we drop him.
“He um.. He kind of fucked Zoe. I think, I’m not entirely sure how far it went and Milo won’t speak to her yet. You’re cool right? You won’t say anything. He’s on his last warning after everything with the crash and if Coach finds out he got like this he’ll strip him of captain and probably throw him off the team too. Just let him crash here, please? I’ll grab him some pain killers and shit for the morning from his bag. He’s been in worse states than this and played.”
For fucks sake. This is not what I signed on for, but it should’ve been expected really. I managed to get both Brie and Aleah home in one piece after Al’s bachelorette party without killing the pair, this can’t be worse than that.
“Okay, just help me get him into the be-”
Just as the words were about to leave my mouth, something very different leaves Milo’s. He throws up, a lot. Eli almost drops him running away but I manage to keep him from falling into his own sick whilst trying not to fucking gag.
Him, the bed, all of it fucking covered.
“Shit!” The scent of vomit fills the room and I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at the state of the poor boy. His once closed eyes open slightly, and catch mine.
The smallest smile makes its way onto his face, the loss of that much alcohol obvious bringing him back to the land of the living slightly.
“Your eyes are so b-blue...”
This drunken mess might be bloody massive, but it doesn’t stop him being really fucking cute. Jesus Christ Josh, never ever think that again...
“Yes they are.” I chuckle, Eli finally returning from his gagging fit to watch me get Milo over to the chair by the desk and set him down off his feet. “You strip him off and throw him in my bed, I’ll sort this.”
Eli looks from me to Milo and back again. “Damn it man, you definitely work out.”
This guy definitely picks his moments to make a compliment. “Now is not the fucking time Eli! Sort your mate out.”
Taking one of the laundry bags from the wardrobe, I chuck all the soiled bedding inside, along with Milo’s clothes and my own t-shirt when I realise he got some seriously questionable stuff all down the side of it.
Milo manages to stand on his feet long enough to use some mouthwash, with Eli’s assistance, before he drops him now in just his tight white Calvin Klein boxers straight onto the side of the bed not containing my laptop. I throw open the window to let some fresh air in here before I hurl too.
Eli is almost falling asleep himself but I’m not looking after two of the fuckers.
“Are you good to get back to your room now or do you need me to walk you?”
Eli shakes his head, he’s definitely nowhere near as far gone as his buddy here. I wish I could have a go at them but I was doing the exact same thing at their age. Fuck, I sound old.
I stand in the hallway and watch Eli stumble all the way back to his room like a new-born gazelle before locking the door. As I step back in I can see Milo is trying to sit up, attempting to pull the blanket over him to warn off the chill from the open window that’s hitting his naked skin.
The moonlight coats him like every inch of his flesh is made of diamonds, reflecting back the bouncing rays. The photos he had up don’t even do him justice, it’s hard to imagine why Zoe would risk losing a guy like this, any of the girls I went to high school with would’ve given their right fucking leg to have a boyfriend that looked like him, that cared like him.
I know a few guys that still would.
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