Chapter Six
❝People can stay, leave, or save others,
but by far the most dangerous thing they can ever do is come back.❞
Fate did not exist.
In fact, he strictly lived against that made-up belief. He didn't want to entertain the idea that his destiny had been pre-determined. It couldn't be. Because if it was, that meant whatever obstacles he had faced and pain he had endured, it was planned. He had no choice in them at all.
Fate belittled him.
So Lenny must've rattled him up pretty damn hard if the only conclusion he had found was fate.
Why was it her that he stumbled into that night? Why was it her that found his sketchbook, and spilled its contents? Why was it her that he needed to stay away from but couldn't for the life of him do? He thought it was bad luck, but three times a coincidence...
She basically had all the arson she needed to strike an arrow through his heart, and she didn't even know it.
"Hey." Zach lightly smacked the top of his head. "Earth to Theo?"
He blinked. "What?"
His friend gave him a look. "If you hadn't noticed for the past thirty minutes, we have a huge problem here." He gestured to their couch.
Or, specifically, who was on it.
A young boy was snoring peacefully, mouth parted slightly and his front against the pillows as one arm hung precariously towards the floor. Theo's brows furrowed with concern — it was obvious the boy was tired. Anyone would be, if they had travelled from the other side of the country.
But the hows and whys made his blood boil. He wasn't angry at the boy, but at the people who were pulling his strings; a fury that had been building up since he was fifteen. Theo knew why he was here, what they wanted him to do.
"What do we do with him?" Theo murmured.
Zach sighed, running a hand through his hair. "He's your little brother. You decide."
"Hey, you know he's as much as your brother as mine."
The two looked each other in the eye for a while. Zach didn't disagree.
Theo reached forward and gently shook the boy's shoulder.
The boy groaned, squinting against the sunlight, before finally adjusting his view. "Oh, hey. Did I fall asleep? Sorry."
"You did." Looking into those eyes, the same shade as his but with an innocence he never had, was not an easy task. "And it's fine."
Chase let out a loud yawn and straightened up, stretching his arms wide, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. Then his eyes flickered to the person standing next to his brother.
"Zach!"
Zach let out an oof! as Chase got up and tackled him, wrapping his arms around his shoulders tightly. After catching a few breaths, the blond relaxed and returned the boy's hug, an affectionate smile on his face.
"Missed you too, kiddo."
Theo ignored the slight pain in his chest. "Chase," he started slowly. "You can't stay."
Chase froze as he let go of Zach. "What?"
"You can't stay," he repeated, swallowing the lump in his throat. "You need to go home."
"But — but I just got here!" The hurt expression on his face broke Theo's heart. Zach muttered an incoherent curse, looking away from the conversation. "You can't just kick me out! This is the first time I've seen you in months!"
"And with good reason!" Theo yelled back. He pinched his nose, steadying his breaths. "And I can kick you out. You're not here because you want to be, alright? This is all part of Mom and Dad's sick game — "
"I don't care!" Chase's eyes were already glassy. "I don't care what you think or what they say! I'm here, and I'm staying. How many times do I have to tell you for you to accept it?!"
"A hundred and more times," the older boy retorted.
"Fine." The young boy held his chin up, and for the first time, Theo saw the strength he often didn't see in himself. "It's going to take you a hundred and more times to get rid of me."
***
Chase was reading a college physics textbook for fun.
It was times like these where Theo wondered if they were actually related.
His little brother — this smart, bright, happy kid — who was the complete opposite of him. Another example was their reactions towards this exact outing: Chase wasn't frazzled one bit, lying down on the makeshift blanket with ease, but Theo had never felt more uncomfortable in his whole life.
"What are you, uh," he cleared his throat, "reading?"
Chase gave a toothy grin. "Did you know that tidal waves are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and the sun?" he sang, his mood a hundred-and-eighty from their fight earlier. "That means that the closer the sun or the moon is, the tides get higher. The highest waves are usually caused when there's a full moon — because ocean is drawn towards it. Did you know that?"
Theo blinked. "No," he simply said, at a loss of words. "I didn't know."
Chase continued reading as if he hadn't replied at all.
It was weird looking up at his face up close. Yes, they resembled one another — the same mop of dark brown hair, blue eyes, defined jaw — but something wasn't quite right about Chase's complexion. He couldn't put it to words, but it was just very... distinct.
"I'm going to get a snack," Chase blurted.
Theo frowned. "What?" But he already stood up, and heading towards a random direction. "Wait, hold up! Chase!"
Christ.
When he realised where he was going, he wanted to curse himself. Curse himself to the ends of the earth. Because of course, his little brother was distracted by the first huge thing he saw. Theo didn't know how he could've missed it the first time.
"Welcome to Anchor's!" Lenny's voice, cheerful and annoying, came into view. He should've bought earplugs. "Oh, why hello, stranger. You look familiar."
Chase beamed. "Hi, stranger! I would say you look familiar too, but we've never met before."
She laughed. "I like you. Let me introduce myself." She stretched out a hand, a warmth in her brown eyes that Theo knew for sure was the reason why people were drawn here. "Lenny."
"I'm Chase," he perked up. "And this is my — "
"Brother," Theo grunted, stopping next to him.
Lenny blinked in surprise, looking back and forth between them. "Huh, I never would've guessed." She grinned and tilted her head playfully. "Are you sure you're Theo's brother?"
"Of course I'm sure," Chase frowned. "Why do you think I'm lying?"
Theo's body tensed.
"I'm not." She just smiled reassuringly. "It's just that you're smiling right now whereas your big brother there looks at me like I've ruined his favorite sweater ever since we've met."
Great. She was curious and witty.
"Oh!" Chase let out a giddy laugh. "That's so true!"
The two proceeded to joke around and laugh like they were old friends.
Theo stared at them, wondering if he understood the situation clearly. For most of his life, he'd encountered a lot of different reactions from people who knew his brother — whether it be confusion, discomfort, pity or even prejudice. Once Chase opened his mouth and people realised he was different, every view of him changed.
But Lenny was treating him like a normal human being. Just as he should be.
He looked closely at her. Theo could confidently say that he was good at reading people, but at this moment, he couldn't read anything else in her expression other than giving the biggest smile he'd ever seen someone give his little brother.
When she looked at Theo, though, all she gave was a neutral smile, quick and fleeting, one he'd seen her parade to many other customers out of mere courtesy. Like he was just another customer.
A slight pang ran through his chest.
But this was what he wanted, right?
"Can you make me a drink?" he heard Chase say. "No alcohol, though. Maybe lemonade. I'm still underage."
She chuckled. "Alright." Her eyes flickered to Theo. "Anything for you?"
For you to stop messing with my head. "I'll take a lemonade."
"Two lemonades to go." Lenny was making them herself, working just behind the counter, allowing for more conversation to flow. "So, Chase, why didn't you arrive here with your brother? Didn't want to miss witnessing the greatest shack in the world?" Her cheeky smile never faltered. "That's us, by the way."
"Obviously!" Chase grinned. "Well, originally, I didn't plan on going, but our parents — "
"That's enough for now," Theo cut off sharply. "No need to be telling your life stories to people you've just met."
Lenny's smile wavered.
Theo, why do you have to be such an asshole?
After that, their small acquaintance came to an abrupt end. Chase, of course, didn't notice the change in atmosphere as he started babbling about something else — but Theo noticed. He noticed how Lenny was keeping herself busy, serving customers as far away from them as possible. But she still smiled like no one did her wrong.
Theo had to look away.
It seemed the lemonades eased off the tension, because Lenny was back cheerful again, kicking off a chat with Chase about the Championships.
"It's Zach's first year, so of course we're worried, but he's the best surfer out there," Chase's voice gushed with pride. Theo acted like it didn't bother him.
"Oh, I don't know, I know a lot of good surfers here," Lenny teased lightly. "Do you know how to surf, Chase?"
"Sure I do!" He grinned. "Zach taught me some moves. You just put your arms out like this — "
A splash! erupted near them, followed by an audible gasp and glass shattering on wood. All eyes turned to Chase, then behind him, where a man was staring down at his Mojito drink that had just fallen. His T-shirt had a large stain. The man slowly looked up to the boy, whose frozen hands were still outstretched like how surfers would balance themselves on a board.
"What the hell?" the man let out.
Chase paled. "Oh God, sir, I'm so sorry — "
"You should watch where you're going!" he spat. "What's wrong with you? Do you have any sense of your surroundings? Are you blind, kid?"
"N-no," he stuttered, "I j-just didn't see you — I'll pay for — "
"I don't want your money!" he hurled back. "Spoiled rich kid. Where are your parents? Clearly you need to learn some manners, you know, like a normal person should have."
"Hey," Theo snapped, stepping forward. "Don't talk to my brother like that."
"Your brother?" The man let out a laugh. "Are you sure about that? Because he looks nothing like you. Actually, he doesn't look like anything to me. Was he dropped in the head multiple times?"
He lost it.
"Say that one more time," he breathed through his nostrils, jaw clenched, fists ready for a fight. "Say that one more time, you motherfucker, and I'll break your fucking — "
"Theo."
A soft hand was over his. A hand that was unfamiliar to him, yet so familiar that it was enough to make him halt his words and look down.
It was Lenny's hand.
Slowly, she pried his fingers away that was clenched around a fist. He felt himself letting go at her touch, warm and seeming to calm the storm in his eyes.
And as he looked up at her, she gave him such a heartbreaking look before subtly cocking her head to the boy behind him.
Chase was crying.
"As a matter of fact, sir," Lenny said politely, but sharply, "You're the one that needs to get some manners, and learn how to behave properly in a public setting, like a normal person. You're an adult, and you're degrading a fifteen-year-old child for a simple mistake. So I need you to leave, sir, and never come back."
Whatever was going on between her and the customer were muffled in his ears. All thoughts vanished as he watched tears flow down his brother's cheeks, him sniffing in order to control them.
He just didn't know how to stop hurting the people he loved most.
A/N:
I apologise if things are getting too fast, I honestly can't tell if this is fast-paced or slow-paced. It's just my pace.