Falling In Love With My Enemy's Brother by: Faerie_Writer
CHAPTER 24
"Oh no..." I mumbled, as Luke marched over here, and looked straight at Parker and asked, "What are YOU doing here?"
"I transferred here." Parker snarled.
Matt was quick to jump in, "But only for the month, so don't get used to this place JULIET."
"It's Julian." Parker growled, and Matt just raised an eyebrow.
"You sure about that? You look like a little whiny girl to me!"
"Am not!"
"Are to!"
"Aren't!"
"Are!"
"AREN'T!"
"ARE!"
I put my head in my hands as I turned to Luke, and mumbled, "You just HAD to get them started again didn't you."
Luke remained oblivious to my presence as he turned to Parker and Matt, "Well, well, well... looks like the new boyfriend and old boyfriend are getting along swimmingly."
Matt turned to him and blinked, "First of all, that sentence made NO sense, and second what the heck do you mean, new boyfriend and old boyfriend?" Uh-oh.
Luke sneered, "Haven't you heard Mattie boy, you've been replaced by a new and better version." He gestured to Parker and Matt looked at him then back at me with questioning eyes.
"What...?" He asked, and I tried to explain that's not how it is, but how was I supposed to say that in front of Luke? I didn't want Matt's family to get in trouble.
"These two were all over each other at Salt's..." Luke continued, recounting the events, and as I watched Matt's frown grow deeper with every word I realized I should have told him yesterday night about Parker.
Unfortunately, it was too late for that now.
Matt looked at me hurt, "Is that true?"
I said nothing. If I denied it Luke would come after me, but if I accepted it... it would hurt Matt even more.
Matt blinked as he stared at me, and when I continued my silence he said, "Oh. I see how it is." Then he stormed out of the room, while I watched helplessly after him.
"Matt wait!" I called out, but Parker caught my wrist.
"What about my tour?" He asked. Are you kidding me? Couldn't he see this was ten times more important?
I was about to say 'screw your tour' when I got an idea. I grabbed Parker and Luke's wrists and pulled them together.
"Luke meet Parker. Parker meet Luke. Luke you will be giving Parker a tour around the school, ok? Ok. Bye!"
And without giving them a chance to realize what I had just done, I dashed out the door after Matt.
Blindly running through the hallways, I didn't bother to make sure I wasn't running into anyone and didn't really care when I did. I couldn't believe what had just happened between these three, suddenly entangled guys in my life, and the only thing I could seriously focus on was how much I wanted to kill Luke.
Honestly, if I only had a gun... But I had more important worries to focus on at the moment.
Pushing the renegade hateful thoughts from my head, I began to pick up speed as I reached the double doors leading to the parking lot.
With a quick glance around the jam-packed spaces, I attempted to pick out Matt's car among the sea of Hybrids and sportscars crowding the lot.
With no luck whatsoever after glancing around frantically, I understood something deep down. What if Matt truly was done? Done with me, done with us?
Maybe I'd really gone and messed things up, no hope for reconciliation, and had torn apart our relationship-and whatever we were now defined as.
My heart felt heavy and my chest clenched tightly as I stooped down to the pavement. Placing my head in my hands, I let my hair cascade down my face, keeping time with the tears that slid down also.
What had I let happen at Salt's? How could I have been such a fool? Because now, the only thing I had left to show for my mistakes was a broken heart.
How I made it through the rest of the day was a blur after the fact. I conveniently ignored both Luke and Parker and their pranks {i.e. heart pencils left broken in half on my desk}
and kept to myself, so that in itself seemed to be a contributing factor. After the final bell rung, I dashed into my car, deciding that on the ride home, I would make a quick stop.
Pulling up at the McDonalds closest to my house and stepping inside the whitewashed chain restaurant , I despairingly plunked money on the counter while glumly requesting a McFlurry to drown my troubles away with.
Too far gone in my own sorrow, I barely registered who was working behind the counter until a perfectly anti-makeup face peeked sheepishly from under the standard hairnet and bright golden hat.
"Serafina?" I exclaimed.
"Shh.....quiet, Sam!" Serafina flared, placing a manicured nail to her lips.
The irony of finding the most popular girl in school working at a fast food restaurant and getting paid minimum wage nearly tackled me head on and I almost dropped my frozen treat after a bewildered Serafina pushed it into my hands.
This was possibly the best thing that had happened to me in light of this crisis with Matt.
"What are you doing here?" I choked out, spooning the ice cream in my mouth quickly to cover up my almost-laugh.
Serafina glared at me, but beneath her apparent anger were traces of embarrassment and vulnerability.
"I got in trouble, okay. My parents figured I needed a break from the 'lavishness' of not having to make my own money for a change. That, and I snuck out to go hang with Dixon, my boyfriend. But, that's like, minor."
Serafina scooped an order of fries into a small cardboard container, tossing her silky hair as she handed them over to the guy behind the drive-thru window.
"Dixon!" She whispered, turning back to me and jabbing a thumb over her shoulder with a wink to the attractive-yet-stupid-looking drive-thru dude. I didn't recognize him from any high school around, and he definitely looked like a college student.
Typical Serafina. She'd probably gone through all the decent high school guys by now, anyway.
"He took the job to spend more time with me! Isn't that great? Best part is, the 'rents still don't know!" Turning to Dixon again, she threw him a kiss with her palm.
"Real great," I muttered, plucking my book bag of the ground and turning to go.
"Wait!" I stopped in my tracks and spun around, blinking my eyes shut in annoyance. Serafina stared at me doe-eyed. "What's your problem? Is it Mattie poo? Did something happen?"
Wow, for someone who spent time failing bonehead classes, this chick was good. But I really wasn't in the mood for discussion.
"It's none of your business, Serafina, what happened between us," I growled, putting emphasis on her name and shoving McFlurry into my mouth rapidly until it dribbled down my dress front so that I wouldn't have to talk to her for a prolonged amount of time, thanks to the full mouth I was obviously showcasing.
"Clearly, Sam," she stressed my name the same way I did hers. "It IS my business, being that he's my bro, and I like to watch out for the kid. So, what happened?"
She threw down her McDonalds apron and waved to a stocky tan girl working the other counter.
"Liliana, watch the register for me?" Flashing the girl a mega-watt smile, she led me to a table at the back door near the playset.
Seating swiftly into a chair at a two-person table, she beckoned me to sit at the one next to her.
Wasting no time, she took my McFlurry from my hands and placed it on top of the nearest trashcan emblazoned with the McDonalds trademark golden arches.
"Wha--" I protested, but she threw daggers at me with her eyes.
"Spill your guts if you want it back," Serafina singsonged, gesturing to my slowly melting ice cream.
Taking a breath, I knew I had no choice. And so, for lack of a better term, I proceeded to 'spill my guts.' When I was done, I leaned back slightly in my chair and reached over for my McFlurry, which by now had turned to melted M&M slush.
Slurping what was left, I tried to gauge Serafina's reaction to my story. Finally, after what seemed like minutes later, she began to laugh wildly.
When she was done with her laugh fest, which took up yet several MORE minutes of my time, she stopped abruptly and said seriously, "Well, I hope his rebound this time won't be a piece of trash."
"Rebound?" I questioned, confused.
Serafina chuckled again, which was probably at the moment the worst sound that could come from her body, considering she had literally spent minutes on end doing just that.
"You know, a rebound relationship with a random and usually trashy girl. Happens every time Matt hits a hard breakup-he goes on a flirt fest with the nastiest girls in school. Been going on since his first girlfriend at fifteen."
Serafina's eyes clouded, and for a brief minute, she looked caring and considerate.
Whether it was an exhibition of random shining compassion for me [next to no chance of that] or for her brother, I couldn't tell, and the minute passed so quickly anyways that there was very few time for deliberation.
But, regardless, what she had just spoken bothered me and I quickly gathered my things up and waved goodbye, rising from my seat. "Gotta go, Serafina. Folks'll be expecting me home, I'm sure. Thanks for that info."
I tried flashing that perfect smile she could master so well back at her, but I'm sure that considering my current emotional state it looked more like a grimace.
Smiling curtly and waving back, Serafina rose from her chair and strode back to the counter and register waiting for her. I had just nearly made it in the clear when she yelled something that stopped me in my tracks, and I let the exit door snap back into place after my feeble attempt to push it open.
"He really loves you, you know!" Serafina shouted gently.
It was all I could do to shake my head in disbelief at her words. From there, I must have really looked like a moron as I threw the door open with such force I think I broke the automatic doorbell on the top of it.
Making a mad dash for my car, I unlocked it and threw myself in, breathing hard until finally the lull of the air conditioning began to calm me. Rebounds? Love? Which one was the truth? Was he going to chase someone else or fight for me?
And why was Serafina telling me all of this, when up until this point in my life I figured that I was still on her hit list? We were getting along, but she wasn't exactly my best friend in the world. She also usually never shared such personal information about other people. So why..? It was all so confusing, and all I really wanted at the moment was to know the truth.
Or maybe I just a needed a nap.
**
This was late, and I knew it. Too late, for me anyway, to be outside in the cool night air, despite the early hour. Because the intent behind my trip might be too late, no matter how justified.
A breeze whipped up suddenly, stirring both my ponytailed hair and the leaves gently covering the twilit ground. Pulling my hoodie over my head, I imagined what the scene would look like to someone driving by.
A teen girl in combat boots, brown corduroy pants, and a UCLA sweatshirt crossing streets and alleys, running away from home. Or maybe just heading to a friends' house.
But if they guessed that she was heading off to the one place where she felt that her current ex-boyfriend would be, likely guided by her exact same thoughts and conscience, then that guess would be right on the money.
Finally, after nearly an hour of walking through multiple neighborhoods to get to where I needed to be, I finally worked up the nerve to actually go there.
Moving forward at a fast pace, I reached the water's edge and let my fingers run through the cool spring, hoping the cool water would allow me to get a grip on reality, a better grip on what I had come to find.
And turning my head once, I realized he had come too. To the lake. Our lake. But I was scared to face him just yet, and the whole speech I had concocted went to dust when I looked his way.
So I busied myself with finding a place to sit and wait until the words I had so carefully cultivated crawled back to my mouth somehow.
Leaning back onto my elbows, I looked up at the graying sky and began to think about how lucky rain was. It wasn't afraid of falling, and it didn't hurt when it did. So unlike me.
This revelation began to depress me after awhile and so I began to think of ways to forget it. Didn't take long. A splash echoed off the lake and bounced to my ears.
Without thinking about whether or not Matt would notice me, I dashed to the shoreline and shouted to the guy in the water, as he coughed and dragged what looked to be his canoe towards the beach.
Heaving and choking, the guy finally reached within a foot from me and roughly shoved the canoe onto the pebbly sand.
Finally, he looked up from his apparent self-loathing at flipping his watercraft and his eyes locked on mine.
"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite heart breaker. No, really, you do it better than they do on the Bachelorette." Luke exclaimed. "Never thought I'd honestly see you here. Figured you'd be hanging in your room, watching anti-romance movies and eating ice cream all night."
He was right about the second accusation. Right then, the events of McDonalds came flooding back. Why did I let my mind wander like that?
I crossed my arms over my chest defiantly. "My question would be, why are YOU here? This is, after all, a private lake."
"Canoe practice. I'm on the team." Luke explained.
WTF? Another one?!, I thought.
I slapped my hand on my forehead. "You too?" I questioned.
"Huh?" Luke responded, looking genuinely confused.
"N-Nothing," I said quickly.
Luke looked at me strangely for a minute until his face regained a normal look again. "Are you here for Mattie boy, then? He's on that end of the beach." Luke pointed.
I slapped his finger away. "Stop it! Pointing is rude! And yes, I know by now, Luke!"
"Okay, okay. I always knew breaking up was hard to do, but it seems like its extra difficult for the likes of you. Woah! I'm a poet and I didn't know it!" Luke cracked up like it was the funniest thing in the world. Weird how fast the guy could just up and leave pervert modeand act all buddy-buddy.
Must be playing it safe now, being that Matt was just nearly within earshot range. Even though we had a rocky relationship at this point, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't let Luke just drag me off.
"Luke?" I asked.
"Yes," he fired back.
"Are you okay? In here?" I tapped my forehead.
"Samantha Rathmell, you didn't know?" Luke placed his hand distressingly over his heart. "I'm a certified nut!"
Despite his efforts to make me laugh (which coming from Luke was super unexpected), I gave him a look that clearly showed how un-amused I was by this whole situation, but he just grinned right back.
I was about to give him an earful about how typical high school guys don't act like five year olds when Matt began to stride up the beach, his face set in a hard, stony line.
"Luke. Sam," he nodded in our directions, expression still cold as ice.
For how clueless he was, Luke got the point. "See you guys later! I need to go."
With a quick wave, he fluidly slid the canoe fully onto dry land and picked it up with his strong, defined arms.
Toting it to the canoe rack farther up near the dense foliage, he lifted it up onto the top shelve, glanced back at us one last time, and took off at a quick jog through the forest.
Matt and I watched him go, and whether we were genuinely interested in watching him leave or too afraid to face our fallout, I didn't quite know for certain.
Finally, after a long pause, Matt turned to me.
"You thought to come here too?" Matt asked gently. It went without saying that this truly was our spot. That is, when we were a couple.
"Yeah," I said. Then I did something I normally wouldn't, but I was desperate for the reassurance that things might actually be okay. I reached forward and touched his hand.
He held it for about a second, a tender gaze on his face, until something changed and in a split second his face changed as well. Tugging his hand away harshly, he gave me a look of pure hatred that truly shook me up after I had literally just seen an opposite look a mere five seconds ago.
"Why did you do it?" He questioned, voice shaking.
My voice trembled even fiercer when I responded, "I'm..not.. romantically interested in Parker. I don't want anything to ever happen between us."
"Between us?" He exclaimed. "Well, Sam, you're a little late. You should have thought about that before Salt's."
"I did!" I pleaded, a pained look crossing my face. "I never, ever, want to be with Parker, okay? I'm not even sure I want to be his friend or anything! You have to believe me, Matt!"
"Why should I?" Matt practically screamed, throwing a rock he had been clenching into the lake. It skipped about twelve times before plunging down on the other side of the bank.
"Because Matt....I-I do love you. And only you. Its only ever been you." I gulped, clutching my sides as tears crystalized over my eyes.
Matt genuinely looked like he hated me more than anyone on the planet, in the universe even.
Suspicion exuded from his voice. "Why do you look like you're lying?"
Tears spilled over my eyes, nearly as black as my heart felt, thanks to the running mascara mingling in and befriending them.
"I-I--" I coughed out, wiping my nose with the back of my sweatshirt as the night grew darker, with sounds of night owls in the distance.
Matt ran his hands through his hair, and his face grew so red it looked as if he were about to pop a blood vessel, which on normal occasions would have humored me. But seeing as this was no normal occasion, I had to let the moment pass.
Something I'll never get the chance to laugh about with him.
"You know what, Sam? You need to stop lying and get your priorities straight as to who you really want in your life to be by your side. I can't deal with this feeling of rejection any longer, and I certainly can't deal with a liar who thinks its sickeningly funny to screw with someone's emotions. Your games are getting old, and I can't put up with them."
"But I don't feel--" I garbled out through my tears.
"Yes, you do." Matt's face twisted with hurt, and he reached out for me before thinking better of the action and pulling his hand away.
"You need to make a choice, Sam. I'll wait until you let me know who it's gonna be. But not a day beyond that, since right now that's all I really want to hear from you. 'Til then, learn to keep your mind games to yourself and don't speak to me until your decision is final."
Matt's jawline twitched and he turned away, and just like that he left me alone in the woods as I crumpled to the leaf-littered floor.
Alone to wallow in pain, suffering, and fear for what was to come.
<End of Chapter 24>
Hey everyone!
Sorry I got it in so late! But I hope you enjoyed it anyways, and thanks for waiting. Enemy's Bro is almost completed *sadface*, so I'll continue to update fast! Also, the song that reminded me of this chapter is in the video section to the right. It's 'Blind' by Jason Derulo.
Love you guys!
- Faerie_Writer
P.S. Special thanks to my friend Fantasizing_Love! She helped me a lot with this chapter. Check her out!