Mac and I are standing side by side, watching our girls laugh as they clutch diplomas in their hands. Leah and Annie graduated today.
We're still at school, but as soon as the ceremony is over, we will celebrate at The Temple. Leah surely deserves some fun after weeks of studying for the finals, while she desperately tried not to let her family drama affect her grades.
"Do you miss it?" asks Mac.
"School?"
"Yeah. It looks like ages have passed, and it's been only a year."
"Honestly, no, I don't. What's to miss? All the drama and bullshit and not fitting in? I'm way better now."
Mac nods. "Same, I guess. Did I tell you Annie agreed to go to college?"
I stare at the guy. "For real?"
"Not immediately. She still doesn't know what she wants to study, but as soon as she figures it out, she will apply for grants and enroll."
"That's amazing. Didn't take you that long to convince her."
"Thank Leah." Mac chuckles. "She was the one to talk to Annie about the fun they would have if they moved to the city together."
The corners of my mouth lift as I observe Kitten. She seems to be happy, although I know how hard the previous weeks had been.
Leah and her mother hardly talk, and Kitten refused to meet Eric, claiming she needed time to get to grips with the reality of having a father her mother didn't tell her about.
Grace's lies affected Leah way more than she shows. Kitten studied with more determination than ever as if she wanted to prove something to her mother, or maybe even herself. My heart hurts when I remember her tears at the cabin. She looked little and broken, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do other than give her comfort and support.
A minute is enough to make a mistake, but it might take years to fix it.
"Have you thought about college now that Leah has been accepted?" Mackenzie asks me.
"You know I'm not doing it, Mac," I say.
Sighing, Mac turns his head to look at me. "I know you don't wanna hear it, but I will say it anyway. You're not me, Bri. You don't struggle with the simple school level shit. I'm great at my job, and I'm street smart, but I'm not you. You're wasting your potential. That brain of yours could be used for lots of cool things. Now that your girl is taking a step toward a better future, don't settle. Take your time, but think about your options."
"Mac, thanks, but you already know what I think."
Mac shrugs. "That was before. Opinions change. People change. Maybe you need a change, too."
"Here you are," says Kitten as she hugs me and kisses my cheek. "We are ready to go. You?"
"Same," I tell her. "Congratulations, babe. School is officially over."
Kitten beams at me. "Thank you! I can't wait to start college."
I can't help smiling at Leah's enthusiasm. She's excited about her future, and I know I will be there with her every step of the way.
***
The crowd at the Temple is bigger than usual. Excited chatter fills the air around us. Almost all the logs are occupied, but Lenny made sure to reserve one for our group.
Mac and I sit next to each other with our girls on our laps. I kiss Leah on the lips and press her slim body to me. Images of making love to her haven't left my mind all day. She slept at my place just like she did several nights this week. We watched a movie, but even before the final credits started to roll, Kitten was naked in my arms, letting me kiss every inch of her skin.
I never thought the experience of making love to a girl could be so wonderful. We are still getting to know each other, but every time we are together is better than the last.
Annie's groan interrupts our kiss. Leah, Mac, and I look at her.
"What?" asks Mackenzie.
"I think I forgot to unplug the iron."
Mac stares at Annie. "For real?"
"I used it to iron this dress after the ceremony, Kenzie. Give me the car keys; I'll drive home and check it."
"Stay here; I will go," says Mac.
"No! I won't be long. Stay with the guys."
Reluctantly, Mac takes the keys out of his pocket. "Don't rush, Birdie. Okay?"
Annie accepts them and kisses Mac's lips. "You know I won't. I love you."
Mackenzie smiles at her. "Love you more."
Annie leaves. "You didn't forget anything, did you?" I ask Kitten.
She shakes her head, and we are about to kiss again when the crowd goes quiet. Bella walks into the clearing, but this time, she is alone, and she doesn't look happy.
"Where is Gavin?" Lenny asks. "Licking his wounds now that his daddy is gonna lose?"
Bella snorts and sits on the log next to some girls who graduated with Mac and me last year. "Gavin is out of town. Can't I be here without him? It wasn't a problem before."
"I don't get what her deal is," Kitten whispers just barely.
I place a soft kiss on her neck and glance at Bella. She knows dating Ferdinand made her unwelcome at the Temple. Yet, the two of them didn't miss a single meeting of ours as if they were unbothered by the lack of attention we gave them. They would sit on the log and make out as if the rest of us didn't exist. Now, Bella is alone, sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Let's prepare the drinks," says Mac. "Annie will be back soon. We can get everything ready."
Mackenzie and I took care of everything. We got champagne and chocolate for the girls and some stronger drinks for the dudes. Mac and I aren't going to drink. I have to ride my bike, and Mac took his car to give a couple of other guys a ride home after the party.
"Leonard, have you brought everything?" I ask Lenny.
"Yeah." Lenny hops off the log and nods toward the woods. "Lend me a hand."
Mac and I get ready to follow him, but Leah grips my hand too. "I'll go with you. I don't want to sit there with Bella staring at me," she says quietly.
When we are next to the parked bikes, Mac crosses his arms in front of his chest. "So?"
"So what?" asks Leonard.
"You said it was on your bike. There's nothing there."
Lenny grins sheepishly. "I grabbed the stuff at the gym. It has to be there."
Mackenzie rolls his eyes, huffing, "How much did you have to drink, dumbass? Fuck, the only thing you had to do was lock the gym and take the food and the drinks. I'm sick of babysitting your ass all the time. So, did you or did you not drink?"
"Just some Jack before you came here. I can ride."
"The fuck you can," says Mac. "Bri, lend me your Fat Boy. I'll go get everything while Annie isn't here."
"Leah and I can do it," I offer.
"I doubt you'll find anything in that mess. It'll be faster this way. Come on."
I hand Mac the keys. "Go slow. There's no rush."
Nodding, Mac puts on a helmet and starts the bike. I kiss Kitten's temple as we watch him ride away.
The taillights illuminate the grass as the bike disappears behind the trees. I glance at the ground where my bike was seconds ago. My heart lurches, squeezes, and almost stops beating.
"What's wrong?" whispers Leah.
I don't answer. I run faster than I ever have.
The blood whooshes in my ears. I can feel my erratic heartbeat in my throat.
"Mac! Jump off!"
My scream cuts through the night air and echoes in the woods.
I am too far from Mac, but he can hear me. He hears me, and he is trying to brake, but he isn't able to do it.
"Jump off!"
The bike is moving too fast. The highway is there, and I am slow. I am too slow.
Tears blur my vision as I keep on running. I seem to get closer to him by the second, but it's not close enough.
I see Mac trying to maneuver my bike. He's an expert rider, but this time, it's not enough.
"Jump!"
The last word I yell achieves nothing. I am late. Fat Boy crashes into a tree by the exit to the highway. Mackenzie is airborne, and then he isn't anymore.
"Mac!"
I run, tripping and almost falling, clumsy and so fucking slow, but I reach him.
I see the blood and the scared, vulnerable look on my brother's face.
"Annie." Mac grips my hand and squeezes it before his eyes close.
And I bawl. I cry as I'd never done before.
I hear another scream. It's Annie. A while later, I hear the sirens. I feel delicate arms wrap around me. I know it's Kitten.
"Baby, he will be okay," she whispers, cupping my tear-stained face.
I know it's a lie. Annie is on the ground next to the love of her life, and it's because of me.
"Brian, please." Leah tugs at my sleeves, trying to make me stand up because the help has arrived. Uniformed people are everywhere. The EMTs lift Mac onto a gurney and load it onto the ambulance. They are blocking the view, not letting me see what they are doing. One of them helps Annie up into the back of the vehicle.
I reach into my pocket and pull the phone out of it. My fingers are useless. I cannot see anything through the moisture in my eyes.
"Who do I call?" asks Kitten.
I take a deep breath and swallow. "Jim. And my dad. I'll speak, I just..."
Leah does what I ask her to do. I can barely speak, but I explain what happened to Jim, and then to Dad.
"Go with Annie," I say. "Jim knows someone at the hospital in the city."
"I can't leave you alone," says Kitten.
"Annie needs you. Someone has to be with her, and I have to talk to the police."
Right on cue, a police officer approaches us. Leah kisses me and rushes toward the ambulance. Luckily, they let her go with them.
The sirens are blaring in a couple of seconds. The officer touches my shoulder, calling my attention.
I open my mouth and get ready to speak, but my Dad's voice calling my name doesn't let me do it.
***
A few hours later, we are at the police station. Jim is sitting next to me with his arm around my shoulders.
He's wearing a suit. My call surprised him at an important work event, and he left it all to come and help me.
Mac was rushed into surgery. Jim knows the doctor who took Mackenzie's case, and it calms me down some, but it does nothing to ease the guilt.
I am shaking despite sipping the hot coffee Jim thrust in my hands. My brother whispers words of reassurance and rubs my back as if I were the little kid again.
Dad is talking to an officer. We are waiting for the detective to arrive from a neighboring town.
My eyes register a tall man a few minutes later. He sits on the chair next to my brother and me and extends his hand for a handshake.
"Detective Raymond Hutches."
I grip his hand. "Brian O'Brien."
The detective nods. "Come with me."
I follow him into a small room, leaving Dad and Jim behind. Detective Hutches looks at me intently, and the compassion in his eyes makes my jaw tremble.
"My team has inspected the motorbike, Brian," the man says. "The brakes were cut."
"I know."
"Do you know who could have done it?"
I stare at my shaky hands, but Mackenzie's bloodied face is what I see. I see his fear for his life, and I see him a year ago, hugging me as I sob in a hospital bed after I'd realized I almost died, and he saved me.
I am alive thanks to him, and he might die because of me.
"Brian?"
I clear my throat. "You might want to arrest Gavin Martin. I'm sure he wanted me dead."