Forgotten Rules: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Eliah Greenwood

  Us.

  And this moment.

  “I have to get out of here.” He runs a nervous hand through his hair, heading for the door.

  “Will!”

  Truth is, I have no idea what to say. Maybe because he’s right. Maybe we can never be more than this.

  Seconds before he’s out the door, he halts, shooting me a look full of regrets that makes my heart bleed.

  “You were right to stay away from me” is the last thing he says before leaving me half-naked on my brother’s bed.

  Will

  The chanting of the crowd echoing in my head, I march into the ring with perfectly rehearsed, automatic steps. Adrenaline pervades my being, seeping through every bone, every nerve ending in my body.

  This fight. This moment. The next few minutes are going to determine whether the upcoming month of my life is hell. And I might not know shit about what I’m doing most of the time, but I know something about right now: I can’t lose this fight.

  Standing across the ring, ready to pounce, is Ian, leader of the Scars, our second most dreaded competitors after Haze and his fighters. Behind Ian, miserably failing to assert dominance and intimidate us, are his guys. All bearing the same creepy-ass mark beneath their eyes.

  Four grand.

  It’s all I can see when I look at him.

  Four fucking grand to beat his ass.

  I glance at Kendrick, Blake, and Alex over my shoulder.

  “You’ve got this,” Alex hypes.

  This was supposed to be Kendrick’s fight. Been scheduled for a while now. But in two days, he’ll be fighting Haze, and we can’t risk him getting pummeled—cough, again, cough—before such an important fight.

  Today, money is at stake.

  In two days, it’ll be his cousin’s life.

  We won’t let Haze have Winter. Not if we can help it. She’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve this. Blake intended on taking this fight, so I came up with a shitty excuse about needing to blow off some steam. Truth is, I desperately need the money. I haven’t snagged any high-paying fight this month, and I’m starting to run out of options.

  Man, what I wouldn’t do for a good night’s sleep. Haven’t had one since the night I snuck into Kass’s room and witnessed the most awkward mom sex talk of all time. I still can’t believe how easily I fell asleep with her. How defenseless my demons were against the blonde, blue-eyed angel by my side.

  Kass…

  I wince at her name.

  A hopeful, torturous voice in the back of my mind suggests maybe she’s answered my previous text since I last checked my phone.

  You fucking wish, dipshit.

  Will, eyes on the prize!

  Ian proceeds into the ring, glowering at me. He’s a good fighter. He doesn’t lead the Scars for nothing, but he’s not desperate. Not like I am. The rules are called to the crowd, the deafening buzzing marking the beginning of a fight slicing through the air.

  “Fucking destroy him, Will!” is the last thing I hear before launching myself at my adversary.

  Kassidy

  Willy Wonka: Hey. Can we talk?

  4 days ago

  Willy Wonka: Kass?

  4 days ago

  Willy Wonka: I know you’re getting these. You always have your phone on you.

  3 days ago

  Willy Wonka: Kass please.

  3 days ago

  Willy Wonka: I don’t want it to be weird between us.

  3 days ago

  Willy Wonka: Can we talk about what happened?

  2 days ago

  Willy Wonka: Did you move out of your house? Do we live on the same fucking planet? I haven’t seen you all week.

  2 days ago

  Willy Wonka: I’m sorry…

  1 day ago

  Willy Wonka: About everything.

  1 day ago

  Reading Will’s last text an unhealthy amount of times, I stop myself from replying and pad into the empty kitchen. A new text from Zoey pops onto my screen.

  Zoey: Are you on your way?

  Kass: Be there in fifteen.

  Zoey: Okay. Grab me my usual at Starbucks.

  Ignoring the absence of a please in her message, I grab my bag, pitch it over my shoulder, and amble to my car. My mind travels back to Will’s text as I sink into the passenger seat.

  No, I didn’t move out of my house, Will. I’ve just changed every single thing about my schedule to make sure I never run into you.

  I’ve been spending all my time away from my place lately. When I’m not at school or work, I’m at my friends’. I only come home to sleep and leave at the crack of dawn to pick up Zoey. Even managed to miss art class this week, courtesy of a fake headache.

  Since I had to think up an excuse to feed my mom about why I leave so early, I’ve been driving Zoey to school every single day. She’s been needing a ride since she broke up with Sean.

  Again.

  Zoey’s birthday party ended with Sean’s tongue down another girl’s throat. I’m guessing this time it’s really over, but then again, with Zoey, you never know. My phone buzzes with another text as I’m reversing out of my driveway. I don’t get to read its content, but I do catch who it’s from.

  Willy Wonka.

  I don’t know why he’s doing this. Why he’s been texting me round the clock since the night he freaked out on me. He told me to stay away from him, hence my efforts to get him out of my life, but he hasn’t been making it easy. The last time I saw this guy he was almost inside me. And now he doesn’t want things to be weird? I’m sorry, Willy, but things will never not be weird between us ever again.

  I pull up to Starbucks five minutes later, then drive straight to Zoey’s apartment. It’s past eight when I snatch the guest parking spot by the entrance. We have to be at school in an hour.

  Zoey gave me a key to her building when it became clear I was reinventing myself as a taxi driver, so I don’t bother waiting for her to buzz me in. I come to a stop in front of her unlocked door and step inside, careful to be as quiet as possible. The walls are paper here, and I don’t want to wake up the cranky lady next door. She already hates us.

  Seconds before I holler to alert Zoey of my arrival, a female voice captures my interest.

  “I’m so sorry about Sean, girl. I heard.”

  “Don’t worry about me. I rebounded thirty minutes later.”

  That’s Zoey.

  Curious, I follow the voices, tiptoeing down the hall toward her half-opened bedroom door. I see Zoey lying in bed on her stomach through the crack. She’s on a video call with someone.

  “No way? With who?”

  She’s talking to Callie.

  “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you but…” Zoey pauses, glancing around as if to make sure she’s alone. I retreat into the shadows. I don’t have a visual anymore, but I can hear everything. “You have to promise not to tell anybody. Kass would kill me.”

  I hold my breath.

  “Pinky swear. Spill.”

  “Well, you know how I told you Miss Perfect didn’t want me with her brother…”

  My stomach twists.

  “You slut! You didn’t?” Callie gasps.

  “Let me finish. Since she made me swear off her brother, I had to find someone else. I mean… a girl has needs.”

  Somehow, I don’t need to hear another word for my heart to break. The pain settles in pre-betrayal. I know she’s about to hurt me by naming someone a best friend shouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

  “Wait, so you didn’t sleep with her brother?” Callie asks, her goldfish brain struggling to keep up.

  “No, I slept with her ex.”

  There it is.

  “That Blake guy? Her first?” Callie’s laugh drives the knife deeper into my chest. How the hell does she know so much about my life? How many of my most intimate moments has Zoey shared with her?

  “Yeah. He came to pick up his friend Alex, but he couldn’t find him. So, after Sean kissed that whore, we…” She laughs
into her palm. “We did it in the bathroom.”

  Zoey slept with Blake.

  My best friend… that I’ve known since I was five. The girl I defended when she treated me like disposable garbage. That same girl slept with my ex. The ex I cried about in her arms. The guy who dumped me over text.

  “And between us… it wasn’t the first time.”

  “What? When was the first?”

  “Callie, I swear on my life, if you tell anyone about this, you’re dead.” Zoey hesitates.

  “I won’t! Come on, you’re killing me.”

  “Okay. Okay… It started back when they were together.”

  Cue the waterworks.

  The silence that ensues suggests even Callie is judging her, which causes Zoey to backpedal.

  “Hear me out—I wanted to stop, I did, but he kept coming back. Every week. Like clockwork. The first time was at the back-to-school bonfire. After Kass passed out, he came to find me and… Well, I don’t need to draw you a picture, do I?”

  A beat of silence.

  “Damn, Zoe, that’s… kind of cold,” Callie accuses.

  Kind of cold?

  It feels like I’m being gutted on repeat.

  That night, after I gave Blake my virginity, he…

  They…

  I can’t fucking breathe.

  Fueled by rage, I kick the door open and Zoey yelps, jumping up to her feet. Standing in the doorway, I glare at her in silence.

  Her face crumbles.

  She hangs up the call. “Kass, you’re… you’re here. B-But you said you’d be there in fifteen.”

  Refusing to waste another breath on her, I sprint to the front door.

  “Kass, wait. Why are you leaving?”

  Is she serious?

  She catches up to me, gripping my arm to hold me back. “Why are you making a scene? It’s not a big deal. It’s not like you ever really loved him. Plus, it’s so clear you’re head over heels in love with Will.”

  “It’s not a big deal?” I yell so loud she jerks back a step, letting go of my arm. “You really don’t get it, do you? It’s not about Blake. It’s about you. It’s about the fact that you, my best friend, could do something like that to me. For fuck’s sake, Zoey!”

  “Says the girl who almost fucked her brother’s best friend on his bed. This is bullshit, Kass. Stop acting all high-and-mighty. You’re no better than I am,” she spits.

  Maybe she’s right. I am a hypocrite, telling my friends not to hook up with my brother when I almost slept with his best friend myself. All I know is I should’ve never confided in her about what happened with Will.

  “Don’t make this about me! I trusted you. We’ve been friends since kindergarten, and I always, always had your back. Even when people told me that you were selfish. Even when…” I start crying. Damn it. Pull it together. “When you ditched me again and again for some boy. When you invited me over so I could babysit your sister while you sneaked out. Even when you treated me like a fucking slave. Everybody said you were a bad friend. I never listened. Well, guess what? I’m listening now. You’re selfish, Zoey. Always have been. You’d throw the people closest to you into the fire to get what you want, and I’m done being your fucking puppet. We’re done!”

  I swing the door open, but just as I’m about to storm out…

  “You want to see selfish?” she hisses. “Fine. Maybe I’ll tell Kendrick about you and his best friend shagging on his bed. Or maybe since we’re done, I’ll finally go after the guy you like. How’s Will doing, by the way? Maybe you could give me his number. I’ll show him what a real woman can do. He obviously needs it. You know… since he was so disgusted by hooking up with you, he literally had to run out of your house.”

  I can’t speak, flabbergasted by her cruelty. I was best friends with that monster for thirteen years.

  “Oh, well. Wouldn’t be the first time I had to satisfy one of your boys.”

  From there, I lose it.

  I squeeze the chocolate chip Frappuccino in my hands and throw the drink in her face.

  As in all of it.

  I only understand what I’ve done once she screams, covered in whipped cream, coffee, and chocolate chips.

  “Don’t ever talk to me again.” I rush out of the apartment, slamming her door so hard the walls shake. Nearly suffocating, I hurry back to my car, breaking into sobs the second I’m alone.

  I hate myself for how much I want to call him.

  He was right.

  Will was right.

  Sitting in my car and observing the tall building staring back at me, I weigh my options: go to school today and see my ex-best friend or… tell my mom we have to move. To tell you the truth, option number two is looking damn appealing right now.

  Blinded by the tears I spent fifteen minutes trying to dry, I drag myself out of my car and shamble toward the entrance. I march down the crowded hall, hoping to hell I’ll survive this day, and unlock my phone to find the text I didn’t open earlier waiting for me.

  Will.

  I forgot he texted me.

  Willy Wonka: I can’t fucking stop thinking about you.

  I wince. Goddamn it, Will, why are you doing this to me? Shoving my phone into my back pocket, I turn the corner and…

  See him.

  Back pressed to my locker, his foot up against the steel.

  Shit.

  As long as he wasn’t going out of his way to see me, avoiding him was within the realm of possibility, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for him showing up at my locker. Time to face it—I’m stuck. I have art last period, and even if I did manage to dodge him now, I can’t skip this class forever.

  His features come to life when he spots me. He flashes a pleading smile, his gaze saying “Please, hear me out.” The puppy eyes, that razor-sharp jaw, the dark circles displaying his lack of sleep.

  That’s all it takes.

  It hits me like a truck.

  I was wrong.

  Dead wrong.

  I don’t just like him.

  I love him.

  I’m in love with him.

  And I’m the dumbest girl in the whole wide world.

  I fell so quickly it’s embarrassing. For the guy who doesn’t believe in relationships, not to mention my brother’s best friend, as if it weren’t bad enough. And seeing him again for the first time since the night I gave myself over to him is brutally murdering my heart right now.

  I halt my strides so abruptly someone almost trips behind me. I just found out the girl I considered my sister never once cared about me, never once respected me. That she slept with my ex throughout our entire relationship, and while I know kicking her out of my life was—is—the right thing to do, it still hurts like a bitch. Thirteen years. Down the drain. Just like that.

  Nope. I can’t do this.

  This is too much for one day.

  Will frowns at my immobility, but I don’t give him a single thought, spinning on my heels and streaking in the opposite direction.

  “Kass!” He calls as I push through the crowd. I play deaf, counting down the seconds to my freedom. I don’t have it in me to listen to him tell me he wants to be friends again.

  Two steps out of the building, I spot Zoey climbing out of a blue car. Callie’s car—well, it sure didn’t take her long to replace me. She’s laughing at something Callie said, looking like a million bucks. Her makeup is flawless, her outfit color coordinated. You’d never guess she became close friends with a Starbucks drink an hour ago.

  “Are you okay?” someone asks.

  I whip my head around.

  Luke.

  “No, I… I…” Tears course down my face.

  “Kass, what happened?”

  “It’s.” Sniffle. “It’s Zoey.”

  I watch Zoey and Callie saunter toward the school in the distance, a mix of panic, pain, and rage stirring in my chest.

  Luke places a hand on my arm. “Do you want to get out of here?”

  “What? You mean…
skip school?”

  He nods. “Just say the word.”

  “I—”

  “Kass, wait.” A voice erupts behind me.

  His voice.

  I pivot to see Will standing in the moving crowd, slightly panting from running after me. His attention immediately shifts to where Luke’s hand connects with my skin.

  His jaw twitches.

  Then he sees my soaked cheeks.

  And his features soften.

  It isn’t long until he clenches his fists, the worry in his eyes morphing into anger. His murderous glare is asking me a clear, definite question: “Who do I have to kill?” In that moment, all I want to do is run into his arms. Cry until I can’t breathe. Tell him he was right. About everything.

  But I can’t.

  I’ll never be able to.

  So instead, I turn Luke.

  “Get me out of here.” I wipe my face.

  Luke nods, his hand dropping to my lower back as he nudges me into motion. Heartbroken, I follow Luke out of the school, Will’s eyes burning into the back my skull.

  It’s past five by the time Luke’s car slows down in front of my house. The day flew by, although I wish I could’ve skipped it altogether. The second I climbed into Luke’s car, I burst out crying—and I mean the humiliating, ugly crying I usually reserve for the privacy of my bedroom.

  I hated being vulnerable in front of him, but Luke, being the supportive sweetheart that he is, made me feel comfortable. He was beyond understanding when I told him about Zoey’s betrayal. And, to my greatest relief, he didn’t once make a move or flirt with me. I think he finally realized we’re better off as friends.

  I almost let myself forget, driving around town with him, why I skipped school for the first time in my entire life. Scratch that—I didn’t skip school. Not really. Zoey may be a bitch, but she isn’t worth getting detention over. I told my mom I was still a mess over my dad—which isn’t completely false—and I needed a personal day.