Kate gently caressed his cheek. “Caden, it's sweet enough for you to care about me.” She gazed at him lovingly. “I'm a big girl, okay. Believe me, I can take care of myself. I'm not some naive dumb girls who'll fall for your brother's traps. They don't work on me. You've got nothing to worry about.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek. They continue walking a bit longer. She's getting tired of sounding like a broken record. But it was the truth, right? There were no feelings lost between her and Flynn.
Caden was right; however, if she did, he would toss her aside after the two-week mark. So, why does it hurt when she thought about it? “Promise me,” Caden got her attention after arriving at Kate's apartment building.
She turned around.
He wasn't going to walk away. He needed her word. “Promise me you won't break your word? I can't lose you, Kate. I care about you far too much to get trapped under my brother's spell.” The next thing happened in a blur. He took the plunge. And ended up kissing her … on the cheek. Presumably, the spark will ignite something meaningful down the road.
Kate remained speechless, watching him leave her house.
《***》
His entire body was tingling all over. Caden got to kiss his crush for the very first time. Nobody will take that special moment away from him.
Flynn comes downstairs after hearing the door open. “Where'd you come from?” Flynn spotted his brother, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“Walking Kate home. How's Tiffani?” Caden makes small talk.
Like he cares about her? Flynn heard the snarkiest in his tone. “Don't be like that man,” Flynn knew what he's thinking right now.
Caden stopped biting his tongue. “Here's an idea Flynn, when are you going to stop being a douche to women?” Caden asked him coldly.
Flynn reached the bottom of the stairs. An irritated Flynn scoffs. Folding his arms in front of his baby brother, letting him say that again. “Excuse me?”
Caden wasn't scared of him. “You treat girls like crap every few weeks. Don't you get tired of it? Screwing girl after girl?”
Flynn heard this same old song and dance for a while now. “This is about Kate, isn't it?” Flynn already figured the answer to his question.
Caden didn't respond. “Kate isn't like most girls you go out with. Whether she needs me to or not, I'm looking out for her well-being. I know how you fling women to the side when you get tired of them.”
Flynn heard that over-protectiveness kicking back in. Voicing his opinion on how he feels. Flynn sees the rage in his brother's eyes. The hurt, the concern, he has every right to feel that way. Flynn knew too how special her friendship was. Even if he tried, he wasn't going to do anything reckless to screw it up. “Caden I promise nothing will happen okay. I know how much Kate means to you. I would never jeopardize your friendship like that.” He pleaded with himself as well.
Caden would like to believe him, but with his track record, he can't. An unfathomable sigh escaped his mouth. “Part of me wants to believe you, man, but I can't do it.” Caden turned his back against his brother and headed towards his room.
Flynn groans, running his hand through his hair. How the hell did this get frustrated? He needed to get away from here. Where was he going? He wasn't sure himself, but at this moment he couldn't stay here.
Chapter 23
In detention, yep: the troublemakers sat on opposite sides inside the classroom. Michael glowered as he sat by the door entrance and gazed heavenward at the clock.
A brooded Ethan peered at the window.
Which left an annoyed Kasper who was stuck in the middle. Sadly—for him—the teacher vanished for a few minutes as he did double duty for another class today. Kasper rose from his seat and sauntered towards the desk to hop on top of it. His eyes observed them as he broke the long melodramatic silence. “I cannot believe you two idiots got us locked up in here,” Kasper muttered out loud he wanted to be anywhere but here.
“It's his fault!” They said in unison.
Kasper groused out loud. Maybe if he knocks himself out to the point where he wouldn't have to listen to this crap? It's worth a shot, right?
“How is this my fault?! You're the one who shoved me first, Heagertigh!” A fumed Ethan reminded him. He sauntered away from the win to glance at him.
Kasper leered on in case they tried again. Michael gritted his teeth. He stood up, not afraid to go another round. Ethan's jaw clenched as fists began to form on both hands.
“You needed someone to knock you down a peg Ryley. You've made some pretty flustered choices as of late.”
Ethan laughs it off. “Really? I'm the one? At least I had the guts to tell her how I felt! You whined like an imbecile!”
And it's back to the girl? Kasper rolled his eyes. If he wanted to hear, two grown-ass children bicker he would rather be at home and listened to his sisters complain. At least there he had food.
“Unlike you, I didn't need to run away with my tail tucked between my legs! Everything was peachy between us, at least until you had to screw things up!” Michael explained his side of the story.
Ethan could've sorted his issues out last year. He wasn't in the right mind form to think straight back then. All it took was someone else to make him jealous. Did he even like her? Or is his feelings only getting in the way of his ego? Did Ethan even have an ego?
“Look, I'm not going to apologize for things that went down between us, but I will say I'm sorry for dragging you in the middle. Clearly, you have some personal demons you’re not ready to reveal yet. Totally understandable.”
“Maybe I don't want to get my heart broken again. I have issues to deal with on my own terms. But we both knew that Eileen is fragile. I don't want to jeopardize her sanity to hurt her in the end. Whenever I say my feelings, I want them to mean something.”
Kasper who sat in the teacher's chair. He laid his head down on the table. His forehead puckered on the desk as he groaned. Great, so in the past ten minutes, we went from ripping each other's hearts out … to having a bonding moment?! Kasper closed his eyes and tried to block out the conversation. He prayed for someone to save him from this hellhole. To think he used to like detention.
Ethan released his guard down. He understood why he held his emotions back. Yes: he also knew what it meant for their friendship as well. Michael became the first true friend he honestly had. “You don't think I felt that heartache before, man? When I see the two of you together. I can't have a conversation with you about it without getting jealous.” Ethan held back some emotions. “The reason why I'm frustrated isn't because of you, but it's me. Don't you think I want to express what I'm feeling? I never had any feelings or at least thought of until you ask about her. I was a jerk, in more ways than once when we started dating. Or whatever our relationship was back then. I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore.”
Michael finally had a moment to speak as he took everything in. “Hey, believe me, I understand. Newsflash, Ethan, you have friends who give a damn about you, who cares where you came from, man. It's what you choose to do with your life that makes you the man you want to become. Putting everything on the line, you'll find out how risky the rewards are.”
Ethan remained silent. Hell, maybe the kid does understand me more than I realized? Finally, speaking once again. “You think, I want to ruin this friendship, Michael. You became a brother to me since we bumped into one another. We had to see this coming, right? Us fighting over the same girl?” Ethan chuckles thinking of it.
Michael assumed it at some point.
“I meant what I said, whenever you do speak to her, I'll step back. You can reveal your feelings when you're ready.” It's not like she was going to walk through that door at any moment.
《***》
“Kas!” Said a frantic Ryder who caught his breath.
Kasper lifted his head up. Thank god. He wasn't sure how much more he could stomach this bromance act.
“Avery's got Chri
stian. He told him off earlier today. We knew he was up to something. Christian decided to spy on him. He's not picking up his cell.”
Kasper rose to his feet. Heagertigh and Ryley blocked his path. This smelled like a trap to them.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked, stopping him.
“This could be a trap. You aren't thinking straight right now.” Michael added.
Kasper knew it was a risk to go in, but he does care about Christian and Ryder.
“Kas, don’t you believe me?” Ryder questioned his loyalty. “I thought I could trust you?” A croak in his voice came out.
Kasper knew what he needed to do. “You can trust me, Ryder lets go.” Kasper left Ethan and Michael behind.
“Well, that went well,” Ethan said and followed the way Kasper went through.
Michael stopped him from reaching the hallway. “Wait, we're seriously going to go follow him?” Michael asked Ethan.
Was that a rhetorical question? His expression hardens, unsure to believe it was sarcastic. Ethan wasn't sure if it was at this moment. “Yeah man, unless you don't want this. I get you're still scared, but …”
Michael wasn't going to lie, he had doubts. “Why do you trust him? It could be a setup or another ambush.”
Ethan nods in an agreement which could be either way. They won't know unless they get there, right?
A familiar female figure walked past them in the hallway. Who was? “Eileen!” Michael rushed up to catch her before she escaped again. She forgot something in her locker after she disappeared.
Ethan craned his neck, surprised to see her here after school. “I know you don't want to talk to us right now—”
Eileen can see there a bit agitated.
Ethan grabbed his arm to shut up a babbling Michael. “Do you want to do this now?” Ethan reminded him of a bigger activity that needs their attention at this moment.
“Go, do whatever you need to finish,” she told them as it sounded important anyway.
Michael knew Ethan was right. They needed to save Kasper.
“I'll find you when we get done, okay?” Michael brushed some hair behind her ear, and gave her a kiss on the cheek?
Even Ethan saw that and couldn't help but smile. She blushed and watched them disappear in a hurry.
《***》
Halfway down in the forest, the duo spun around to see Ethan and Michael.
“Seems we're on the right path.” Ethan jokes, of course. “Where is he?” Ethan asked as he could, as he kept his guard up.
Christian and Ryder, with their forehead furrowed, fear crossed their faces. “Where's who?” They played dumb again.
Ethan was rolling his eyes out of annoyance. He sauntered up towards their direction. Michael followed a tad close behind. “Where's Kas. We know he came with you and judging by the looks of things. He somewhat disappeared.” It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened, right?
Ryder tried to come up with half with an excuse. “We got lost after we split up.” Ryder began to say. Hoping his guilty brother remains silent.
Ethan observed Michael, who knew Ryder was full of it. “I saw Christian after he escaped, and you've caught us searching for him before bumping into you.”
Michael wasn't buying any of this for a moment. “You expect us to believe this? Please. You're buying time to save yourselves.” Michael knew Kasper was in trouble. He had to find him before it was too late.
“Look, since we are putting everything out in the open here,” Christian spoke, knowing they won't believe him. He was out of options. But, it's worth a shot. “We wanted to apologize for what happened.”
Michael snorts, tilting his head at Ethan whose face hardened. “Which times?” Not taking his eyes off any of them.
“All. We want to turn over a new leaf. We're not the same guys we once were.” Ryder pleaded with both of them here.
Ethan was getting tired, standing in the cold. Every second they stood out here. They could be looking for Kasper.
“And we're supposed to—what believe you? Sorry boys.” Michael walked past them as he had enough of these silly mind games.
“We're warning you if you go back there.” Ryder’s voice trailed off.
Michael shoved him off. Kasper was right. With punks like these, there is never a way out.
Ryder and Christian gave them a stern warning. “Guess you'll have to stop us then.”
Michael and Ethan taunted them. A fight broke out moments later. Ethan took on Ryder, leaving Christian to Michael. He's been waiting for a hell of a long time to get his hands on them. Out here, no teachers to stop them. Sure as hell, no interruptions. How far was this battle going to last? Punch after blow, duck after cover all four were beginning to get exhausted after an hour into the fight.
Christian coughs who was regrouping back first from getting rammed into a tree. He recalled something about Michael's past, after ducking another punch to the face. He regretted doing this. Christian connects a fist struck into Michael’s stomach, and one blow to the injured leg Michael. A yelp was made by Michael, and he went down, doubling over in pain.
“Sorry, man, nothing personal,” Christian pants catching his breath.
Ryder broke free after he punched Ethan in the face as they ran away.
《***》
Ethan pants as he watched them scurry away, he shook his head as he knelt down to check on Michael’s condition. “You okay?” Ethan knew it was a stupid question.
Michael nods as his nostrils flare. He pursed his lips together as he stretched out his hurt leg.
“Can you stand?” He asked him out of concern, as Ethan helped him to his feet.
A wobble Michael was fine for a brief second. The pain was bearable to continue. He almost lost his balance as Ethan held onto him.
“Oww, damn,” Michael mumbled and leaned against one of the trees for support. “Just go find him without me.”
Ethan wasn't going to leave him here like a sitting duck. “Not a chance. Come on.” Ethan wrapped one arm around his waist to support himself.
The hideout was up ahead. Ethan found it once or twice by accident last year. Luckily for him, nobody was home at that time. “How are you doing?” Ethan wondered as they were only a couple of feet away.
Michael needed a breather as he took another break. “Still a bit banged up. The pain went away, at least. Look, I can stay here, keep a lookout or warn you in case they return.” Michael was in no condition to fight Avery. Or back Ethan up for that matter.
Ethan knew what he was doing. They came here together. That's how they'll walk out. “I'm not leaving you behind. We're almost there as it is, you okay to stand?”
Michael heard the determination in Ethan's tone. Michael nods with Ethan's assistance, they continued.
《***》
A loud crash startled them as they arrived. Inside the hideout, they already heard loud crashes. “Guess we're a bit late to the party?” Michael figured.
Ethan chuckled and sat him down on one of the tires as he rested behind it. The noises startle them, as the front door swung open.
Kasper tumbled outside and fell down. An exhausted Avery stumbled to his feet as he spat out some blood. Ethan's eyes widened and saw Kasper, who crawled back to his feet. He coughs out a laugh. Feeling the cool air on his face. “Guess I'm not welcomed back with open arms?” Kasper's eyes narrowed heavenward at him.
Avery pants reaching the bottom of the stairs. “Let's say if I do see you again, brother, one of us won't be standing.” Avery glared the side of his eye, Ethan as Michael stood up ready to duke if necessary. An exhausted Avery wasn't in the mood for another battle. Although, he noticed some damage was already done. He smirked to himself he limps away without uttering a word.
Ethan glanced at Michael, who told him he'd be fine while he helped Kasper to his feet.
“Thanks,”
Ethan offered his hand as he got to his feet. Kasper m
uttered groaning. His back was killing him more than his face was. Sitting on the steps to catch himself a small break.
“Guess we missed the show?” A sarcastic Ethan asked.
Kasper laughed and held his sprained ribs. “Something like that. Dare I ask what happened to the two of you?” Kasper looked at their own warrior wounds.
“We've had our own fun. You missed a hell of a party, could have waited for us. you know.”
True Love:Follow Your Heart Page 17