Broken Rules

by Jade Buchanan

  Henry glanced up as Jonah came back up the stairs into the kitchen, pushing a chair out. Neil had settled himself against the kitchen counter since there weren't any seats left. Sinking gratefully onto the wooden chair, Jonah tried to tune into the conversation.

  "Tell me about it. Debs, it's a good thing you brought a cake. It's the one thing Reet isn't all that good at making." Henry avoided Rita-Anne's frst swat but managed to get beaned with the second.

  Jonah shook his head, a chuckle rising up.

  Rita-Anne snickered. "Hey, you be careful or I'm leaving you and going back to my frst husband."

  Jonah groaned, knowing where this was going. Sure enough, Sally just had to question her.

  "First husband, dear?"

  "Well, my frst husband was a really great guy. It just didn't work out for us, though. He left me for Susie Hallmaker without a second glance."

  Jonah dived in, grateful for the attempted levity. "Hell, Reet. Susie was just more well-rounded. What did you expect me to do? Besides, it just wasn't going to work out between us and you know it. I liked to play the feld back when I was ten. No way was I going to be a one-woman man."

  "Well-rounded? You just liked how tight her jeans were. I think she had permanent camel toe. Seriously."

  "Now, now, Reet. Be a bit more patriotic, will you? It's called moose knuckle, not camel toe." Jonah grinned.

  "Jesus, you did not just say that." Neil shook his head, unable to hide a grin behind the look of disgust he was obviously going for.

  "Wait, wait. You were her frst husband? Uh, wow. Heck, I'm all for true love, but frst-cousin love isn't quite something I can get behind." Patrick snorted, shaking his head at them.

  Debbie giggled. "Yes, she was once pure as snow, but she drifted somewhat."

  Rita-Anne rounded on her friend with a gasp while everyone else roared with laughter.

  "And on that note, we should be heading home," Patrick fnally said. "Leave these three to clean up. Neil, you ready to leave?"

  Neil glanced at Jonah, an unreadable look on his face. "Uh, yeah. Sure." Tom pressed a kiss to Debbie's cheek, standing up with a stretch. "Reet, lovely meal. Horrible circumstances, but it was great to see you again, Jonah. When are you headed back home?"

  "Tomorrow afternoon."

  "Well, if I don't see you before you leave, I'll say goodbye now. Don't be a stranger, you hear?"

  Jonah accepted a round of hugs goodbye. Neil threw an arm around him, mussing up his hair with his free hand. Jonah tried to hide his grin, but he couldn't help it. He wanted Neil to stay so they could take up where they left off outside, but since Neil had arrived with his brothers, he didn't have much of a choice whether to stay or leave.

  Neil pulled him slightly to the side. "I'll come over in the morning to say goodbye. Okay?"

  Jonah nodded. "Night."

  Neil looked like he wanted to say something else but he just nodded in return and followed everyone else outside.

  Left alone with Rita-Anne while Henry was driving his mom home, Jonah didn't know what to do. He felt restless. He couldn't stay here. "Reet, I need to get out, clear my head a bit. You mind?"

  Rita-Anne looked like she wanted to say something, but luckily she refrained. Jonah took advantage of it, making his way to the back door and sliding his shoes on before she could say anything.

  Walking down the dark driveway, he chanced a glance over to his parent's home. It was completely dark inside, his dad obviously asleep. Part of Jonah wanted to go over there, and maybe it was just the beer talking but it took almost everything inside him to move to his car instead. It still didn't feel quite real. Maybe because he hadn't actually seen his mom laid out, or maybe it was just that inner child that wanted everything to go back to the way it was.

  Opening the car door, he slid inside and sat staring through the windshield. Jonah didn't know what he wanted. His time here was almost up and he wasn't sure if he'd actually accomplished anything. His relationship with his dad was worse now than when he left, he had a note from his mom that was still burning a hole in his pocket. He'd confessed his sexuality to his former best friend and didn't know how he felt about it and the only good that had come from this whole week was spending time with Reet and Henry. And Neil, naturally. It all came back to Neil somehow.

  Jonah wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Neil had come back home this week. Somehow, it just made everything even more confusing. Sighing, he started the car. He just needed to forget for one night.

  Driving around didn't help any, though. He felt like a teenager out after curfew. He just didn't know how he felt, had no clue what he wanted in this second. Was it stupid to feel so out of sorts? He just really didn't know what to do with himself. He wanted to drive past Neil's parents house and see if he was still up but that would just be beyond dumb.

  Right?

  What was wrong with him? Well, besides the obvious. Hell, he should get a mental pass on the day he said the big offcial goodbye to his mom. They weren't sure what his father was going to do with her ashes. Part of him didn't want to know. Reet had mentioned maybe buying a tombstone and burying the urn later in the summer, but they'd have to see. Technically, any decision would be his dad's.

  The one man he really had no interest in talking to. He didn't think there was anything he could say that Michel would want to hear, and call him stupid but he didn't feel like being treated like shit today of all days.

  Jonah realized he'd been driving around for a few minutes without even paying attention to his surroundings. Damn, he was defnitely out of it. Maybe he'd had too much to drink to be out here. Reet most likely hadn't known how much he'd had to drink and Henry hadn't been home when Jonah had left so he was probably freaking out now to know that Jonah was out driving around in a rental car with one too many beers in his stomach. Lord, what was wrong with him? He was smarter than this. He really knew better.

  Pulling over to the side of the street, he stopped the car and took the keys out of the ignition. Well, he'd just have to walk back. Getting out and looking around, Jonah realized he was only about a block from Rich's bar. Remembering his night with Neil inside there, and his wet dream afterward, he started to move toward the bar. Ambling along the sidewalk, he was startled to spy the lights on inside the big building.

  Moments later, a very familiar fgure walked out of the back carrying a box. Jonah watched the man pull out bottles of liquor and stack them behind the bar for a few minutes before walking up and knocking on the front door.

  The fgure inside looked up, moving forward and unlatching the door.

  Rich held the door open, silently. Jonah nodded his head, making his way inside.

  chAPteR tweLve

  Fuck, that hadn't gone well. Neil sank down onto his childhood bed, tossing his cell phone to the foor beside him.

  "Did you just break up with her Royal Bitchiness?" David peeked in through the cracked door, pushing it open a touch more.

  "Jesus Christ. Can't a guy do anything in this family without everyone thinking they can comment on it?" Neil frowned at David, really not in the mood to deal with this.

  "Nope. Them's the breaks. You've known this for how long? We're all bloody nosy. You're just lucky it was me that overheard and not mom or dad. Then you'd never hear the end of it."

  Neil shook his head. David was right, he was lucky it was just the twerp who heard him. "What do you want?"

  "I want to talk, douchebag. Why'd you break up with her?" David fnally pushed the door open entirely, finging himself into the room and onto Neil's bed. Neil gave him a shove, sending him sprawling to the foor.

  "It's a long story."

  David stretched out on the foor. "Is it because she was a bitch?"

  "David..." Neil frowned.

  "Sorry, was it because she was friendly-challenged?"

  Hiding his grin, Neil just shook his head. It wouldn't do to show the little brat that he thought he was funny. "You'll understand more when you're older."

 
; "Oh, don't pull that crap on me. I understand plenty."

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Seriously, he didn't like what David was implying.

  "Nothing."

  "David."

  "It's nothing! I'm just saying I'm not as innocent as the rest of you think I am. I know things, and I don't get why you won't just talk to me about this."

  Neil rolled over and sat up. He stared down at David. "First, don't think I'm going to let you get away with that fimsy explanation. You damned well better still be the innocent we all think you are. Second, you're right. You're turning eighteen in a few weeks and this is your last year before university. You're not a child."

  "Really? Uh, I mean, right. Of course."

  Neil sighed, glancing around him. Speaking of being a child… His mom hadn't done a whole lot to change this room since Pat moved out eleven years ago, and Neil moved out ten years ago. Pat pretty much stayed in the area but Neil hadn't moved back to the Tri-Towns since he left for university. She still kept their room looking exactly the same, though, like she expected them to move back home tomorrow. He knew she'd done the same with Tom and Stan's rooms. And why they had their own rooms while he had to share with Pat his whole life still burned him. Shaking his head, Neil tried to remember what David had asked him.

  "In the spirit of things, I'll say it's complicated. The whole situation with Heather is just plain complicated. I knew a few months ago that things might not be working out but I didn't know for sure until about two weeks ago."

  "So, you broke up just now?" David frowned, crossing his arms.

  "No, two weeks ago."

  "What?" David jerked. "Whoa. The whole family still thinks you're together."

  "I don't see why I should keep you dorks up to date on my love life. Or lack of love life."

  "I'm telling mom you called her a dork."

  "Christ. I wasn't talking about mom and you know it."

  "So, you broke up with her two weeks ago? Why? And why didn't you tell us?"

  "Quick lesson for you, kid. Never string anyone along. If you don't like them then just deal with it. If you're with someone and you start having feelings for someone else... well, that's a sign that you either need to refocus your energy or really commit to the one you're with."

  "So, what? She cheated on you? Or you cheated on her?"

  "I didn't cheat on her."

  "Oooh. So she—"

  "Shut it. It's not important. I don't kiss and tell either."

  "I don't get it. If you broke up with her weeks ago, then why's she still calling you?"

  "She wants to get back together. I told her it isn't going to happen. Hell, she even managed to borrow my spare house key and let herself into my apartment the other day. I don't need that kind of drama."

  "Wait. How'd she get the key?"

  "One of my coworkers checks the mail when I'm out of town. She got it from him."

  "Why would he give it to her?"

  "I have a feeling Randy's a lot closer to her now than he was before. Or at the very least, he's trying to get a lot closer."

  "Holy shit. Your coworker is banging your ex-girlfriend? Isn't that against the code?"

  "Hey, watch it. And I'm not answering that."

  "You're not really that upset, are you?"

  "Honestly, no."

  "Well, why? Do you have feelings for someone else?"

  Neil shrugged. He wasn't sure what he felt for Jonah right now. Nothing was going to come of it, though. He knew that. They lived halfway across the country from each other for Christ's sake. So, why was he nearly killing himself trying to fgure out what his feelings really meant? Why had he just spent the last half hour on the phone listening to Heather alternate between crying and bitching. David was right, the woman defnitely was a pill. Didn't say much for Neil's taste in women. He shouldn't have even answered the damn thing when it rang.

  At least he was pretty sure he had good taste in men. Maybe. Hell, maybe not. There was no promise that anything was going to happen with Jonah. The guy was leaving tomorrow anyway, now that the funeral was over. Besides, they'd been friends for years. For all he knew Jonah wasn't interested in changing that, even if they were fnally talking for the frst time in ten years.

  Shit. What was he supposed to do? He hadn't been this torn up since he hit puberty and kept getting a boner every time a stiff breeze blew by.

  Didn't say much for his frame of mind at the moment.

  "So, what's gonna happen?"

  "Nothing, David. Nothing is going to happen."

  "Well, that's stupid. You've always told me to go after what you want. So what's stopping you?"

  "I told you it was complicated."

  David sprawled out on his stomach, resting his chin in his hands. "Is it Jonah?"

  "Is what Jonah?" He knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that they sounded stupid. Sure enough, David craned his neck up and rolled his eyes.

  "Yeah. It's Jonah." Neil stood up, pacing to the other side of his room to sit on Patrick's bed.

  "What're you gonna do?" David followed him over, sitting beside him.

  "Nothing."

  "Well, that's one way to pussy out."

  Neil shoved his brother, pushing him off the bed again.

  "Language, you little pest."

  David giggled, there was no other word for it. He stretched back out on the foor before curling in like a cat. "Just talk to him. He's leaving tomorrow."

  "That's kind of the whole problem, David. He's leaving. So it doesn't really matter what I do or say."

  "You sure about that?"

  "What, that he's leaving?"

  "No. That it doesn't matter what you say."

  Seriously, he didn't want to take relationship advice from someone he'd helped potty train but the little bugger was making a good point. "Fuck. There's something wrong when my seventeen year old brother is making sense."

  "Shut up, jerk!" David arched up off the foor, swinging a punch toward Neil.

  Laughing and easily dodging the swipe, Neil jumped off his bed and wrestled with the squirt. "Yield to your superior."

  "Sure, you want me to go over to Tom's place and yield? Cause you're not my superior, man-who-has-love-problems."

  "Shit, I knew this was going to be a mistake to talk to you. Mom should have drowned you at birth like we all voted for." Neil quirked a brow, managing to hold his laughter in for all of two seconds.

  David giggled again, fopping back down.

  "Neil. Phone for you." Chris appeared in the doorway. "You two are weird."

  "Hey, take it back douchebag!" David launched himself at Chris.

  Neil grabbed for the phone before David could knock it out of Chris' hand. "Hello?"

  "Neil? This is Henry. I have a problem."  

  He wasn't sure which way to go. Hell, not like Haileybury was all that big anyway, and there weren't too many places Jonah may have gone. Henry was beside himself. He was driving toward Cobalt, on the off chance Jonah had decided for a bit of a trip. Neil was closer to the centre of Haileybury so he was swinging past the shops before trying the Lower Notch where he'd run into Jonah a few days ago.

  "Son of a bitch." Well, he'd found him. Neil pulled over behind a rental car parked on the side of the street. Weren't too many of those in these parts. Three guesses as to who was renting it. Turning off the engine, he sat in silence for a moment.

  Up ahead he could see lights in Matheson's bar. He really should have seen this coming. Jonah just lost his mom, he had an asshat for a father and he probably had a few other things going on that Neil wasn't even aware of.

  Neil started to walk toward the bar. For Jonah to be here probably meant he was looking for a friendly face to talk to or he'd come to drink. If he was drinking, Neil really didn't know what to expect. Hopefully, Rich wouldn't be serving him at this time of night. The bar was closed. So, what was Jonah doing here? Ah, shit. There wasn't anything to Michel's claim about Jonah and Rich was there?

&nbs
p; Neil didn't bother knocking on the door. Opening it up like he owned the place, he walked right in.

  Oh, hell no.

  chAPteR thiRteen

  Jonah stared in horror at the open door and a stunned Neil. No, no no no. This was not happening. Not again. What was Neil doing here? Visions of that last fateful interruption fashed before his eyes. His father hitting him, Rich running away. Jonah cowering naked on the foor. Jonah blinked. What was Neil going to do?