The Secret

Chapter 13: these friends

Brennen

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I sit in the living room with Jake, Lily and my sister as we all watch a movie. I knew Jake and Lily would rather be alone upstairs but they felt bad and were staying down here with me. I told them they could go but they insisted that we all watch a movie together. I can't wait to get my leg back.

The front door opens and I watch Taylor stumble inside.

"Taylor, you're gonna get hurt." Garrett says as he walks in behind her.

"Why do you care? Huh?" She snaps as she turns to him.

I sit up as Jake pauses the tv.

"Come on, I'm sorry." He says.

"I'm sick of it, Garrett. You promised you'd stop getting into fights, you promised that you'd control it." She slurs.

He shakes his head.

"I know, and I'm trying. You know I am." He says.

"Well, try harder." She snaps.

Garrett stares at her as Jules and Chris walk in. We all watch Taylor and Garrett before she starts crying. My heart stops. I've never seen her cry before, especially when she was drunk.

"Taylor." Garrett whispers.

She sobs before he pulls her into a strong embrace.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." She cries.

He holds her tightly in her arms. It killed me to see her cry, it was so heart wrenching to watch.

"I'll stop. I'm sorry." He says.

They hold each other tightly and I look past them and at Jules who was staring at me. We both got the same memory running through our heads right now.

"You told me you'd talk to me. You promised." She cries as I sit on the edge of my bed, staring at the ground.

"I know. I'm sorry." I say.

"You could've told me that things were rough, I would've understood. I wouldn't have made you come to that stupid dance, Brennen." She sobs.

"I came for you. I wanted you to have fun." I tell her.

"Yeah, well I didn't. I'd rather just sit here with you and talk instead of fighting at fucking prom." She says.

I look into her teary eyes and feel my heart ache.

"I just want you to open up to me, Brennen. That's all I ever wanted." She says.

"Why? Why do you care so much? I treated you like shit that night." I say.

"Because I love you." She says.

I feel butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"You do?"
She wipes her tears as she nods.

"Oh, Julianna." I whisper as I get up.

I walk up to her and pull her into my arms. I hold her tight as she cries.

"I love you more, Jules." I tell her as I place a kiss on her head.

She looks at me and smiles.

"You're the one thing in this world that makes sense to me." I whisper.

It was weird thinking about the past. We both looked at each other and I felt guilty for what happened after that, how everything changed.