Sounds of Summer|Braden Higgins|

|NINETEEN|

The teens sat around the yard while the adults wee cooking inside and outside the lake house for another bon fire they were gonna have.

"Dude, who's car is that?" Andre questioned and the others turned to see the yellow Hummer pulling up beside Maisie's Range Rover.

Maisie's eyes grew wide as she jumped up from the ground where she leaned against the chair Keithie was sitting in. "Jackson!"

Everyone, even the moms who came outside when they heard Maisie yell, watched as she ran over to the boy, hugging him.

"Who is that?" Braden asked, watching his girlfriend talk to some guy he didn't know, jaw clenched in anger.

"Jackson's her best friend from our old school." Greg said, noticing the look on Braden's face, "And he-,"

"Jack, these are my best friends Charlotte, Donna, and Andre. You already know Greg and Keithie. And that's my boyfriend, Braden." Maisie introduced them to each other, "Guys, this is by best friend from school, Jackson."

"What are doing all the way out here?" Keithie asked him.

"I actually came to talk to Maisie about something super important." Jackson said, biting his lips, "Like so important that it needs to be in private."

Maisie looked at him concerned, noticing the look in his eyes, "Come on, let's take a walk. Dad! We'll be back in a little bit!"

"Don't stop and pick up any animals again!" Lenny called out, "They always pick up random animals." He mumbled to himself.

✖✖✖

"So, what's up?" Maisie asked as the two walked down the road, away from the lake house and they others who wanted to know what they needed to talk about.

"I don't know how you're gonna take any of these." Jackson sighed, rubbing his temples. "Kyle got released from prison about a week ago."

"What?" She breathed out.

"Me, Bryce, Amanda, Caleb, Kelly and Colson were hanging out and he walked in with his brother. Acted as if we were actually still friends with him." Jackson said, pausing from walking.

Maisie stopped in front of him, arms crossed over her chest, "So what? He just gets away with beating two women he was in relationships with for a whole two years? That's fucking bullshit."

"Yeah, we thought so too." Jackson said, running his fingers through his dark hair. "That's not all of it thought."

"What could possibly be worse than Kyle getting out of prison?" She asked, sighing.

"Maisie, they found Jacob in his apartment." Jackson said, "He killed his self."

"What?" She whispered.

Jacob might have abused her, but even she could admit that he hadn't always been that way with her. An abusive father and a druggie for a mother could do that to a kid. Maisie had loved Jacob and she didn't think she'd ever find someone that made her as happy as he had, and then she came home and met Braden.

"He swallowed a bunch of pills, overdosed." He told her, "He, uh, he left you a letter. It's in my car. Uh, his sister thought it be better if one of us gave it to you. The guys, Amanda and Kelly didn't think they could handle breaking the news to you."