15 miles away, back in Hallettsville, Jesse was just waking up from a deep, alcohol induced slumber. His head started pounding the second he opened his eyes, and it was made even worse by the repeated buzzing of his phone. Just wanting it to stop, he sat up with a groan and fumbled in his back pocket to answer it.

“Uh…hey,” he mumbled, looking dazedly around Kyle’s little bedroom as the night before came flooding back. He thought of Kyle, smiling serenely on his couch as he offered Jesse beer after beer. He was trying to get Jesse to relax after a stressful week alone with the kids and Jesse was doing his best to play along, but he kept thinking about Shaun and their conversation earlier on the phone. He just couldn’t bring himself to completely let down his guard around Kyle, not after last time… and then suddenly, as if Jesse’s thoughts had summoned him, Shaun was charging through the back door to rescue him and Kyle was being beaten to a pulp. Back in the present, Jesse dropped his phone to his chest and glanced over his shoulder in search of the other boy. He wasn’t far, he lay curled on the bed beside Jesse, facing away as he continued to sleep. Jesse studied him in silence for a moment. Right now, Kyle was a threat to no one…

“…Jesse? You there?” It was Gretchen’s voice and Jesse was a tiny bit disappointed it wasn’t Shaun’s instead, checking up on him again. With a sigh, he turned away from Kyle and forced himself to drag the phone back to his ear.

“Yeah. I’m here. What’s up?”

“Oh fuck. What a relief,” Gretchen said with an uncomfortable laugh. “I thought for a second there that we’d lost you! Well, sounds like you survived Shaun’s towering rage last night.”

Jesse didn’t even ask how she knew about Shaun’s visit the night before. He was shocked he hadn’t gotten a call or text beforehand, warning him, actually. “Yeah. I made it. Thanks for the heads up, by the way. That was a huge fucking surprise.”

“Yeah, I know,” Gretchen said and at the very least, she did sound remorseful. “I fucked up. I guess I was hoping you two would finally make up… Did you? He isn’t here, so…”

“Well, he isn’t here,” Jesse said bitterly. “And I’ve got no clue where he is. He didn’t say much last night. He just…yelled a bunch.”

“I was afraid of that happening,” Gretchen sighed heavily. “What happened?”

“He showed up after dark, shattered my friend’s back patio door, then beat the crap out of him. It was pretty fucked up.”

“Oh, Jesse. I’m so sorry,” Gretchen said. “I knew he was going to do something crazy when he left practice. Harry gave him a ride though, so there wasn’t much I could do.”

“He’s convinced Kyle’s taking advantage of my kindness and getting me drunk and high so he can rape me,” Jesse said grumpily, thinking about Shaun’s accusations the night before. “I wonder how he got that idea?”

“Oh shit,” Gretchen said and Jesse bristled as she admitted her fault. “I only told him about your butt hurting because he was already determined to go save you. I figured I couldn’t stop it, so…”

“You basically just fanned the flames,” Jesse said, frowning. “He was really upset, Gretchen. I thought he was going to kill Kyle with his bare hands.”

“Oh god. I’m so so sorry, Jess,” Gretchen said again. “Jesus, I can only imagine how scared you must have been. I know how he gets, especially when you’re involved. He’s so damn jealous.”

“Yeah,” Jesse said, but honestly, he wasn’t convinced. After everything, Shaun had left him behind yet again. He obviously wasn’t jealous enough…

“So, where are you?” Gretchen asked. “Did he force you to go home last night?”

“No, actually,” Jesse said. “He was close though, he was carrying me out of Kyle’s house like some damsel in distress, but then he started lecturing me on how I’m living my life and just being a hypocrite in general and I started yelling. I told him to leave, and he got this guilty look on his face and he left. Just like that.”

“Wow.”

“Yep,” Jesse said. “He never listens to me. I couldn’t believe it.”

“So, you’re still at your friend’s house?”

“Yeah,” Jesse said. “I’m sitting on his bed right now.”

“Christ. So after all that yelling and carrying on, insisting you were in danger and shit, and he just…leaves you there?”

“I know,” Jesse said, picking absently at the ugly blue cast encasing his right arm. Just a couple more weeks and it would be ready to come off. He was so damned excited for it to happen. He couldn’t fucking wait for things to be back to normal. Only…Jesse had this horrible feeling in his gut that nothing was ever going to be normal again. Since Shaun had touched his life, everything had changed and flipped around so dramatically. Jesse wasn’t even sure what he was doing anymore…

“That’s really fucked up,” Gretchen was saying and Jesse agreed wholeheartedly. “I just thought the two of you…”

“Yeah. For a second, I thought we were going to make up, too,” Jesse finished for her, his expression twisting with the unfairness of it all. “But I was wrong. He doesn’t want me anymore. Not really. What he actually wants is to torture me, I think. He wants me to be alone and miserable forever so I never stop missing him.”

“C’mon, Jesse, that’s not true—”

“Yes, it is!” Jesse cried, then remembered Kyle was sleeping and quickly lowered his voice to a frantic whisper. “It’s the ultimate torture, Gretchen! It’s the perfect revenge for outing him! Shaun’s mean like that. I love him dearly, but he’s one evil motherfucker!”

“Jesse…c’mon…”

“You c’mon, Gretchen,” Jesse taunted the girl. “You weren’t here last night. You didn’t see the empty look in his eyes when he left me here to rot. They were completely emotionless. He doesn’t care about me. It’s obvious. He just wants to see me suffer!”

“Jesse…” Gretchen let out another heavy sigh and Jesse imagined her rolling her eyes. He had to fight with himself not to angrily hang up. “Shaun’s going through a lot right now, okay? I know it’s taking him like, forever, to come around, but I seriously feel like he’s going to. I have hope for the two of you yet, we all just need to be really patient with him right now. He’s fragile.”

“Yeah. Whatever,” Jesse said with a huff. “I’m just really tired of waiting.”

“I know exactly what you mean. Trust me,” Gretchen said, and Jesse paused as her boy troubles came to mind. The shit she was going through with Ben was different, but at the same time, it was exactly the same. Both she and Jesse were in love with boys too stupid to deserve it.

“So, how was practice anyway?” Jesse asked. He was only vaguely interested, his own troubles were weighing heavily on his mind, but he figured he should be nice and ask. “Did you hook up with Ben one last time? His wedding’s today, right?”

“Not anymore,” Gretchen sang cheerfully, and Jesse quirked an eyebrow.

“Uh…what?”

“Ben called off the ceremony yesterday during his lunch break,” Gretchen said, and it was obvious she was beaming. Jesse could hear it in her voice. “It’s over with Angela. He spent the entire night here with me and he’s making breakfast in the kitchen, right now.”

“Oh wow,” Jesse said. “Are you a couple now?”

“Yep. We talked it out. We want to make this happen. I’m letting him move in so he can get away from my sister for good.”

Jesse heard himself congratulating the girl, wishing her and Ben well, but he was totally numb. He couldn’t help it. He was incredibly jealous. He wanted something good for him and Shaun to happen, too.

“Yeah. I mean, I was hoping Ben would come to his senses, but I wasn’t holding my breath,” Gretchen said with a laugh. “He totally surprised me.”

“That’s nice,” Jesse said flatly. “Good for you.”

“Thanks.”

For a moment or two, there was an uncomfortable silence while Jesse rubbed a hand over his face and wallowed in self-pity. He didn’t know what to say. He suddenly wanted to get off the phone, desperately, but he didn’t know how to politely end the conversation.

“I’d better go, actually,” Gretchen said suddenly, and Jesse let out a little sigh of relief. “Ben’s been waving me into the kitchen for like 5 minutes now. The food’s probably getting cold.”

“I get it,” Jesse said. “It’s fine. We’ll talk later.”

“Cheer up, Jess,” Gretchen said. “I’ll send you a text when Shaun shows up. If that makes you feel any better.”

Jesse shrugged. “Do what you like. It doesn’t matter to me either way.”

“Alright,” Gretchen said, and she sounded kind of sad. “Bye Jess.”

“Bye,” Jesse said, then he let the phone drop to his lap. For a minute, he sat quietly, thinking about Shaun, wondering where he was and what he was doing… He knew he was being overly sentimental and that Shaun wouldn’t approve of his moping, but he figured Shaun was doing a lot of shit Jesse wouldn’t approve of either, so he figured they were even.

Depressed, and with his head still pounding, Jesse started to curl up on the bed once more, figuring he’d sleep until Sunday, when Kyle finally spoke.

“Was that Shaun’s drummer?”

Jesse turned with a start to find Kyle watching him from the bed. He’d rolled onto his back and he rested casually with his hands folded across his chest. He looked totally fine, like last night hadn’t even happened. “Um…yeah,” Jesse said awkwardly. “That was Gretchen.”

Kyle nodded.

“She was just checking on me,” Jesse continued. “I guess Shaun hasn’t come home yet, so she was wondering…”

“What? If you guys had made up?” Kyle asked and Jesse nodded. Kyle broke into a smile at this, and he chuckled, much to Jesse’s annoyance. “That’s Shaun for you, I guess. Unpredictable, as always. We were all expecting him to cave when he saw you and come crawling back.”

“Yeah, well, maybe he was serious when he broke up with me at the hospital.” Jesse deflated and looked away, avoiding Kyle’s amused gaze. “Maybe he really is done with me.”

“Jesse…” Kyle said, putting a hand on Jesse’s shoulder. “Shaun’s a complicated beast. So he didn’t do what we were all expecting. Big deal. We all know, you especially, how he likes to make his own rules.”

Jesse shrugged. He felt like crying though. His broken heart was begging him to hold onto hope, but his brain screamed for him to cut his losses and move on. He couldn’t logically keep hoping for something that was never going to be. That would only lead to misery and Jesse just wasn’t a miserable person by nature. He couldn’t let himself be like this anymore.

“It’s not over, Jesse,” Kyle continued, oblivious to Jesse’s mental anguish. “We just need to change up our approach, is all.” He patted him on the shoulder a few times, then he sat up with a groan of pain. “Shit! That stings….I need some ice.”

“Oh, how’s your side?” Concerned, Jesse jumped into parent mode and turned back to Kyle. “Let me see it.”

With another grimace of pain, Kyle lifted his t-shirt. Jesse gasped.

“Oh God, Kyle…I think Shaun broke your ribs.”

Kyle looked down at his left side, at the extensive bruising starting just above his hip and extending under his armpit. “Yeah. Probably,” he said with a little laugh. “Damnit Shaun.”

“Its not funny, Kyle,” Jesse said firmly. “It looks bad. You should let me take you to the hospital.”

“No, no.” Kyle dropped his shirt, then he slid to the edge of the bed so he sat beside Jesse. “They can’t do anything. They don’t set ribs in casts like they do when you break your arm. All they’ll do is give me ice and tell me to take it easy for a few weeks.”

“How do you know?” Jesse asked. “Have you had this happen before?”

“No. But my brother has,” Kyle said. “I’m familiar with the recovery process.”

Jesse didn’t say anything. He was a little curious about Kyle’s older brother, the big time drug dealer, but he’d yet to meet the guy.

“Anyway, did you hear what I said before?” Kyle asked, catching Jesse’s gaze again. “About changing up our approach?”

“No?” Jesse fidgeted under Kyle’s calculating stare. “But honestly, I don’t think I’m up for anymore of your schemes.”

“Oh c’mon.” Kyle pouted. “You’re acting like I made you do a bunch of crazy shit. I got you to hook up with Paul. That’s it.”

“And that was enough!” Jesse cried, exasperated. “You made it even worse when you threw me under the bus and told Shaun!”

“Hey, nobody warned me I was going to have to defend myself last night,” Kyle said, poking a finger in Jesse’s red, angry face. “I panicked. I said the first thing that came to mind.”

Jesse crossed his arms with a huff and looked away. “Whatever Kyle. It was fucked up, either way.”

“I know,” Kyle said softly, then he perked up a bit and excitedly grabbed Jesse on the thigh. “Let me make it up to you. I’ve got the perfect idea to get Shaun’s attention, and it doesn’t involve sleeping with anyone either.”

Jesse glanced at him again, hesitant. “What’s your idea?”

Kyle gestured to himself, beaming cheerfully like the sun. “Me, of course.”

Jesse quirked an eyebrow.

“We all know Shaun hates me more than anyone, right?” Kyle started and Jesse nodded in agreement. “Well, from what I saw last night, Shaun’s on the mend. He’ll be getting back on stage soon enough and when he does, we should be there. Together.”

“Why?” Jesse scoffed. “So we can distract him and ruin his show? Great idea, Kyle. He’ll be desperate to get back together with me after something like that.”

“No, listen,” Kyle urged. “We’ll surprise him this time. But we’ll wait until the end of his set to reveal ourselves so we don’t interrupt.”

“OK. Well, how will we stop him from beating the crap out of you again?” Jesse asked. “We’re playing with fire when it comes to Shaun, you know that right?”

“I already thought of that,” Kyle said quickly. “We’ll bring back up.”

“Back up?”

“Who else does Shaun care about, besides you, that is?” Kyle asked and Jesse shrugged. “Oh, c’mon. This isn’t a trick question. I thought Shaun and your little son, what’s-his-name, were on really good terms.”

“Brian,” Jesse corrected. “My kid’s name is Brian.”

“Yeah. Well, let’s bring him to the show,” Kyle said. “And we’ll bring Sam along, too. He can watch the little one while we deal with…Shaun.”

“What? You think Shaun’s just going to….calm down when he sees Brian?”

Kyle gave Jesse a loaded look. “You’re the expert here. Will he?”

Jesse rubbed his chin in thought. “He might.”

“I figure I can slip away after you two touch base,” Kyle continued energetically, obviously loving his new idea. “Then you and your little family will be stuck at some mysterious metal venue and Shaun will have to help you. He’ll have no choice.”

Jesse rubbed his face again. “I don’t know, Kyle…”

“Well, I know,” Kyle said adamantly. “This is a good idea.”

Jesse sighed heavily. He wasn’t convinced, but he had no other plans or ideas. This was a really last ditch effort, but he figured he wouldn’t have the time to go on anymore of these silly adventures once school started in September.

“What are you thinking?” Kyle asked after a moment. “You’ve got this cute little crease between your eyebrows.”

Jesse frowned, but it did nothing to diminish his cuteness. Kyle laughed at him. “I’m thinking…I’m wondering, actually,” Jesse said slowly. “What do I need to do to make this work?”

“Easy,” Kyle said. “Keep hanging out with me. You’re spending the night again tonight, right?”

Jesse groaned. “I was thinking maybe I should go home, actually. I’m worried I haven’t heard anything from Sam yet, about the kids, and I drank way too much last night. I feel like shit and I need a shower.”

“You can take a shower here,” Kyle offered. “And I thought you were drinking pretty good before Shaun showed up, but after he left, wow. I think you must have downed 6 or 7 more beers before we finally came in here to crash.”

“I remember,” Jesse muttered, but he didn’t really. The night after Shaun had stormed off again was mostly a blur. He didn’t even remember if he'd wanted to drink all that beer. “I just…don’t think I can do another night like last night. My head is pounding.”

“Aww, c’mon. How is going home to a household of children going to make you feel any better?” Kyle asked. “Just stay here. Relax without the kids around to bug you. Let Sam earn his babysitting money. He’s got one more night.”

“But what does hanging out with you have to do with Shaun?” Jesse whined. “How does me staying here make any difference?”

“Well, duh, because Shaun hates when you’re with me,” Kyle said with a laugh. “Maybe he isn’t here right now, but he’ll hear all about it through that drummer of his. And then he’ll know this isn’t over.”

Jesse relented a bit. That was probably true. Gretchen had been doing a great job of revealing bits of information about Jesse to Shaun to keep him interested and on his toes. She said she didn’t want to make him jealous, but that’s exactly what she was doing.

“When you talk to Shaun’s drummer again, try to find out when their next show is,” Kyle said and Jesse found himself nodding, agreeing to the plan without any further complaints. “Don’t tell her what we’re planning. Just keep it casual.”

“Alright.”

Kyle slid off the bed and stood, wincing a bit as he straightened. “I need to get that ice… C’mon. I’ll get you a towel and show you to the bathroom.”

Jesse sighed, but he didn’t argue anymore. He got up and followed Kyle out of the bedroom.

***

30 minutes later, Jesse climbed out of the shower and quickly covered himself with a towel. He felt more than a little weird being naked here, at Kyle’s house, and he hurried to put on the baby blue t-shirt the boy in question had loaned him and his jeans from yesterday. Once dressed, he took a moment to check his appearance in the mirror. He thought he looked okay, even though his head was still pounding and he generally just felt like crap. It was good enough, though, and Jesse shrugged out of the room.

Before he rejoined Kyle in the living room, he doubled back to the bedroom to grab his phone. It waited for him patiently on the bed and he grabbed it without thinking. When the device buzzed in his hand, though, he realized he’d gotten a message.

Jesse paused and sank to sit on the edge of the bed. There were two messages, actually. One from Gretchen and one from Sam.

Hey, just wanted you to know that Shaun finally made it home, Gretchen had said 15 minutes before. He said he didn’t want to talk but he was in a weirdly good mood. It was fucking bizarre.

Jesse smiled a little. He liked thinking maybe he was the reason behind Shaun’s good mood, but he didn’t want to presume. He left Gretchen’s message unanswered, and checked the text from his brother, next.

I couldn’t get the babies to bed until after midnight, but once they were out, they slept like little angels, Sam had said just 5 minutes ago. They’re still sleeping actually. It’s a fucking miracle!

Jesse felt a real lessening of tension in his knotted stomach. Shaun was okay and so were Sam and Brian. Smiling, he typed out a quick reply.

Thank you so much for watching them, Sam, he said. You are so much better than those lazy bitches at the daycare. I mean it.

A lot cheaper, too, Sam said with an eye-roll emoji. Next time I’m asking mom for $75.

LOL. That’s still cheaper than the daycare. She might consider it.

Might as well try, right?

Jesse smiled, glad to hear his brother was in a good mood. That meant Brian and Lissa were in good moods, too. He just knew that from experience. He just had to ask though, for his own curiosity. Did you hear from mom at all?

Heck no, Sam said at once. She’s in Arizona by now, busy with Ryan, the new guy. She couldn’t care less about us.

Jesse had expected as much, but still, he was disappointed. Well, I care, he affirmed, just in case Sam thought he didn’t. And you’re doing a great job, okay? I want you to know that. You’re really helping me out right now. Like seriously, you’re amazing, Sam.

Yeah, I know, Sam replied cockily and Jesse laughed a bit, just imagining how full of himself his brother must be feeling right about now.

Cool. Well, text me if you need anything, Jesse said affectionately. But I know you got this. I’ll be home tomorrow morning, okay? Bright and early.

Sam sent a thumbs up and satisfied he’d said everything that needed saying, Jesse closed his message app.

He took a few seconds to compose himself, then stood and slid his phone into his back pocket. He felt a lot better about everything, really, but he still wasn’t looking forward to another entire day with Kyle. He couldn’t even imagine what they were going to get up to.

Taking a single, deep breath, Jesse forced himself to leave the bedroom.

“… too much going on last night…No, I didn’t get the chance…”

Jesse slowed to a crawl as he approached the living room at the end of the hall. Kyle was talking to someone.

“You know what they say about best-laid plans, don’t you?” Kyle laughed. “Nope…He doesn’t have the slightest clue.”

Jesse stopped just outside the room and flattened himself against the wall. He had a weird feeling Kyle was talking about…him. He kept listening.

“…not asking for help exactly. I just wanted your expertise,” Kyle said in that teasing tone of his and Jesse instantly felt like he was listening to something he shouldn’t. “Yes. Because you’re the master, Ethan. You’re a damned legend and we all know it.”

Jesse vaguely recognized the name, Ethan, but he just couldn’t place it. Maybe Sam had mentioned it once in passing…

“…yeah. Okay. We can do that…. Just text me when you’re available,” Kyle said, paused for a beat, then laughed again merrily. “You’re wrong. I’m not the one who’s going to regret this, he is. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy minute of this.”

Jesse felt a chill go down his spine. What the fuck was Kyle talking about?

“… yep. Talk soon,” Kyle said easily, then he went silent and a long, unnatural quiet filled the air. Jesse, pressed against the wall, holding his breath in fear, was starting to wonder if he should just reveal himself when Kyle called out softly: “Jesse?”

Jesse’s heart did a little back flip, but his legs were already carrying him into the other room. Hands clasped in front of him and with his bottom lip caught nervously between his teeth, Jesse stopped a couple steps away from Kyle, who stood just in front of the shattered sliding glass doors, surveying the mess with a critical eye.

“That was my brother,” Kyle said without turning. “He said I should call a repair guy for the door. He’ll reimburse me later tonight, when he’s free.”

“Your brother’s coming over?” Jesse asked, blinking in surprise. That answered some of his questions, but he was still curious about that line about ‘regret’.

“Yea. He’s been really busy lately, but he’s in town again and off tonight,” Kyle said, turning at last. He smiled easily, displaying his perfect teeth. “I was getting worried, I thought I was going to have to pay for all this myself.”

Jesse looked down at all the glass littering the floor. This was so much worse than the hole Shaun had put in his kitchen wall. This was going to take some serious time and effort cleaning up and would be costly to repair. “Um…Kyle? Where’s your dad at? Isn’t he going to get like really upset when he sees this?”

“My dad?” Kyle snorted. “He’s been on a bender since late March. I’ve been on my own ever since. Ethan sends me money to pay the bills and to get food. The rest goes towards partying. Drugs, alcohol, that sort of shit. Replacing the door was seriously going to cut into my drug money for the month.”

Jesse laughed weakly in reply. “Yeah. That sucks.”

Kyle folded his arms. “Well, it’s fine now. My brother’s going to take care of it. I just have to clean this all up, then call a guy to come fit a replacement.”

“Oh, well, I can help,” Jesse offered. It was his fault anyway. The reason Shaun had busted the window was because of him.

“You’re going to have to do the vast majority of the work, I’m afraid,” Kyle said, rubbing his wounded ribs for emphasis. “I’m totally worthless right now.”

“That’s okay,” Jesse said. “Do you have rubber gloves and some trash bags?”

Kyle’s expression blanked. “We should probably go shopping for some cleaning supplies,” he said finally and Jesse realized he probably didn’t have anything to clean with. The general state of disrepair in the house was rather telling.

“Do you have a vacuum, at least?” he asked, exasperated. “I have to get up the little bits of glass.”

“There’s a shop vac in the garage,” Kyle said with a shrug.

“That’ll work.”

Kyle nodded then turned and gestured for Jesse to follow him out the front. “I need to pick up a bag of ice for my side anyway, so we can kill two birds with one stone and grab some cleaning supplies, as well.”

Jesse fell into step behind Kyle. He felt a bit more confidence in his stride now that he knew what he was getting into. His morning would be spent cleaning up Shaun’s mess, then he’d sit with Kyle while a repairman fixed the door, then, later, if he was lucky, he’d get to meet Kyle’s infamous big brother.

The young men left the house and piled in Kyle’s car. Kyle whined about being in pain as he started the engine, but it didn’t stop him from backing down the driveway and accelerating towards town.

As they drove, Jesse was quiet and he let Kyle rant about his injuries and bitch and complain about Shaun. He hoped Kyle wasn’t going to try to get revenge for this. Shaun shouldn’t have done what he did last night, but Jesse didn’t think he should be punished. He worried about the strange conversation he’d overhead between Kyle and his brother and what it meant as they got into town, passing sleepy little shops and restaurants.

“Here we are,” Kyle said, pulling into the parking lot in front of a small Dollar General. “I’m not in the mood for Walmart. This place should have everything we need.”

Deciding to keep quiet, Jesse got out of the car without comment and followed Kyle inside. He didn’t care where they went, really. It was all the same to him.

Inside, they got a cart and Jesse picked out a basket full of cleaning supplies. Rubber gloves, trash bags, paper towels, cleaning spray, the works. They found a bag of crushed ice in the freezer section, then went to checkout. Jesse was a little surprised at the price, but Kyle was flirting with the cute guy on register, and he didn’t seem to notice.

When they got back to the car, Kyle immediately cursed. “Shit. We should have picked up some donuts or something. Normally, I’d make breakfast, but I’m pretty useless right now, being hurt and all.”

“Well, we can always run back inside,” Jesse suggested. “I’d settle for a box of cereal.”

“Cereal requires a bowl and a spoon,” Kyle said, making a face. “Which means someone would have to do dishes… Nope. Forget it. That’s too much effort right now.”

Jesse frowned. Now that Kyle had mentioned breakfast, he was suddenly starving. “What are we supposed to eat then?”

“Never fear, Jess,” Kyle said with a laugh, then he started the engine and whipped the car out of its parking space. “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go to the Starbucks and get lattes and pastries!”

Jesse fell back into his seat as they took off down the road. He thought Starbucks was overpriced and overrated, but whatever. Kyle was paying.

Oddly enough, Hallettsville had it’s own Starbucks. It was in a newer building just off the highway and it featured a drive-thru to maximize the customer experience.

Kyle pulled into a line of cars waiting to make orders and they inched forward bit by bit until it was finally their turn. Jesse let Kyle pick him a coffee, but he wanted a muffin and he said as much as Kyle rattled off their order. Obligingly, the other boy added it to the list.

When they got back to Kyle’s place, nearly an hour had passed. Jesse carried the bag of ice inside while Kyle got the cleaning supplies and the drinks. Once inside, Kyle dragged everything into the living room but Jesse took a moment to store the ice in the freezer. There was lots of space, the whole fridge was mostly empty. Feeling a bit bad for the blond, Jesse hurried to follow him into the other room.

Kyle was turning the TV on when Jesse rejoined him. The news was on and by mutual agreement, they settled in on the couch to watch and to eat their Starbucks.

Jesse finished his muffin first and he began sorting through the cleaning supplies right away. He got out a trash bag, put the rubber gloves on, then got down on the floor to pick up large pieces of glass.

Kyle watched him work for several minutes, finishing his cheese Danish and sipping on his latte. Then he got up and slipped into the kitchen.

Jesse was busy, so he wasn’t paying Kyle much attention. The glass was just never ending and he was having trouble seeing it, too, because of the crappy lighting. He worked hard for a solid twenty minutes before Kyle came back into the room, a makeshift ice pack held against his wounded side.

“How’s it going so far?” he asked as he reclaimed his seat on the couch.

Jesse shrugged. “Once I finish picking up the big pieces, I’ll need the shop vac so I sweep up the rest. Then, I guess I’ll use a broom on the deck. There’s glass out there, too.”

“Cool,” Kyle said, then he took out his phone. “I’d better call that repairman. I was just Googling our options in the kitchen. I think I found a local guy who will do it for a decent price.”

Jesse nodded then turned back to the task at hand. He had a lot of work still to do.

While Jesse continued to clean, Kyle called his repairman. The guy said he’d be by in an hour to measure and give an estimate. Kyle thanked him profusely. It was a little ridiculous, actually, and Jesse hid his face so Kyle wouldn’t see him laughing.

He spent another twenty minutes picking up glass, then followed Kyle’s half-assed directions, through the door in the kitchen, to the dark and unwelcoming garage. Luckily, he found the shop vac without much trouble. It stood in the back corner, dusty and covered in cobwebs. Jesse cleaned it off best he could with paper towels he had stuffed in his pocket, then he rolled it inside.

Kyle was still watching the news when Jesse returned, the shop vac in tow. There were men playing football on the screen and Kyle’s eyes were trained on the action. Jesse snorted and shook his head. He had no compunctions about interrupting Kyle’s peep show. He plugged the shop vac’s cord into the power strip behind the TV, then turned it on.

Kyle made a face of disappointment, but he didn’t try to stop Jesse. He watched him vacuum instead, occasionally shifting the ice pack on his ribs.

Jesse took his time and made slow passes along the carpet with the vacuum’s suction wand. He could hear the glass pinging around inside the machine as it was collected. It was a very satisfying sound and he was weirdly enjoying the process.

He was just finishing up when there was a firm knock at the door. Jesse turned off the vacuum, but Kyle had already bolted off the couch. He disappeared into the kitchen again, and after a moment, there were voices. Kyle’s and a deep male voice Jesse didn’t recognize.

“… crazy as hell. This rogue buck just charged the glass and shattered everything. He must have saw his reflection or something and freaked,” Kyle was saying as he led the mystery repairman into the room. The guy was young, but he was fat and his beard was scraggly and kind of pathetic. Not attractive, in other words.

But Kyle was all over him, flirting and joking around as he told a big, made up story about the glass door breaking.

The guy didn’t seem to care, about the story or about Kyle. He nodded once at Jesse, then stepped around him and took out a measuring tape. He started taking measurements, jotting everything down on a scrap of paper.

“Have you got any other calls about crazy deer?” Kyle asked. “I bet there’s a whole rabid pack of them out there.”

“Nope. Can’t say that I have,” the repairman said dismissively.

“Well, if you run across one of them, I’m sure a big, strong guy like you can handle himself.” Kyle fluttered his eyelashes.

The guy snorted. “Yeah. Probably.”

“Me and my friend were really scared last night,” Kyle said, gesturing to Jesse, who stood silent by the shop vac. “We could have used someone with all that…” Kyle looked the guy up and down. “Someone with all that muscle to protect us.”

“Uh…” the repairman hit the little button on his measuring tape so the long metal ruler snapped back into place. “The door is gonna cost you around $400 and labor’s going to be another 200.”

“Oh.” Kyle pouted a little. “Is that really the best you can do, Daniel? Price wise, I mean.”

Daniel scratched his scraggly beard. “I could get you a cheaper door, but I’d have to special order it. That could take up to two weeks.”

“No. That’s no good,” Kyle said. “What if that deer comes back? I have to get a replacement today.”

“Then 600 is going to be your best bet,” Daniel said firmly. “Now, you’re more than welcome to call another guy out but I guarantee you they’ll be charging 800 or more to do it today.”

Kyle sighed and dropped the pout. “Fine. You win. You can get started.”

“Alright.” Daniel nodded, then stepped through the open doorway and back into the living room. He slid past Jesse then edged carefully around Kyle. “I need to grab supplies at the shop. I’ll be back in 30.”

“OK. Byeee.” Kyle waggled his fingers at Daniel in farewell. “See ya soon.”

Daniel didn’t reply, but he did hurry out the door like he had a fire under his ass. Kyle watched the man go with a weird little smile on his face.

“Why are you being so…flirty with everyone today?” Jesse asked once they were alone. “I really don’t think that guy liked it.”

Kyle shrugged and walked back to the couch where he threw himself dramatically across the cushions. “Eh. I don’t know. I guess I’m just excited to get out of here finally. I’m moving away with my brother as soon as summer’s over, remember? Just a few days after school starts again.”

Jesse finally set the vacuum aside. He vaguely remembered Kyle mentioning something about moving to the city, weeks back, but he’d been so focused on his own bullshit lately, he'd all but forgotten.

“Anyway, once I get out of this hell hole, I won’t have to hide all the time like I do here,” Kyle said, combing his hair back with a long, elegant hand. “Houston is all about anonymity. You can do whatever you want, be whoever you want and nobody there gives a crap. In fact, most people just look the other way. This place though, you make one little mistake and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Nobody here will ever forget and they won’t let you move on, either.”

“You sound exactly like Shaun,” Jesse said wistfully. “He hates this place so much.”

“Yeah, he’s a good example of how this town ruins good people,” Kyle said, scowling. “He’s the reason I went into hiding as soon as I realized I was…different. I didn’t want people to treat me like they did Shaun. Fuck, they were horrible to him…for no reason at all, really.”

With a sigh, Jesse came to sit on the arm of the couch. “I really didn’t mean to out Shaun at that party,” he said miserably. “He broke up with me for a good reason, didn’t he?”

Kyle looked up at him in surprise. “No, Jesse. Listen to me. This town blows, but it’s a small, very tiny representation of the rest of the world. Most people nowadays aren’t bigoted homophobes. That’s a special deep Texas kind of trait.”

“I can confirm that.” Jesse laughed. “I’ve lived in enough places to know.”

“Yeah, well, Shaun doesn’t know any better,” Kyle pointed out and Jesse fell quiet again so he could listen. “Shaun thinks the whole world is like this backwards town. That’s why he broke up with you.”

Jesse nodded slowly. “Yeah. You’re right.”

“Well, guess what? He’s wrong,” Kyle said, his gray eyes sparkling with conviction. “In fact, I bet a lot of Shaun’s weirdo fans would think it was brutal that he fucks guys.”

Jesse snorted with amusement. “That’s a little much, I think.”

“My point, Jesse, is that he broke up with you for dumb reasons,” Kyle said, still very serious. “It’s our job to show him, repeatedly if we have to, how incredibly stupid he’s being.”

Jesse almost started clapping he felt so inspired. He smiled hugely instead. “Thanks Kyle. For helping me. You’ve been… a really good friend.”

“Sure thing.” Kyle beamed back at him. “And listen, I understand. I grew up with Shaun. We know all the same people. I understand why he’s so hesitant to come out publicly, but school’s over now. Hell, he doesn’t even live in this stupid town anymore…We don’t have to live by their rules ever again, Jesse. It’s okay to date someone that’s not a girl. Being gay is okay.”

“Not for me, it isn’t,” Jesse said, and his mood dropped a little. “I’m not done with school yet. I’ve still got another year to go.”

“Oh yeah.” Kyle patted him consolingly on the shoulder. “Well, just keep your head down and try not to start any fights. You’ll probably be fine.”

Laughing bitterly, Jesse tore away. “Somehow, I doubt I will. What with all the gay rumors floating around about me now.”

Kyle’s expression was carefully neutral. He started to say something, then he thought better of it and closed his mouth again. He couldn’t think of a single thing to say!

Jesse was suddenly pissed. He couldn’t help remembering what an incredibly bad friend Kyle had been, just a few months before, and the memory ruined everything. “Whatever,” he said, shaking his head in disgust. “I’d better just finish what I started. Do you have a broom so I can sweep off the deck?” he asked, just wanting to get away from Kyle for a couple minutes.

Kyle gestured over his shoulder, into the kitchen. “There’s probably one in the garage. You’ll have to search for it though.”

Jesse gave a curt nod, then abruptly left the room.

As Jesse rummaged through the cluttered garage, he couldn't shake Kyle's words from his mind. He wasn’t happy with the blond right now. The fact that he was responsible for the ‘gay rumors’ at school was a given, but what he’d said about Shaun? That had been spot on. He knew exactly what he was talking about and Jesse grudgingly had to give him some credit.

After a good five-minute search, he finally found an old broom tucked behind a storage cabinet and in the process, he’d even managed to work off his anger. Moving old lawn equipment and kicking aside boxes had been quite strenuous. With the broom clutched in his hand, Jesse emerged from the garage with cobwebs in his hair, victorious.

Kyle was busy with the TV again when Jesse returned. He had a new pack of ice on his side. He must have refreshed it while Jesse had been in the garage. Jesse was still slightly upset, though, so he brushed past Kyle without saying a word and stepped out on the back deck.

The morning sun was bright, making the shards of glass scattered across the wooden planks glitter. With a sigh, Jesse got to work sweeping.

As he methodically pushed the glass into piles, Jesse's mind wandered. He thought first about school and the challenges he would have to face this year. Without Shaun. Then he thought about Sam and Brian and their trainwreck of a mother. Would they even still be here when school started in three weeks? Monica was already falling in love with Ryan. She’d said as much. Nobody in the family had yet to meet the guy, but that wouldn’t stop her from dragging them out of school so they could start a new life in a new state. Jesse was in such a state of worry, he accidentally cut himself as he tried to sweep up the glass piles.

“Ouch.” Jesse paused to examine to cut on his index finger, but it wasn’t too bad. He popped it into his mouth to suck off the blood.

As he was standing there, he heard a vehicle pulling up. Soon, car doors slammed, followed by the sound of a muffled voice. The repairman must be back to fix the sliding door.

Jesse removed his finger from his mouth and frantically resumed sweeping, trying to focus on the task at hand rather than on his many worries. He had just about finished when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, how's it going out here?" Kyle asked, his face appearing in the doorway.

Jesse was bent at the waist, sweeping the glittering glass particles into his little dustpan. “Almost done!”

“You can just sweep that into the grass, you know,” Kyle said dryly. “It’s not like anyone ever comes out here. Just hurry up. Daniel’s outside.”

Jesse straightened with a little pout, but Kyle was gone. Deciding he’d better just hurry up like Kyle had suggested, he dumped his dustpan into the grass. Jesse finished sweeping the last bits of glass off the deck, then headed back inside. He found Kyle lounging on the couch, looking down at his phone.

"All done out there?" Kyle asked, his eyes trained on his phone.

"Yep," Jesse replied, leaning the broom against the wall. "Anything else you need me to do?"

Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, Daniel's got it from here.”

Jesse stood awkwardly in the middle of the room for a moment. “So uh…When's your brother supposed to get here?"

"Oh, not for a few more hours yet," Kyle said. “Probably not til dinner.”

"Oh. Okay,” Jesse said, nodding. Then he remembered the cut on his finger. “I'm gonna go wash up,” he said, then turned and headed for the bathroom.

When he returned Daniel the repairman was already hard at work, carefully removing the broken remnants of the sliding door from its frame. Kyle hovered nearby, watching with interest. Jesse hung back, not wanting to get in the way.

"So Daniel, do you work out?" Kyle asked in a flirtatious tone. "You must, to be able to lift those heavy glass panels all by yourself."

Daniel grunted noncommittally as he carefully extracted another shard of glass.

"I bet you're really strong," Kyle continued, undeterred. "Maybe you could show me some workout tips sometime? You know, so I can learn how to defend myself.”

The repairman's face reddened slightly. "Listen kid, I'm just here to do my job.”

“And you’re doing great,” Kyle purred. “You’ve been so helpful and accommodating.”

“Uh…thanks.” Daniel turned away from Kyle, focusing intently on removing the last bits of glass from the door frame. Kyle pouted for a moment, but quickly recovered his cheerful demeanor.

"Well, if you change your mind, I'd love to get some fitness advice from a big strong guy like you," Kyle said with a wink.

Jesse rolled his eyes at Kyle's persistent flirting. He felt bad for Daniel, who was clearly uncomfortable with the attention. Hoping to give the poor man a break, Jesse spoke up.

"Hey Kyle, why don't we go hang out in your room while Daniel works? We don't want to get in his way."

Kyle looked like he wanted to protest, but Jesse gave him a pointed look. With a dramatic sigh, Kyle relented.

"Fine, fine. Let me know if you need anything, Daniel!" Kyle called as Jesse steered him towards the bedroom. The moment they were alone, Kyle burst out laughing. "Did you see how flustered he got?"

“Yeah. Real funny,” Jesse said, frowning. “You’re making a fool out of yourself right now, I swear.”

Kyle continued to laugh. “At least I’m having fun. You can’t call me a fool for that.”

“Yes, I can,” Jesse said bitterly.

“Oh, c’mon, Jess. Lighten up,” Kyle said, but he was distracted. He went to the bong on his dresser. There was already some weed nuggets on the little tray beside it, and he started to break one of them up into pieces. “Here. Smoke something. It’ll make you feel better.”

Kyle was always trying to make things better with drugs. Jesse didn’t approve, but at the same time, there wasn’t much else to do. He was trapped in Kyle’s bedroom until Daniel finished with the door at least.

Sighing, Jesse gave in without protest. He sat on the edge of Kyle’s bed and waited for the weed.

Over the next two hours, Jesse and Kyle lounged on the bed, passing the bong back and forth as they got progressively more stoned. The TV droned on in the background, but neither of them was really paying attention to it. Kyle had been right, of course. Jesse did feel better, but it was a hollow sort of emotion. Jesse’s worries hovered at the edges of his thoughts. He was ignoring them, for now, but they loomed in the background with an incredibly negative energy.

Eventually, Daniel called them back into the living room. Kyle grinned then set the bong aside and bounced off the bed to go meet him. Jesse was a bit worried what he’d do to the poor repairman, so he followed along in case he had to intervene.

In the other room, Daniel was packing up his tools but he paused when they appeared and wordlessly handed Kyle his phone. It had a card reader attached, and the screen displayed the price. Kyle took his card out and paid without complaint.

“I left you a large tip, as well,” he said, handing Daniel his phone back with a flourish. “For your excellent service.”

“Oh. Thank you,” Daniel said awkwardly, then he dumped the last of his things into his work bag and lifted it onto his shoulder. “I’d appreciate a review on Google, too. If you’ve got the time.”

“You got it, handsome,” Kyle said, winking. “I’ve always got time for good-looking guys.”

Daniel blinked a few times in rapid succession. “Right,” he said slowly, then he turned and started for the door. “Well, I’d better get going…”

Kyle, the persistent bastard, made one last attempt. "Thanks so much for your help, Daniel," he said sweetly. "Feel free to stop by anytime if you need anything!"

Daniel mumbled a quick, "You're welcome," then practically ran out the front door.

“That was way too easy,” Kyle said, chuckling. “Guys around here are so boring and straight… That was probably the first time he’s ever had a guy flirt with him in his life.”

Jesse wasn’t nearly as amused as Kyle was, but he didn’t see the point in reprimanding him. He turned to check out the new door instead.

Daniel had done a nice job. The door looked like new. It didn’t match the rest of the old, dilapidated house, but that was probably a good thing.

Kyle joined Jesse in admiring the new glass door. "Not bad, huh? Almost makes me want to break more stuff around here just to get it fixed up."

Jesse shot him a disapproving look. "Please don't. I don't think I could handle another huge mess."

Kyle laughed and clapped Jesse on the shoulder. "Relax, I'm just kidding. Come on, let's order some pizza.”

They ended up ordering a large pepperoni and sausage. While they waited for it to arrive, they lounged on the couch watching mindless TV shows. Jesse was still feeling pleasantly buzzed so he wasn’t thinking about anything important.

Maybe an hour later, there was a knock at the door and Kyle jumped up to answer it. Jesse could hear him flirting shamelessly with the delivery guy as he paid. He rolled his eyes, wondering if Kyle ever turned it off.

"Pizza's here!" Kyle announced as he returned, setting the steaming box on the coffee table. "And I got the cute delivery guy's number," he added with a wink.

"Of course you did," Jesse muttered, then grabbed a slice of pizza. The gooey cheese stretched impressively as he pulled it away from the box.

They ate in companionable silence, both focused on devouring the delicious pizza. Jesse was on his third slice when Kyle's phone buzzed. Kyle glanced at it and grinned.

"Ethan's on his way over," he said. "Should be here any minute."

Jesse suddenly realized it was getting dark out and he checked the time on his phone. It was twenty minutes to 8. Where had the day gone?

Suddenly nervous, Jesse hurried to finish his pizza, then used the paper towels to clean his hands and face. As if on cue, the rumble of a motorcycle engine could be heard approaching outside. Jesse glanced at Kyle, who was grinning ear to ear.

"That'll be Ethan," Kyle said, jumping up from the couch. "Come on, you've got to meet him!"

Jesse followed Kyle to the front door, his heart suddenly racing with anticipation. As they stepped outside, his breath caught in his throat.

A sleek black motorcycle was pulling into the driveway, the engine's deep growl reverberating through Jesse's chest. The rider smoothly brought the bike to a stop and swung his leg over, revealing long, muscular limbs clad in dark jeans and a worn leather jacket.

When the helmet came off, Jesse felt his knees go weak. Ethan had the same golden blonde hair as Kyle, but that's where the similarities ended. Ethan was taller and more muscular than his brother and while Kyle was attractive, in a cute, boyish kind of way, Ethan was dead sexy. His face was strong and rugged with dark stubble grazing his cheeks. His jawline was sharp and defined and above it, his full, sensual lips were curled with amusement. His tousled, casually styled hair fell artfully into his piercing gray eyes, eyes that seemed to look right through Jesse as he approached.

"Hey little bro," Ethan said, his voice a deep rumble that sent shivers down Jesse's spine. He pulled Kyle into a quick hug, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Ethan! I'm so glad you made it," Kyle beamed. He turned to Jesse, who was still staring slack-jawed at the newcomer. "This is my friend Jesse. Jesse, meet my big brother Ethan."

Jesse managed to snap his mouth shut and offer a weak "Hi" as Ethan's intense gaze landed on him.

"Nice to meet you, Jesse," Ethan said with a slight nod. His eyes raked over Jesse's form, making him feel exposed and vulnerable. Jesse felt his cheeks flush under the scrutiny. "Kyle's told me a lot about you," Ethan continued, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

Jesse swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. "Oh, um, that's nice. Kyle's mentioned you too."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Has he now? I hope he hasn't been sharing too many embarrassing childhood stories."

Kyle laughed and playfully punched his brother's arm. "Only the really juicy ones, bro."

As the brothers bantered, Jesse took the opportunity to collect himself. He couldn't believe how flustered he was getting and he took a deep breath, willing his racing heart to slow down. He needed to get a grip. He was supposed to be focused on winning Shaun back, not drooling over Kyle's older brother!

"Well, shall we head inside?" Kyle asked. "We’ve got some leftover pizza if you're hungry."

"Sounds good to me," Ethan replied, then slung an arm casually around Kyle's shoulders as they walked in, leaving Jesse to trail behind them.

Jesse couldn't help but notice how Ethan's leather jacket stretched enticingly across his broad shoulders. He quickly averted his gaze as they entered the house, not wanting to be caught staring.

In the living room, Ethan sprawled casually on the couch while Kyle perched on the arm. Jesse hovered awkwardly, unsure where to sit. There was an armchair across from the couch, but it was old and dirty looking. Kyle said it was his dad’s and Jesse just wanted to avoid it, to be honest.

Once settled, Ethan eyed the pizza for a second, then turned to Kyle with a smirk. "So little bro, you gonna offer me a beer or what?"

"Oh shit, yeah!" Kyle jumped up. "I'll grab some for all of us." He hurried to the kitchen, leaving Jesse alone with Ethan.

Ethan's piercing gray eyes locked onto Jesse. "So. You're the one my brother's been going on about."

Jesse worried his bottom lip. “What’s he been saying?”

“That you stole his crush right out from under him,” Ethan snorted. “That weird Shaun kid he’s been mooning over since grade school.”

“Oh,” Jesse said, embarrassed. “Yeah. I guess that’s me.”

“That kid’s bizarre,” Ethan said, his nose wrinkling at the memory. “I sold to him a couple times. He smells like cheese.”

Jesse laughed uncomfortably, and luckily, was spared from answering when Kyle came back into the room with a big case of beer.

“Who smells like cheese?” he asked, setting the case on the coffee table then sliding into the seat next to his brother. That left only one other space, on Ethan’s other side.

Ethan snorted. “Who do you think we’re talking about? Seriously, Kyle. Take a guess.”

Kyle avoided his brother’s gaze and leaned forward to tear open the case of beer. “Shaun, I’d assume,” he sighed.

“Right!” Ethan cackled then slapped Kyle on the back a few times. “Christ, bro. I can’t believe you’re still chasing after that guy…”

Kyle, still ignoring his brother, caught Jesse’s gaze and filled him in. “If you can’t already tell, Ethan despises Shaun. Always has.”

“What’s to like about him anyway,” Ethan sneered. “Kid’s as strange as they come…Now, hand out the beer!”

There was an awkward silence as Kyle handed out the beer. Jesse took his but didn’t open it. He couldn’t even bring himself to sit. Ethan was attractive and everything and Jesse was curious to get to know him more, but he didn’t like what he’d just said about Shaun. His words had made Jesse very uncomfortable.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ethan leaned back on the couch, totally relaxed. He took a long swig of beer then launched into a tirade about Shaun. "Man, that kid is a piece of work. Remember when he used to come over all the time when you were in middle school? Always skulking around like some kind of pathetic vampire.”

Kyle shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, I guess he was kind of weird back then..."

"Back then? He's still a freak," Ethan snorted. "Last time I saw him, he had his hair down to his shoulders, like a girl. Oh god, that reminds me! Remember when he wore that dog collar and the platform boots to school? Kid looked like he raided a Hot Topic clearance bin!”

Jesse felt his face growing hot with anger, but he bit his tongue. He didn't want to start an argument with Kyle's intimidating older brother.

Ethan continued, oblivious to Jesse's discomfort. "And don't even get me started on his little emo band. What do they call themselves again? Fat Face or some shit like that?"

"It's actually Defaced," Jesse mumbled, unable to stay quiet any longer.

Ethan's piercing gaze swung back to Jesse. "Oh, so you're a fan, huh?" He smirked. "Let me guess, you've got all their songs memorized and a poster of Shaun on your bedroom wall."

Jesse flushed even redder. "No, I just...I've been to a few of their shows."

"Right," Ethan drawled, clearly not believing him.

“Ethan, he’s actually dating Shaun,” Kyle reminded his brother in a stage-whisper. “Well, I mean, he was dating him. For a few months…”

Jesse glared at Kyle and folded his arms as Ethan looked him over coolly. Finally, the older boy spoke again, drawing Jesse’s attention once more.

“Well, if you really did date him, maybe you can tell me this,” Ethan started, and Jesse braced himself for anything. Ethan smirked meanly. “What's with all the self-harm shit?”

Jesse faltered. “I-I’m sorry. What?”

“Seriously? The kid's covered in scars,” Ethan sneered. “He cuts himself, doesn’t he. Fuckin' drama queen if you ask me…”

That was the last straw for Jesse. "Hey, don't talk about Shaun like that!" he snapped. "You don't know anything about him!”

Ethan's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He turned to Kyle with an amused smirk. "Damn, little bro. You didn't tell me your friend here was so feisty."

Kyle looked nervous. "Jesse, chill. Ethan's just joking around..."

"No, I won’t chill," Jesse hissed. “He’s being a dick!”

A tense silence fell over the room. Kyle looked nervously between his brother and Jesse, clearly unsure how to diffuse the situation.

After a long moment, Ethan burst out laughing. "Well damn, kid's got some fire in him after all!" He slapped his knee, still chuckling. "Alright, alright, I'll lay off the Shaun talk. Didn't realize it was such a sore subject."

Jesse was still fuming, but he forced himself to take a deep breath and unclench his fists. He hadn't even realized how tightly he'd been holding them.

"Relax, Jesse," Ethan said, still chuckling. "I was just messing with you. Seeing if you'd stand up for your boy or not. Gotta say, I'm impressed with your loyalty. Though I’m not sure if Shaun’s worthy of it or not.”

"Oh. Um, thanks, I guess,” Jesse muttered.

Ethan patted the couch beside him. "Come on, sit down. Drink your beer. I promise I'm done talking shit about your boyfriend."

Hesitantly, Jesse perched on the end of the couch, right beside Ethan. He wasn’t really in the mood, but he cracked his beer open and took a drink, just to fit in.

“While we’re still on the Shaun subject, though…” Ethan drawled, turning back to his brother with a smirk, and Kyle let out an enormous huff of frustration.

“Dude! What?”

“Let me see what he did to you,” Ethan said calmly and Kyle rolled his eyes then unceremoniously yanked up his t-shirt. "Jesus," Ethan muttered, leaning in to examine the damage. "That psycho really did a number on you."

Kyle winced as Ethan gently prodded the bruised area. "Yeah, he was pretty pissed."

"Pissed doesn't begin to cover it," Ethan growled. “Remind me. What’d you do to deserve this?”

“Nothing really. I’m hanging out with his ex-boyfriend and he’s jealous as hell,” Kyle said, shrugging. “It obviously isn’t over between them. That’s kinda why Jesse’s here to being with. I’m trying to help him get Shaun back.”

“That’s fucking noble of you,” Ethan snorted.

“Yeah, well, I’m a nice guy. You know that,” Kyle said, finally dropping his shirt back into place.

Suddenly, Ethan’s eyes flicked to Jesse. "So, why are you trying to get back with Shaun again? He beat the shit out of my brother for no reason. He’s a loose fucking cannon.”

Jesse squirmed under Ethan's intense gaze. "Shaun’s...complicated.”

Ethan snorted. “Right. I’m sure he’s just misunderstood."

Jesse bristled a bit. He was close to launching into the story behind Shaun’s brutal attack of Kyle. The story where Kyle was the villain and Shaun was the hero. He didn’t know how his version of events would be received, however. He had a feeling Ethan would just call him ‘feisty’ again.

“Let me guess, he broke your arm, too,” Ethan said dryly, nodding at Jesse’s arm in the blue cast. “It probably happened because of some crazy, violent accident. Am I right?”

Jesse frowned and tucked his broken arm into his chest, so it wasn’t as obvious, his accident, but Ethan laughed at him anyway.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

Jesse refused to give him any additional fuel for his fire. He kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Well, fuck.” Ethan sat back on the couch and took another drink of his beer. “Shaun fucked both you two up. I’ve been in some fucked up relationships before, too, but never one that left bruises and broken bones. Good luck, little brother.”

“Gee, thanks,” Kyle muttered, and Ethan chuckled and held up his beer in a toast.

Beside them, Jesse sat quietly, sipping his beer and trying to avoid more of Ethan's attention. Part of him wanted to defend Shaun’s actions, but another part of him knew he had no grounds to stand on. Besides, Ethan’s presence was overwhelming the room with a tense energy. Jesse didn’t want to clash with him again.

Kyle cleared his throat, clearly eager to change the subject. "So Ethan, how was Mexico? You were down there most of the summer, right?"

Ethan's eyes lit up. "Oh man, it was wild. Remember those cartel guys we met a few months ago? When you were chilling with me down in Tiajuana? Well, we struck up a deal and I now have exclusive rights to distribute their product in Texas! We’re gonna be rolling in cash before long, little bro!

“Oh, shit! That’s awesome!” Kyle cheered and encouraged by his brother’s support; Ethan kept talking.

Jesse listened as the older man painted a vivid picture of a lavish, dangerous life that seemed worlds away from his own small-town existence. He was enthralled by the excitement and glamour Ethan described, but at the same time, deeply unsettled by the casual way he mentioned various illegal activities.

Ethan told stories about speeding through winding mountain roads in a beat-up pickup truck, the bed loaded with bricks of cocaine. He described lavish parties at sprawling haciendas, where tequila flowed like water and scantily-clad women danced until dawn. He talked about tense meetings in shadowy back rooms where tough cartel leaders discussed smuggling operations like it was the weather.

"Oh, and the compound I stayed at was unreal," Ethan said, gesturing expansively. "Picture this massive hacienda surrounded by lush gardens and high walls topped with razor wire. Armed guards patrolling 24/7. But inside it was like paradise - marble floors, crystal chandeliers, a pool that seemed to stretch for miles. The place was legit.”

"Man, that all sounds so cool," Kyle said, clearly in awe of his older brother's adventures. "I can't wait to get out of this town and see some real action like that."

Ethan grinned and ruffled Kyle's hair. "Just a few more weeks, little bro. Then you'll be living it up in the big city with me."

Kyle smiled hugely. He looked like a little kid at Christmas.

Jesse snorted into his beer, amused by the scene playing out in front of him. He really couldn’t see Kyle becoming a drug lord. His brother had the vibe. He was cool but yet still threatening enough that you didn’t want to fuck with him. Kyle, on the other hand, had more of a vindictive-teenage-girl thing going on.

“Did you say something?” Ethan asked, turning to pin Jesse with an intense look.

Jesse was caught off guard and he hurried to think up a viable response, but Ethan's gaze had already shifted towards the television. Something had caught his eye, and intrigued, Jesse followed his line of sight.

The local news was still playing on the TV, the volume low but audible. Jesse hadn't been paying much attention to it, but suddenly Ethan was laser-focused on the screen.

"Turn that up," he barked at Kyle, who scrambled for the remote.

As the volume increased, a serious-looking news anchor's voice filled the room:

"...in what authorities are calling a major breakthrough in their ongoing investigation into a new drug flooding the streets of East Texas. DEA officials say they've seized over 200 pounds of a cheap, highly addictive form of methamphetamine during a raid on a warehouse just outside of Tyler."

The screen cut to footage of DEA agents in tactical gear swarming a dilapidated building, then to shots of evidence bags filled with a crystalline substance.

Ethan's face drained of color as he watched the news report unfold. His eyes darted nervously between the TV and the others in the room, his fingers drumming an anxious rhythm on his thigh. "Shit," he muttered under his breath, barely audible over the continued narration of the news anchor.

The report went on to detail the dangers of this new drug. "Blue Thunder," as it was called on the streets, was a cheap alternative to traditional crystal meth, but with a twisted catch. It caused users' hearts to race dangerously, even at lower doses, without providing the intense euphoria that addicts craved. The result was a vicious cycle of users taking more and more, chasing a high that never quite materialized, all while putting immense strain on their cardiovascular systems.

As the anchor spoke, images flashed across the screen: mugshots of gaunt, hollow-eyed addicts, grieving families, and grim-faced law enforcement officials. The report detailed how "Blue Thunder" had already claimed several lives in the region, with emergency rooms seeing a spike in cardiac arrests among young people.

"Authorities believe this new drug originated in Mexico and is being distributed by a sophisticated network spanning multiple states," the anchor continued. "While today's bust is significant, DEA officials warn that large quantities of Blue Thunder are likely still circulating."

Jesse watched the news report with growing horror. He glanced at Ethan, whose face had gone ashen. The older man's eyes were wide, his jaw clenched tight as he stared at the TV screen.

"Holy shit," Kyle breathed. "Ethan, isn't that—?"

"Shut up," Ethan snapped, cutting his brother off. He grabbed the remote and abruptly switched off the TV, plunging the room into tense silence.

Jesse's mind was reeling. The way Ethan was reacting… Could he possibly be involved with this "Blue Thunder" drug? The stories he'd been telling earlier about his dealings in Mexico suddenly took on a much darker tone.

Ethan stood up abruptly, pacing the room like a caged animal. "Fuck. FUCK!" he growled, running his hands through his hair.

Jesse sat frozen on the couch, his heart pounding. He desperately wanted to leave, to get as far away from this situation as possible, but he was afraid any movement might set Ethan off.

Suddenly, Ethan stopped pacing. "I need some air," he muttered, his voice tight with barely contained panic. He strode to the newly repaired sliding glass and yanked it open, disappearing into the night without another word.

Kyle and Jesse sat in stunned silence for a long moment after Ethan's abrupt departure. The sudden absence of his domineering presence left the room feeling strangely empty.

"Holy shit," Kyle breathed, breaking the silence. He turned to Jesse, his eyes wide. "That was part of Ethan's operation. A really lucrative one."

Jesse felt his stomach drop. "What? But I thought he was selling cocaine and weed? You mean... Ethan's involved with that Blue Thunder stuff?"

Kyle nodded grimly. "Yeah. He sells a little of everything really. He’s got his hands in a lot of different areas. The Blue Thunder, though, he partnered with some guys down in Mexico to make that. It's basically meth, but way cheaper to produce. They've been flooding the East Texas market for like a year now.”

Jesse felt sick to his stomach. The news report's warnings about Blue Thunder's deadly effects echoed in his mind. "That's...that's horrible. People are dying from that stuff."

Kyle shrugged, though he looked uncomfortable. "Ethan doesn't really care about the end users. It’s just business to him.”

“Wow,” Jesse muttered. He just…couldn’t believe he’d been sitting with such a hardened criminal for the past hour or so.

Outside, he could hear Ethan's agitated pacing on the back deck followed by the sound of his rumbling voice. It sounded like he was on the phone. The flick of a lighter, then the acrid smell of cigarette smoke wafted through the partially open door.

"He's probably calling his contacts right now, trying to figure out how this happened," Kyle said in a hushed voice. "That warehouse was a major distribution hub. This is gonna cost him big time."

“At least they didn’t catch him,” Jesse said neutrally. “He could be sitting in a jail cell right now, you know? There are worse things than losing money.”

“Yeah. Maybe,” Kyle said slowly. “But I don’t think my brother will see it that way. I’d keep that to myself if I were you.”

Jesse folded his arms and fell quiet. He didn’t see the point in arguing, he knew he wouldn’t win.

For a while, Kyle and Jesse sat in a tense silence, watching the news run repeats of all their stories. They’d just gone over the Blue Thunder report for the second time when they heard heavy footsteps approaching from the deck. Ethan burst back into the room, a cigarette between his fingers, and his eyes wild and unfocused. He was moving with a frantic, jittery energy that hadn't been there before.

"Alright, alright, it's fine. Everything's fine," Ethan muttered, more to himself than to the others. He paced back and forth, frantically smoking his cigarette like it was going out of style. Jesse noticed his pupils were hugely dilated, nearly eclipsing the gray of his irises. He instantly got the feeling Ethan had taken something out on the deck just now.

"Ethan, are you okay?" Kyle asked cautiously, obviously sensing the same thing.

Ethan's head snapped towards his brother. "Okay? I'm fucking great!" he exclaimed with a manic grin. "Never better! We just gotta make some calls, move some product around. No big deal."

“Do you need to like…go?” Kyle asked. “I mean, I understand if you have to.”

“No, I can stay a little longer,” Ethan said, continuing to pace and smoke. “I promised I’d help you, didn’t I?”

Jesse glanced at Kyle, wondering what the older man was talking about. Kyle frowned slightly.

“You could help me by giving me that money you promised,” he said. “That door was $600.”

Ethan stopped his frantic pacing and lowered his cigarette, his eyes narrowing. "You want money? Now?" he hissed, his manic energy suddenly turning dark. "I just lost a fucking warehouse full of product and you're worried about some goddamn door?"

Kyle flinched but stood his ground. "You promised, Ethan. I need that money."

"Oh, you need it, do you?" Ethan sneered, looming over his younger brother. "For what? More weed? More of your little twink outfits?"

Kyle's face flushed red with anger. "Fuck you! I need it to survive! I’m only making like $200 dollars off the weed you give me, and that’s not enough to take care of the house and to feed myself!”

Ethan screamed something back, but Jesse did his best to block it out. He couldn’t stand to watch the brothers bicker. With the buzz he had from drinking that beer, the yelling was making his head hurt. Slowly, so he didn’t draw attention to himself, he stood up and excused himself to the bathroom.

Once he was alone, Jesse kept the light off and firmly shut the door behind him. He stopped at the sink and ran the water until it was ice cold, then he ducked his head and splashed it on his face. He did it over and over again until his face felt less hot. His head was still aching, though, and when he finished with the water, he sat down on the toilet, shut his eyes, and rubbed his temples with a slow, methodical rhythm.

Jesse stayed in the bathroom until the pain in his head lessened. It didn’t stop, but Jesse wasn’t surprised. He shouldn’t have started drinking again. That had been a poor choice.

After several minutes, Jesse got off the toilet and moved to the door. He took a deep breath, steeling himself before he opened it, but when he did, he found the house was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the shouting match he'd fled from earlier. Jesse padded down the hall, morbidly curious what scene awaited him.

As he rounded the corner into the living room, Jesse saw Kyle perched on the edge of the couch, counting a small stack of crumpled bills on the coffee table. Ethan lounged nearby, sprawled across the worn armchair in front of the TV, one leg dangling over the side. The cigarette was gone, and his eyes were half-lidded, like he was close to sleep, but there was still a manic energy crackling just beneath the surface.

Jesse stopped just in front of the coffee table, looking between the brothers. “What’s going on?”

Ethan sat up suddenly, his eyes locking onto Jesse, his gaze intense and slightly unfocused. "Hey, you're back! Thought you might've climbed out the bathroom window or something."

Jesse forced a weak laugh. "Nah, just needed a minute to clear my head.”

Ethan leaned forward, his movements exaggerated and jerky. "Listen, man, I'm sorry about all that shit just now. The yelling and stuff. I get a little... intense sometimes, you know?" He punctuated this statement by tapping the side of his head repeatedly. "But we're all good now! I've made some calls, Kyle's got his cash, and now we're gonna have ourselves a proper party!"

“Uh, okay,” Jesse said cautiously, still on edge from the earlier outburst. Ethan's pupils were still hugely dilated, his eyes darting around the room as if following invisible patterns in the air. He kept running his tongue over his teeth and grinding his jaw.

“Well don't just stand there, come join us!" Ethan exclaimed, gesturing wildly with a half-empty beer. "We've got booze, we've got tunes, we've got... whatever the hell is on TV right now!"

Jesse hesitated, he didn’t want to drink anymore, his head was already killing him, but Kyle shot him a pleading look. With a resigned sigh, Jesse made his way back to the couch and settled in next to Kyle.

"Here, that first one was no good, have another beer," Ethan insisted, practically shoving a cold one into Jesse's hand. It was already open. The only way Jesse knew it wasn’t the same beer he’d been sipping on earlier was because it was heavy and full. "Drink up, my man! Let's wash away all that bad energy."

Again, Jesse hesitated, eyeing the can warily. But Ethan's intense stare bore into him, and Kyle watched expectantly. Jesse felt compelled to accept. He took a small drink, the bitter liquid sliding down his throat.

"That's the spirit!" Ethan exclaimed, clapping Jesse on the shoulder with enough force to make him wince. "Now we're talking!”

As Jesse reluctantly worked on his beer, Ethan turned back to the TV and started fumbling with the remote, flipping through channels at a dizzying pace. Kyle had finished counting his money and he was happily tucking it away for safe-keeping. For a short time, things were quiet and peaceful.

Soon, Jesse finished his drink. Already, he was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol and little spots floated in his vision and his head spun lazily. He set his empty can on the table, but the second he did, Kyle slid another into his hand. This one was open, too, and Jesse felt doubly obligated to start drinking it. Hoping more beer might help the spinning, he took a healthy sip.

Finally, Ethan stopped flipping channels. He settled on some action movie with explosions and car chases. The volume was too loud, the bass making the cheap TV speakers rattle, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Jesse sipped his beer cautiously, watching Ethan out of the corner of his eye as the movie played out. The older man was a whirlwind of manic energy, constantly in motion. He'd tap his foot rapidly for a few seconds, then he’d change it up and drum his fingers on the armrest for a minute or two.

"This is the good shit right here," Ethan rambled, gesturing at the TV with his beer. "Pure adrenaline, man. Like life or death, you know? That's the rush I live for."

Jesse nodded absently, but his face was pale and sweaty. He really wasn’t feeling good. More beer had only made things worse, go figure, and his head was swimming dramatically while the room tilted and swayed around him. On screen, cars exploded in slow motion, their fiery wreckage filling the air with debris. The thunderous boom from the TV speakers reverberated through his chest.

Ethan was transfixed by the action, his eyes wide and unblinking as he leaned forward in his seat. "Did you see that?!" he exclaimed, pointing wildly at the screen. "The way that car just flipped end over end! Fucking beautiful, man. Like poetry in motion."

Jesse tried to focus on the movie, but the rapid cuts and frenetic camerawork made his stomach churn. He took another sip of beer, hoping it might settle his nausea at the very least. Instead, a wave of dizziness washed over him and he slumped back against the couch, utterly limp. The movie on screen had become a blur of motion and color, the dialogue an indistinct rumble beneath the pounding bass of the explosions.

Ethan was still rambling, his words coming out in a rapid-fire staccato. "Man, you see the way that guy just dodged that bullet? Pure instinct, I'm telling you. That's how you gotta be in this game. Always on your toes, always ready. One wrong move and BAM! You're done for."

Jesse couldn't believe how quickly the alcohol was hitting him. His limbs felt numb and his thoughts were sluggish and unfocused. He let his head drop, because suddenly it was incredibly heavy, and he could barely hold it up.

“Aww, you must have had one too many,” Kyle cooed beside him and Jesse felt his long fingers taking the last of his beer away, then returning to stroke his closely shorn hair. “Rest, Jesse. Sleep it off. We’ll watch over you.”

“And once you’re passed out, the real fun begins,” Ethan added with an ominous laugh. “Sweet dreams, kiddo.”

And totally against his will, Jesse drifted off into unconsciousness…

***

Jesse was in a hazy dream state and vague, unsettling images flickered through his mind. For a long time, he was suspended in nothingness.

Then, something hit Jesse hard in the back of the head and he was suddenly blinking in a dark, unfamiliar room. The air felt thick and oppressive and Jesse didn’t know where he was. Something about this dream-place felt…wrong.

Suddenly, Kyle and Ethan stepped into the room and at first Jesse was relieved, but when he looked at them closer, he realized they weren’t friendly. Their faces were twisted into cruel smiles, and they advanced on Jesse like they were predators and he was their prey. Jesse tried to run, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. He was frozen in place as Ethan and Kyle descended on him.

"No...stop..." Jesse mumbled, his voice weak and slurred even in the dream. But Kyle and Ethan paid no attention to his feeble protests. Their hands fell on him, roughly pulling at his clothes. Jesse wanted to fight back, to push them away, but he was totally helpless, he couldn’t move at all. He could do nothing as the two men ripped his clothes from him until he was bare. Then, with a cruel laugh, Ethan picked Jesse up and carried him to a mattress in the corner. It felt so real, Jesse could feel Ethan’s rough fingers digging into him, could sense the cool air ghosting against his naked skin.

Ethan laid Jesse flat on the bed, then he and Kyle stood over him, their faces blurred and indistinct. Jesse tried to cry out, to tell them to stop, but no sound came from his lips. He felt utterly helpless, trapped in his own unresponsive body as two sets of hands began to violate his naked body.

In his delirium, Jesse's thoughts turned to Shaun. He imagined his boyfriend bursting in to rescue him from this strange nightmare. But Shaun never came. Instead, Ethan and Kyle grew more insistent, their touches more invasive. Their hands were on Jesse’s penis, they were spreading his asscheeks open, they were pushing rudely inside his unprepared body and Jesse couldn’t make them stop.

In his head, Jesse was screaming. The sensations were confusing - pain mixed with unwanted pleasure. His muddled brain couldn't make sense of what was happening and for a long, long time, he languished in hell…

***

Jesse awoke with another pounding headache, feeling groggy and disoriented. Fragments of disturbing dreams lingered in his mind, but the details were hazy and unclear. As he slowly regained his senses, he noticed his clothes were rumpled and askew and that there were strange aches in his body that he couldn’t explain. He was already having this weird sense of déjà vu – this all felt very, very familiar – when he realized he was in Kyle's bed again, with no memory of how he got there.

All Jesse remembered was drinking too much and passing out on the couch. After that, things got fuzzy. Vague impressions of hands touching him, of pain and fear, flickered through his mind. But it was all jumbled and dreamlike. Surely it had just been a vivid nightmare brought on by the alcohol?

Jesse shuddered. This couldn’t be happening. Not again. For the second time, Jesse had a sneaking suspicion he’d been violated in his sleep but this time, Sam wasn’t just in the other room, waiting to reassure him. Jesse wrapped his arms around himself as a sudden chill overcame his body. He was alone, totally alone… with Kyle.

As Jesse sat huddled on the bed, trying to make sense of his fragmented memories, he heard footsteps approaching. The door creaked open and the boy in question, Kyle, entered, carrying two steaming cups of McDonald's coffee.

"Morning, sleepyhead," he said cheerfully. "Thought you could use some caffeine. You were pretty wasted last night."

The rich aroma of coffee filled the small room. Jesse gratefully accepted one of the cups, wrapping his hands around the warm paper. He took a tentative sip, the bitter liquid helping to clear some of the fog from his mind. Finally, he managed to speak. "Where's Ethan?" he asked, his voice raspy.

Kyle flopped onto the bed beside Jesse, sipping his own coffee. "Oh, he took off sometime early this morning. Before the sun even came up. He had like a million missed texts from his homies. He’ll be busy for awhile.”

Jesse nodded slowly and took another sip of coffee, letting the warmth spread through him. The rich aroma filled his nostrils, a stark contrast to the musty smell of Kyle's bedroom. “Meeting him was… intense.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kyle said coyly, then he pushed his hair out of his face, a smile teasing the edges of his lips. “I thought your eyes were going to pop out of your head when you first saw him.”

Jesse blushed. “You could have warned me,” he grumbled.

“That he’s hot?” Kyle laughed. “I didn’t know it needed to be said. I didn’t tell you he was bi either. Did it make any difference?”

“No,” Jesse said unhappily, then frowned and looked away, taking another sip of his coffee. It reminded him of drinking those beers last night. Of how each sip had made him feel more and more dizzy. “Either way, that was all really weird last night,” he said into his steaming cup. “That stuff with the drugs and the report that was on the news…”

“Yeah,” Kyle said awkwardly. “None of that was planned. Sorry you had to see that.”

Jesse wondered what part of that had been planned. After a long moment, he worked up the courage to voice the fears that had been gnawing at him since he woke up. "Kyle," he began hesitantly, “Something happened to me last night. Didn’t it?”

Kyle quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?”

“This is so fucked up…” Jesse muttered, then he took a deep breath, his hands trembling slightly around the coffee cup. “It’s just like the last time I spent the night here, with my brother. I woke up this morning alone in your bed, sore in ways I can’t explain and with my clothes messed up like someone had taken them off at some point… Only, this time…this time I have these fucked up memories, or dreams, or whatever… I don’t know what the hell they are, but I remember hands touching me, I remember feeling scared and helpless. I remember being raped. Repeatedly.”

Kyle's eyes widened for a moment, then he burst out laughing. "Oh my god, Jesse, are you serious right now? You think we raped you?" He shook his head, still chuckling. "Sweetie, you woke up on the couch last night, complaining about being hot. You were so wasted you could barely stand, but you kept trying to take your clothes off and run outside. We had to wrestle you back into your shirt at one point. I gotta admit, it was pretty funny."

Jesse flushed with embarrassment, but he wasn't convinced. "But what about these weird aches and pains," he persisted. “You guys did something to me last night. I know you did.”

“No, Jesse. You're being paranoid. We had to fight you to get you to calm down, remember?” Kyle said firmly and Jesse shrugged, unable to recall. “Well, let me tell you, you were incredibly persistent last night. We had to use quite a bit of force to have any effect. Then, when we finally did get you to go to bed, you were tossing and turning a lot. Probably having nightmares or something. But we didn't touch you. Not like that, anyway. I swear."

Jesse listened to Kyle’s explanation. He tried to take it in, to make it make sense, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was very wrong. Flashes of his unsettling dreams flickered through his mind - hands groping him, pain, fear. He shuddered. “I don’t know, Kyle… I have this weird feeling you invited Ethan to come over last night to help you…with me.”

“Oh please, don’t flatter yourself.” Kyle rolled his eyes dramatically. “I asked Ethan here for that money you saw. He gave me triple what I asked for. I knew I’d get it out of him eventually.”

“Yeah, but, Kyle—”

“Stop it, Jesse,” Kyle snapped, his gray eyes gleaming, a bit like his brother’s did when he got in one of those intense spells of his. “Do you really think Ethan and I drugged you and raped your scrawny, passed-out body?"

“I don’t know, I mean, Ethan probably has easy access to roofies and stuff like that,” Jesse muttered darkly, but Kyle just snorted.

“Trust me, if anything like that had happened, you'd know,” he said easily. “Ethan is huge. If he’d fucked you, you'd be walking funny for days."

Jesse flinched at Kyle's crude joke. "That's not funny. I'm being serious. I feel really violated."

"Look, the only thing that violated you last night was all that cheap beer," Kyle said dismissively. “Nothing happened, okay? You just got super wasted and made an ass of yourself.”

Frowning, Jesse hugged his knees to his chest and fell silent. He couldn’t believe he’d let himself get into this stupid situation yet again. And right after Shaun had tried to save him, too. If he found out Jesse had spent the night with Kyle and his manic drug-lord older brother, he’d absolutely lose his mind. The next time he and Kyle crossed paths, Kyle would be lucky to escape with his life. Jesse promised himself he’d never tell Shaun about this, he wouldn’t even tell Gretchen.

Kyle sighed and ran a hand through his blond hair. "Look, Jesse, I get that you're freaked out. But I promise nothing bad happened. You just had way too much to drink and probably some weird dreams, too. That’s it."

After a long moment of consideration, Jesse nodded. He wanted desperately to believe Kyle. The alternative was too horrifying to contemplate. He took another sip of coffee, letting the bitter warmth ground him in the present moment. Slowly, his body unraveled and he stretched his legs out in front of him.

Kyle sighed and stood up, looking down at Jesse with concern. "You're obviously still feeling pretty rough. Why don't you go take another shower? It'll help clear your head."

Jesse nodded again. The idea of hot water sluicing over his body was very appealing. Maybe it would wash away the lingering unease that clung to him like a second skin.

"There are clean towels in the hall closet," Kyle continued. "And I think I've got some body wash you can use. It's that fancy tea tree stuff - really invigorating, you know?"

Jesse managed a weak smile. "Thanks. That sounds nice."

"And hey, when you're done, there's a box of donuts in the kitchen," Kyle added with a grin. "Nothing cures a hangover like sugar and grease, am I right?"

The thought of food made Jesse's stomach churn unpleasantly. He forced another smile and nodded, not wanting to offend Kyle. "Yeah, maybe later," he mumbled.

Kyle smiled encouragingly.

“Uh…hey?” Jesse had to ask, before it became an issue. “Are you going to take me home after this? My family needs me.”

“Of course,” Kyle laughed, clapping Jesse on the shoulder. “I’m sure Sam’s dying without you by now.”

“Let’s hope not,” Jesse said. “I haven’t gotten any texts or calls, so…”

Kyle laughed again, then turned to stride out of the room. “I’ll be in the kitchen when you’re done showering. You can wear my t-shirt home, if you want. It looks good on you.”

Jesse watched him go. He was in a weird mood and physically, he felt even worse than yesterday, but he was desperate to go home. He gathered his strength and pushed himself out of bed, wincing at the various aches and twinges in his body. He shuffled out of the bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom, grabbing a fresh towel from the linen closet on the way.

Once inside, Jesse locked the door behind him and leaned heavily against it, exhaling shakily. The bathroom was small and dingy, with cracked tiles and a rusty showerhead. Pale morning light filtered through a grimy window, casting everything in a sickly glow.

Jesse turned on the shower, letting steam fill the room as he undressed. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror - pale, disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes. He quickly looked away.

Stepping under the hot spray, Jesse let out a long sigh as the water cascaded over him. He stood there for several minutes, eyes closed, just letting the heat soak into his sore muscles. Eventually, he reached for the body wash Kyle had mentioned. He felt like he deserved it, so he used a generous helping of the soap. It really was invigorating. When Jesse was done, he felt like he’d just taken a dive in a pool of mouthwash. He’d never felt so sparklingly clean.

Jesse reluctantly turned off the shower, savoring the last few drops of hot water as they trickled down his skin. He stood there for a moment, dripping and shivering slightly in the cool air, before reaching for the towel. It was surprisingly soft and fluffy, a stark contrast to the dingy bathroom surroundings. Jesse buried his face in the plush fabric for a moment, inhaling the clean cotton scent.

Wrapping the towel snugly around his waist, Jesse padded down the hallway back to Kyle's room. There, he searched the cluttered floor until he spotted his original t-shirt from the day before. He snatched it up, grimacing at the faint smell of stale beer and sweat that clung to the fabric. Still, it was better than borrowing Kyle's clothes. Jesse pulled the shirt over his head, the material sticking uncomfortably to his damp skin.

Once dressed, Jesse made his way to the kitchen. The room was trashed. The countertops were cluttered with empty beer cans and pizza boxes, remnants of the previous night's festivities. Kyle was leaning against the counter, scrolling through his phone with one hand while absently munching on a glazed donut with the other. A large pink box sat open beside him, revealing rows of colorful pastries. The sickeningly sweet smell of sugar and artificial fruit flavoring wafted through the air, making Jesse's stomach churn unpleasantly.

"Hey," Kyle said, looking up from his phone. "Feeling any better? Help yourself to a donut.”

“No thanks,” Jesse said. “I should probably get going.”

“Oh. Okay.” Kyle pushed the last of his donut in his mouth then swallowed it whole. “Let’s go, then.”

The ride back to the house was uneventful. Kyle reminded Jesse to find out about Shaun’s next show and Jesse agreed, but honestly, he didn’t want to talk to Gretchen. She was probably in a good mood and he didn’t want to ruin it. The rest of the short ride was spent with Kyle making plans for the coming weekend. He wanted Jesse to stay the night again, but Jesse was evasive when asked and wouldn’t make any promises. Kyle seemed disappointed, but he dropped the subject.

When they pulled in Jesse’s driveway, it was empty. Monica still wasn’t home. Trying to prepare himself for another stressful evening of babysitting, Jesse briefly closed his eyes and took a deep breath then he turned to get out of the car, but Kyle grabbed his arm at the last second, stopping him.

Jesse quirked an eyebrow in confusion. “What’s up?”

“Just…remember what I said, okay?” Kyle said and his gray eyes were very serious. “We need to keep hanging out. We need Shaun to be jealous for this to work.”

“I know,” Jesse said grudgingly. “I just don’t know how I’m supposed to get another weekend off. Mom had extra money these past couple weeks, but I doubt that’s going to last. She doesn’t have a rich doctor boyfriend anymore. This guy she’s seeing now in Arizona seems like a deadbeat. He hasn’t helped her with money at all as far as I can tell.”

“Aww, c’mon. I’m sure you can figure something out,” Kyle whined and Jesse cringed a little at the sound of it. It was annoying and Jesse didn’t want to hang out again anyway, so he was doubly irritated. But Kyle continued. “And if you can find a way to bring Sam along, too, I’d love to have both you boys over for an…intimate gathering of friends.”

“An intimate gathering?” Jesse shuddered. “What the hell is that?”

Kyle chuckled. “It’s a get-together with a select group of friends. Certainly nothing nefarious, like you’re implying.”

“What do you do there?” Jesse asked, suspicious. He wondered if this was another weird sex party, but Kyle answered immediately.

“The same thing most people do at parties,” he said. “You eat good food, drink cold beer, dance with friends…”

“Okay, okay,” Jesse said, exasperated. “I’ll think about it. I promise. But I doubt I’ll be able to get the whole weekend off.”

“Just try to get Friday and Saturday morning so you can spend the night,” Kyle said, smirking. “I don’t know about you, but I’ll be way too fucked up to drive once I start partying.”

Jesse sighed and turned to get out. “Yeah. Okay Kyle. Whatever you say.”

“You know I’m always looking out for you, right?” Kyle said as Jesse slid out of the car. “I care about you, and I’ve always got your best interest at heart. That I can promise you.”

Jesse stopped with his hand on the top of the car. He had to force himself not to roll his eyes. “I really am lucky, aren’t I?”

“I think so.” Kyle said, smiling. “Now go in there. Your family needs you.”

With a nod, Jesse stepped away from the car so he could slam the door shut. Kyle waited until he got up to the doorstep, then he started backing down the gravel drive. Jesse rang the doorbell a couple times, then turned back to watch Kyle disappear down the road.