Troublemaker - 4. Chapter Four

Barrett

I watched as Todd drove away about ten miles above the neighborhood’s speed limit. I just stood there and processed what I just witnessed only a minute ago. I had no idea Todd had those feelings about being a disappointment to his dad, and clearly he was still affected by his mom’s death even after all these years later. God, I felt so bad for him, but what could I do? I tried to catch up to him and talk. However, he clearly didn’t want anything to do with me before driving off to who knew where.

The only thing I could do was walk back to the party and put on a happy face for everyone there, a facade I grew weary of lately. The plate of food that Todd dropped was still on the ground, no one bothering to clean it up, and that upset me. Todd released his raw and charged emotions that he likely bottled and hidden until a few minutes ago, and everyone just returned to their conversations like nothing significant happened and even ignoring his former presence reflected by the upturned plate infested with ants. Todd may not like me, he may even despise me, but I still felt bad for him and the turmoil that must be occurring in his mind as he drove off.

My mood dampened after returning to the party, and I spent about an hour just sitting at a random table with a hamburger and some fries, but I lost my appetite. I didn’t want to be a buzzkill since people were starting to eye me with concern, so I decided to toss my uneaten food in a nearby trash can and looked for Mr. Miller to say that I was leaving early.

He performed tricks with flipping burger patties on his grill that garnered the attention of a decent crowd of people, and I decided that I didn’t want to interrupt his show as I began trekking out of the backyard.

“Hey, Barrett! Are you going?” Anthony called out as he caught up to me.

I stopped and said, “Yeah. I’m not feeling so good. Sorry.”

“No worries. I understand, considering what happened with Todd and his little tantrum.”

“What? That wasn’t a tantrum. Your brother was really hurt.”

Anthony frowned. “Okay, sure. His feelings were hurt. But did he have to broadcast them to the whole party and embarrass my dad?”

Frustrated, I said, “I thought you would be more caring. He’s your brother after all.”

“I do care. But he makes it really hard since he closes himself off whenever Dad and I try to help.”

“Maybe you’re going about it the wrong way. I mean, based on what Todd said, your dad doesn’t even acknowledge his sexuality.”

“Yeah, I know… Shit, I accept my brother for he is.”

“You do?” I said, surprised.

“Of course! I love my brother, and I don’t care who Todd loves. As long as he stops acting like a child and… Fuck. Maybe I am doing this wrong.”

I sighed, feeling I was starting to get through my best friend’s thick skull. “Maybe you should call him.”

Anthony nodded and pulled out his phone. The next words he said made me very concerned.

“Hey, Todd… No, don’t hang up! I’m sorry that I didn’t have your back at the party… I am sorry… W-why are your words slurred? Are you drunk? Answer me, Todd… You’re drinking at the Bottom what? Todd? Shit! He hung up.” Facing me, Anthony said, “I need to find him? I don’t want him doing something stupid like driving home drunk.”

Just then, Mr. Miller called out to Anthony to join him at the grill.

“Shit, shit. I can’t leave right now, bro. Otherwise, Dad will know something’s up with Todd, and the last thing needs to discover is Todd getting drunk at some bar.”

Mr. Miller called out his name again.

“Don’t worry. I’ll go there and find him. I know which bar he’s at,” I said.

“You’re a lifesaver, man!” Anthony said, grabbing my hand and bumping our shoulders together. “Call me when Todd’s safe at his place, okay?”

I nodded. “Will do.”

Anthony gave me one last worried look before leaving to be by his dad’s side, while I was tasked to find Todd and get him back home safe and sound.

I jogged to my car, thankfully not blocked by any other vehicles. I barely remembered getting inside, buckling my seatbelt, turning on the ignition, my mind squarely focused on Todd and getting to that bar as soon as possible.

The drive was quick, mainly due to driving past a couple redlights that hopefully weren’t captured on camera. I also had to swerve past a slow driver that earned me several blares of their horn. I didn’t care though. The sooner I arrived at Bottoms Up and found Todd, the better.

After making a sharp turn, I drove onto the parking lot that was packed, and I had to break another rule when I stopped in front of the bar’s entrance and parked my car. Hopefully finding him wouldn’t be too difficult.

Thankfully, when I entered the venue, I immediately spotted Todd sitting at the bar counter with his back to me.

As I approached him, I noticed a man sitting next to him, specifically someone with gray hair and an embroidered suit who had his hand resting on Todd’s shoulder. I clenched my teeth, angered by the idea of a much older man possibly taking advantage of a drunken Todd.

The older man then faced me and smiled. “Ah! Good to see you again!”

I recognized him as the Fairy Godfather, and I relaxed a bit as I stopped next to them. A bartender nearby was filling a few beer mugs from the bottom up as I stopped by them.

Todd turned his head to face me too, but I received a different reaction entirely, involving narrowed eyes and bared teeth.

“What are you doing here, asshole?” Todd slurred, clearly intoxicated.

“Anthony sent me. I’m here to take you back to your place,” I answered calmly.

“Oh, good. I was worried Todd here would have to hail a cab to take him home,” the Fairy Godfather said before taking out what looked like a business card. “Contact me when you’re ready to talk.”

Todd accepted the card. “Thanks for believing me. I doubt I’ll go through with it, though.”

What does he mean? He wasn’t thinking about… Oh, God.

The man just patted Todd’s back and stood up from his seat. He offered me one last smile before walking away.

Taking his seat, I asked, “What did you mean when you said you won't go through with it?”

“None of your business!” Todd said before taking a gulp from his mug. “Now leave me alone.”

“Not a chance. I told Anthony I’ll take you back to your place since you’re clearly too drunk to do it yourself.”

“Screw Anthony! And screw my father. They don’t care about me.”

“You’re wrong. I know Anthony cares. He’s the one who sent me to get you,” I explained.

“Why didn’t he go get me himself? Too busy pleasing Daddy?” Todd shook his head. “And why did he send you of all people?”

“Come on. We can talk about it after I take you home,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Todd flinched from my touch. “Don’t touch me!”

I was getting impatient and looking around the area, seeing that we’ve attracted some attention. I needed to rethink my approach if I didn’t want this situation to escalate further. Obviously being forceful with him was what brought him to this bar and drinking his sorrows away.

So, instead I lowered my voice and said, “Todd… I’m sorry your dad doesn’t accept you for who you are… It’s not right. He should love you regardless.”

Todd’s tense posture appeared to have melted as he bowed his head and what could’ve been a sob escaped his mouth.

“Todd, let me take you home. I don’t want anything bad happening to you, alright?”

“Why…Why do you even care?” Todd muttered.

“I…I don’t know. I just do. But I know that if anything bad happened to you, Anthony would be devastated. I guarantee that. And I know why… Because he loves you so much.”

Todd rubbed his face, and I could tell he was trying not to cry.

I touched his shoulder again, and thankfully he didn’t flinch away.

“Maybe this isn’t the best place to talk about personal things. Let me take you home… Please.”

Todd then nodded. “Okay.”

I quickly stood up and assisted him from his seat. He stumbled forward, but I caught him in time. I allowed him to lean against me as I helped him walk out of the bar, thankful that my car was right outside the entrance.

I placed Todd in front passenger seat and buckled his seatbelt. I soon got into the opposite seat and started the car. He remained silent as I drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. I managed to get him to tell me his home address since he seemed ready to pass out. The drive wasn’t too long as I drove my car through the calm and darkening streets.

Five minutes later, we arrived at a small apartment complex in a more urban area of the city. Parking the car, I then helped Todd out of his seat. He leaned further into me as I half carried him to the front door to his apartment that was thankfully on the first floor. I asked him where his keys were, and he tapped the left back pocket of his jeans. Not waiting, I shoved my hand inside his pocket and grabbed the keys with a bunch of doodads attached to it, and Todd giggled from my touch.

I held back a grunt as I fumbled with the keyhole. The front door then unlocked, and I shoved through the entrance. Inside was dark with only the streetlights from outside sifting through the curtains of the windows. I believed I was in the living room with the basic setup of a couch, coffee table, and medium-sized television. They all mismatched with the decor, seemingly borrowed from family or bought from thrift stores.

Todd began sagging from my hold, and I asked, “Where’s your bedroom?”

Todd lazily motioned his head towards a short hallway to his right. “Last door at the end of the hallway.”

“Got any roommates?” I asked as we moved forward.

“Just one…but he’s working,” Todd said with a hiccup.

The walk to his room took longer than necessary, and I resorted to carrying him in my arms. Todd didn’t protest as I lightly kicked the door open after seeing it wasn’t fully shut. I knew we were in his room rather than his roommate’s based on the numerous art posters placed on the walls. He was the artsy type based on the snippets of information Anthony told me over the years about Todd and his interests. Surprisingly, plenty of them looked like street art, one looking like straight-up graffiti was spray painted on his wall.

Spotting his bed, I carried Todd there and carefully placed him on it. Todd groaned as he snuggled his face into his pillow.

Mission accomplished.

I was about to leave. But then I decided to do a few extra things, while I was here.

I grabbed a small trash can in his room and positioned it at the side of the bed. I then went to the bathroom located in the same hallway in search of Tylenol or any painkillers for the hangover he would likely feel the next morning. After finding some, I ventured to the open kitchen and filled a glass with water from the sink. And back in his bedroom, I placed both items on his nightstand.

Feeling like I prepared Todd for the headache and nausea that always accompanied a hangover, I made my way out of his room when I heard him say something.

Turning back around, I said, “What did you say?”

Groaning again, Todd said, “Are you going to tell him what happened?”

“You mean your dad? No. And I’ll make sure Anthony doesn’t spill the beans either,” I assured Todd.

“Thanks.”

I then noticed he was still wearing his shoes, so I went back to his bed, sat on the side, and did the courtesy of unlacing and taking them off his feet.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Huh?” I said.

“Why are you being so kind to me?”

“Didn’t I already answer that at the bar? I just do,” I repeated, placing both shoes on the wooden floor.

“So, you don’t actually hate me?”

“Why would I hate you, Todd?”

“Because…you know what? Never mind.”

I sighed and stood back up.

“I’m sorry.”

I looked at Todd, his face half covered by his pillow.

“Sorry? For what?”

“For…for treating you like shit back at the bar. For thinking you were some bad guy when you’ve been nothing but kind to me recently. I don’t know why I held my grudge against you for so long. I’m such a fuckup.”

What grudge did he have specifically against me?

Before I could ask him to explain further, Todd began sobbing again that soon led to him crying. I never heard cries so violent before; his whole body shook uncontrollably as he wept.

I could’ve seen this moment as my cue to leave, letting Todd release his emotions alone. But I couldn’t do it. Instead, I climbed onto the bed until my chest pressed against Todd’s back. Placing an arm around his torso, I pressed us together and just held him close to me as he continued crying his heart out.

I didn’t know how long he cried, but I eventually felt his body gradually relax and his cries slowly quieted down. I wondered what the best time was for me to release him, but when Todd clasped his hand with mine, I knew that I was still needed.

With my free hand, I sent Anthony a quick text to tell him that his brother was safe. I then slipped the shoes off my own feet and held him even closer to my body. The warmth of his body against mine felt nice as I tried to stay awake until Todd fell asleep. Being in the same bed with him should’ve freaked me out. However, nothing sexual was happening, just me comforting a hurt soul who felt like his loved ones were against him. That wasn’t true. At least I was here for him.

As we laid together on this twin-sized bed, my nose brushed against the soft hair on his head, the subtle pine scent relaxing me. And despite battling with my eyelids that were getting heavier and heavier with each passing second, Todd’s steady breathing soon lulled me to slumber.