When we were Wallflowers

Chapter 10: Break ups

The training camp ended the following morning on a much more sour note than Brent had anticipated.

Colby escaped the camp shortly after his fight with Ezra. Once Finley realised Colby had left, he too left the camp before anyone could stop him. He'd been kind enough to send a text to Brent explaining that he wouldn't stay if Colby didn't but he hoped the two would see each other on Monday. Brent felt sick at the idea of seeing him on Monday.

Ezra and Brent enjoyed -well, enjoyed implied they were happy but they were both bloody miserable- a room for four that was now only for two. They both laid there silently in their uncomfortable beds; Brent's bed was far too short for his body, his feet fell off the end of it.

"He hates me." Ezra whispered, his voice hoarse from crying. Brent couldn't tell if he still was crying, the sun had set hours ago and there was no light left in the room and he couldn't be bothered to turn on a lamp.

"I'm sure he doesn't. His feelings are just hurt right now, give him some space to calm down and then you can make up." Brent paused. "You still haven't told me why he's mad at you?"

"I thought we were becoming friends, moving past the whole Joanna thing." Ezra groaned loudly. "Ugh, fucking Joanna. Why did I sleep with her? What was I thinking?"

"She's a smooth talker, she's pretty and she makes you think she understands you completely when, in actuality, she doesn't understand you at all and everything she says is for her own gain."

"Did you just profile her?" He heard Ezra sit up and flop back down onto the squeaky mattress. Ezra had been tossing and turning since they'd gone to bed. "Still, I should've been able to see through her shit. Like, you've met my dad. I should be used to manipulative assholes by now... not that I'm much better. Do you- do you think I'm like my dad?"

"What?" Brent sat up immediately and whacked his head off the metal frame of the bunk bed that was above his head. Why did he choose the bottom bunk? He had free range and he still chose the bed with the least amount of headspace.

"You okay?" Asked Ezra.

Brent groaned as he cradled his head in his hands, that was going to hurt in the morning. "Fine. But forget about that. Why do you think you're like your dad. You two are nothing alike!"

Ezra was silent for a moment. "But what if I am." He said softly. "What if we're exactly alike?"

"You're not. He's an arsehole who cheats on everyone he's ever been with-"

"I slept with Colby's girlfriend whilst they were dating because I was jealous."

"Jealous? Of who?"

"I'm not sure." The silence took over again and Brent wanted Ezra to say something else so there would be some sort of noise. "What were you and Finley doing before Colby and I fought?"

He changed his mind, he wanted the silence back. "Oh. We, um, we were by the lake that's near by. It's very beautiful this time of year."

Ezra laughed a little. "You sound like a Southern Belle saying shit like that. You know, I think Finley's gotta a bit of a thing for you?"

A steady heat spread itself around Brent's body as he thought of what he and Finley had done by that lake. The warmth settled in his cheeks and in another place. "Have you ever been attracted to a guy? Physically I mean?"