When Jared walked back into their house Cosmo was there, halfway up the stairs holding a massive sandwich on a plate with a Capri Sun under his arm. He turned round momentarily when the door opened with a cheery,
“Hi bro,” before continuing up the stairs. Then he stopped, abruptly, registering what he’d just seen, and turned round. Jared was already halfway down the hall but Cosmo had seen his eyes, red like he’d been crying. And Jer never cried. Cosmo could probably’ve counted the times he’d seen Jer cry on one hand. Hastily, he put down the sandwich on the stairs and jogged after his little brother.
He found him in the kitchen, sitting on one of the barstools at the island and just staring ahead.
“Jer?” he said softly, swinging up onto the seat beside him. “You okay?”
“Oh yeah, I’m fucking fantastic,” Jared answered, (voice biting and heavy with sarcasm, because his reaction to being upset had always been anger, had always been viciousness as if that could keep him from being vulnerable). Cosmo just nodded and pushed his Capri Sun over.
“It’s summer fruits,” he added enticingly.
“I hate fucking summer fruits,” Jared mumbled, taking it anyway.
“No you don’t. It’s your favourite.”
“I like the orange one. Summer fruits tastes like shit.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay, what didn’t happen?”
Silence, and then Jared got up and walked away a little, pacing with this trembling, just-about-to-snap expression on his face. Cosmo could hear his breaths and how they weren’t quite even, could see it when he swallowed but was taken by complete surprise when he choked out,
“Isaac.”
He came back and sat next to Cosmo, attempting to jab the straw into the Capri Sun. His hand wasn’t quite steady, though, so the straw kept missing and skittering down the packet and eventually Cosmo took it off him and pierced it before handing it back.
“Isaac?” he prompted. Jared cleared his throat like it’d got clogged up and gave this horrible, tinny little laugh, running a nervous hand through his hair.
“I fucked up,” he said. Cosmo knew he wouldn’t stand a chance trying to hug his brother right now but he scooted over a little and pressed their shoulders together.
“It can’t be that bad,” he said hesitantly. “I mean, Isaac already knows what a little shithead you are.”
“No- I- I’ve fucked up so fucking bad, Cos, you don’t even-”
He swallowed again, and Cosmo was reminded all of a sudden of the morning their mum told them Dad had left in the night, of Jared’s throat bobbing furiously because he couldn’t, wouldn’t cry. Cosmo had been just as helpless then, just as unable to stop the hurt.
“Hey,” he said, reaching an arm around his brother’s shoulders.
“Fuck,” breathed out Jared, the word broken and almost a sob (but not quite. Not quite).
“It’ll work out,” Cosmo told him gently. “I’ve seen you two together. There’s nothing you couldn’t work out.”
Even as he said it he was catching his breath because fucking fuck fuck fuck- how had he- I’ve seen you two together- yes, fuck, he had seen them together and he’d missed it, he’d fucking missed it- but he’d never seen Jared this cut up over anyone-
“Jer, are you and Isaac-?” he began, stunned (how had he not noticed??). Jared’s head snapped up but he didn’t say anything, although his mouth was open, so Cosmo carried on (as if he needed to clarify; they both knew fucking well what he was talking about). “Are you- are you together?”
Jared stared at him a second and then blurted,
“No, fuck, no, I’m- I’m with Willa, Cos! I don’t- I’m not into guys! Isaac’s a- Isaac’s a guy. I’m not fucking into him like- that.”
Safe to say Cosmo was kinda confused right now, but he knew how to spot when his little brother was lying. He just didn’t know why he was lying. He tilted his head a little.
“You know it’s okay if you are, right?” he tried. Jared slapped the Capri Sun down on the island.
“Okay, well, thanks, but I’m not, so it doesn’t fucking matter.”
He scrambled off the stool, taking the packet and slamming it into the bin with such force that Cosmo almost flinched (but he didn’t; he just sat watching him in confusion).
“And I hate fucking summer fruits,” Jared muttered, and stormed out of the kitchen.
YOU ARE READING
Invincible
Teen Fiction"I didn't know you had friends like Isaac," Willa said in greeting. "I don't," muttered Jared. Isaac rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you don't. You have //one// friend like Isaac." His voice turned into this stupid mock whisper and he leaned towards Jared c...
