The Skeletøn Bøy

THIRTY-SEVEN

++ C H A P T E R | T H I R T Y - S E V E N ++

Brent felt like he couldn't breathe. The anger was welling up inside of him as he threw a hard punch to the punching bag. Working out had always worked to de-stress him, but this time, it almost wasn't enough.

Brent couldn't believe he was so stupid! All he could think was that Elliott was involved. He had to be. And just the thought of that made Brent's stomach curl in disgust.

What did you expect? That you and Elliott would run away together, happily ever after?

Brent hated himself for thinking this way. For hoping that Elliott would like him back, and they would be so happy together.

It was stupid. I'm stupid.

Brent felt so overwhelmed. First, Natasha left him, and now Elliott had ruined his life. In fact, Brent was pretty sure that Elliott had convinced Natasha to leave him.

He hated Elliott.

He threw another punch, angry tears leaking out of his eyes. He was no closer to finding where his siblings were, and he was no closer to figuring out Elliott. The revelation that Elliott was a girl made him feel used and abused - he couldn't understand why she would lie about that. Why her gender had to be kept secret.

But, even as Brent felt like his world was ending, he couldn't bring himself to believe that Elliott didn't have real issues. That whatever gender issues Elliott had going on weren't a joke, but a sick reality that Elliott lived in. The scars proved it, and Brent knew this, but he couldn't shake the thought that Elliott had betrayed him.

He needed to clear his head. He knew Elliott's mother had taken his siblings; Adrian had admitted this. Adrian had basically spilled the beans about the entire situation, bringing it to light. But now, Brent wasn't sure what to do.

Whoever 'Mother' was, Brent knew she wouldn't be easy to get in contact with. He itched to call the police and turn over the Cole's, but the sight of Elliott's scarred body made him hesitate. Brent didn't want to turn Elliott in, but at the same time, he wanted justice. He wanted his siblings. And he wasn't getting anywhere by hesitating.

His body burned with anger and exhaustion. He'd been at the gym all day, trying to blow off steam, but it only fueled his anger. He was restless and on fire. Brent needed more.

"You look upset, Brent." A voice from the doorway made Brent spin on his heels. He shouldn't have been surprised to see the red head leaning against the doorjam.

"What do you want, Natasha?" Brent turned away from her, knowing he wouldn't be able to keep it in if he kept looking at her. She was a temptress, and a manipulator. Brent knew Natasha could usually get what she wanted.

"I came to see you. I knew you weren't home, and this is usually the second best guess."

Brent shook his head, frustrated. Natasha knew him all too well, and it seemed like years ago that they had been dating and wrapped up in blissful ignorance. Back when he loved her. It came as no surprise to him that he no longer held feelings for her. Elliott had taken that away from the redhead.

"Well, here I am. Now, what do you need?"

Natasha put her hand on Brent's arm. "Brent, I want to talk. Is that a crime?"

"Yeah, it is. We aren't together, Natasha, and I'd prefer it if we weren't really friends, either." Natasha was like poison you didn't know you were ingesting until you were away from her presence. Now that Brent had a clear head, he realized all that was wrong with the relationship they had, and how much he really wanted nothing to do with her.