The Black Rose Season

31

Jon carries Spencer's stuff in the next morning. Spencer has a meeting he can't miss, so he untangles himself from me. I slept at some point, but mostly, we just stayed still on my bed and said nothing at all. I'm glad I didn't have to be alone, but nothing is better today.

                    

I make no move to leave the room at all, but I remain on the bed, staring at Brendon's side of the room slowly being filled up with boxes. Spencer stretches as he gets up, messing up his hair and getting ready to go.

                    

"Jon, your turn," Spencer orders his boyfriend and nods towards me. Jon gives him a disbelieving look, but Spencer pouts at him. "Rywatch," Spencer says quietly, but I still hear him. He kisses Jon on the cheek before he heads out. Jon stands still awkwardly before he walks over and lies down next to me and, very awkwardly, proceeds to rub my back as he stares at anything but me with a blank expression.

                    

I sniffle a little bit and close my eyes. All I see is Brendon, and all I can think of is him saying that I never meant a thing to him. He didn't mean it. Whatever we had, Brendon felt it too.

                    

Jon and I have been lying on my bed in uncomfortable silence for twenty minutes when I whisper, "How's Brendon?"

                    

Jon's hand stops on my back. "Bad."

                    

My heart throbs in agony. "I want to see him."

                    

"He doesn't want to see you."

                    

"But -"

                    

"No," Jon says in a booming voice, giving me a pointed look. "You fucked him up, and you can't fix him. He has to fix himself."

                    

I have to fix him.

                    

"You better be glad you have Spencer on your side, or you'd be fucking sorry right now," Jon adds.

                    

I gulp slightly. It seems that I'm going to get away with nothing more than a punch in the face from Pete. Apart from having lost the man I love, of course.

                    

"What happened to Gabe?" I ask, wanting to know the fate of the other traitor, although I think that Gabe never gave Pete information on the fraternity itself, just helped Pete to keep me doing what I was supposed to be doing.

                    

Jon shrugs. "Gabe's a bit bruised this morning. We got him when he was asleep. I think he's seen the errors of his ways... I'm sure he is going to leave Jules be." I give Jon a look, and he says, "We wore masks. No one spoke a word, so he doesn't know who he got attacked by."

                    

I nod timidly. I think of Brendon and feel like breaking down again. Jon sighs and gets up. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Help me unpack Spencer's stuff, be useful."

                    

Jon gets up and pulls me out of bed. I get on my feet and feel surprisingly woozy. Jon eyes me suspiciously.