The Twenty Year Triangle

Chapter Fourteen

Early June 2000

Mornings in Sweet Haven are the best; I love how quiet and calm it is. I smile as I ride my bike past the beautiful flowering cherry blossoms, the grasshoppers are buzzing, and it's like music to my ears. It's quiet and calm this morning as I glide down the road on my bike, my long hair flying behind me from the wind.

As I bike through town, I see Chucky sweeping sideways outside the bar. He waves at me, and I smile back, my silver braces glinting in the sun. I can't wait to get these darn things off, six more months, the dentist said at my last visit.

I'm riding my bike over to Olly's new house, his mom is getting married this summer, eloping, and going on a road trip, how romantic is that? The only downside is she's going to be gone all summer long. Their road trip will go until late August, and Kris saw it as a great chance for Olly to bond with his dad this summer. I'm going to miss him like crazy it's the longest we have ever been apart.

They just moved in with Olly's soon-to-be stepdad, David, in a new house. It's just a few blocks away from his old one on the same block as Brandi's house. The houses on this block are all pretty, they're older styled Victorian homes mostly. Brandi's is yellow with a big white front porch and Olly's is a dark shade of blue with a wood trim.

As I reach Olly's driveway his two good friends from his math club, Nate and Jermone look to be leaving.

"Where's Olly?" I ask as I glance at them.

"He came back from lunch with his mom and told us he had to go. Ran over there," Nate explains, his own silver braces glinting in the sun as he speaks. He and I bond over our hatred of all the annoyances that come with braces. He's pointing towards Brandi's house and I frown, confused.

Why would Olly go to Brandi's? What if Billy does something to him? Grated he's pretty much left Olly alone all school year, but still...

I ditch my bike in Olly's driveway and worriedly start waling over to the Benson's.

I haven't talked to Brandi in months, not since the whole thing with Mary Beth, and she never talks to me either, but at least she leaves me alone. I knock once, and Billy answers before I knock a second time, his phone tucked between his ear and shoulder.

"Where is—"

I'm cut off as Billy is already talking to someone on the phone. "I need you now, Gabe. Meet me at the diner, as many guys as you can get," he says into the phone and then looks at me. "What do you want?"

"Where's Olly!" I push past him. "Billy, if you hurt him, I swear to—"

"I didn't hurt Olly," Billy rolls his eyes. "No, Gabe, this is not about Olly. I was talking to Bucky, she thinks — What? Fuck off, I'll call her whatever I want. Hurry the hell up and meet me at the diner."

"What?" I'm stunned as he hangs up. Did Gabe just defend me?

No...

"Where's Hunter?" Billy asks impatiently.

"At work, why?" I am getting more confused by the moment.

"Damn it," he curses as he slips his shoes on. "I need as many guys as I can get. I got to run. Olly's in Brandi's room. Tell her I'm taking care of it."

"Why? What do you mean?" I ask, but Billy ducks out before he answers.

"Kinsey?"

"Olly?" I whirl around just as he's stepping into the entry. "What the heck is going on?"

"I'm glad you're here. I was just going to call you to come over here. You need to go talk to Brandi," Olly says quietly.

"What happened? It's Wade, right? What did he do?"