Dealing with more #wattys2019

11. Michael

^Wade Poezyn as Michael

Nearly an hour had passed since Brett had rushed into the bathroom shook up about whatever he read. Whatever shit Michael had gotten himself into this time was bad.

I laid there on Brett's bed thinking of all the worst-case scenarios I could imagine. Drug cartel came to mind a few times, as well as the Mafia.

The covers shifted and I felt the mattress dip at Brett's weight. His arms encircled me and my heart fell back into its normal drum beat and I sighed.

"What's wrong Angel?" Brett's voice was quiet and I turned toward him.

"I think I should be asking you that question." His eyes hit mine and they seemed tired. I could see it in his face that he'd been crying. I was going to kick Michael's ass as soon as he showed up for scaring his little brother to the brink of tears. I grabbed his hand. "Want to talk about it?"

Brett squeezed my hand. "You can't tell anyone." He whispered.

"I promise." The seriousness of this situation hit me hard.

"Michael-" He breathed. "He won't be back for a while. He left for Nebraska..." I couldn't help but open my mouth in confusion but shut it as he continued. "Rachel was rapped, and Michael had fallen for her and still had feelings for her I guess and is moving in with her." His choclate eyes disappeared for a second and it seemed as if he were trying to sleep. "To support Rachel and her child."

"Child?" I questioned. Rachel and Michael had been dating for about 2 and a half years when she said that she was moving. She had asked Michael several times to leave with her but was rejected each time. That's when he fell apart and started dating random chicks such as Jessica. It didn't surprise me that he still had feelings for her. But, it couldn't be theirs, could it?

"She was raped, and she called him on the phone saying she didn't know who else to turn to." He let out a shuddering breath. "And him being the fucking gentlemen told her that she didn't have to do this alone, to take him back, and he would potentially help her with this child and I guess confessed his love to her. In return, she did too."

"Michael said not to tell any of his friends, to not even friggen-" anger seemed to taint his voice now. "To not even friggen try to contact him because he would have his number changed and that he didn't want to be seen as the fuck boy that lived in Nebraska! He wants to disappear and doesn't know if and when he will come back." I squeezed his hand and suddenly it hit me hard.

We might never see Michael ever again!

After a second of pure silence, he continued. "Michael left the house under my name."

"What?" I asked not believing what I had just heard.

"Michael already had the money put down and since I'm turning 18 in a few days. He called them up and put it under my name for now. The move-in date is January 2nd."

"How are you expected to pay for it?"

"He said that he already talked to mom and that she agreed to pay for the first year. After that though, it's up to me." He said breathing out. I released his hand and wrapped him in a hug. I felt tears drip onto my shoulder, but I didn't care. It all seemed surreal.

Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes despite my best to hold them back. Michael was the person he turned to for everything. Their were some things that I couldn't even help him with that only Michael could.

Moving my fingers through his black hair, I massaged his head hoping to calm him down. When I heard him sob, it was then that tears flowed gently down my cheek. The only other time I had seen Brett cry was back in first grade over a ice cream cone.