I Begged You

Chapter 2: Chip Off the Ol' Block

23 Days Earlier

"Get your sorry arse up!" I yell angrily. 

The man in front of me jumps up from his slumber on the couch, his Playboy magazine flying from its place on his chest. He had obviously been doing some hard studying last night before bed. I bend down and lift it up, giving it a good once-over. Miss November was looking mighty sexy in her pilgrim getup. The tag on her clothes was the biggest piece of cloth on her, if you catch what I'm saying.

"Whoa there, Jake, you got me good." Trevor sits up, reaching for his magazine. I pull it back from his reach, rolling it up and putting it under my arm. It'll make for good throne reading later.

He starts to say something about it, but decides it's better not to push for it back. Smart.

"What's up little bro?" he says as he yawns.

I look around disgusted. His house had turned into little more than a Port-A-Potty during fair season. Smelled that way too. I look down at the floor beside the couch's arm at the culprit of the stench. Vomit lays souring where he had popped his head over. 

"Trevor," I shake my head in obvious disdain, "what happened? What has gotten into you?"

Trevor scratches his head. I then catch the deep purple bags under his eyes and the wrinkly clothes he was wearing. He looked lost. Empty beer cans litter the floor.

Trevor stands and walks around me, picking up a few of the cans in mute attempt to somehow make the place look presentable. As he picks one up, he realizes it isn't fully empty and takes a swig to finish it off. He then takes a deep breath and looks back at me, shame and exhaustion clear on his face.

"I didn't mean to do it," he burps. 

"Do what Trevor?"

"Annie, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to..." Trevor whispers to himself as his eyes start to water. "Jake, I gotta get Annie back. I gotta get her back!"

"What did you do this time, Trev?" I ask. Why does this always happen to me? Trevor always gets himself neck-deep in trouble and I have to go bail his sorry arse out.

"I was dr-drunk," he stammers, "It was a mistake. A very, very bad mistake."

"Let me guess," I inwardly roll my eyes. "You cheated on her again, didn't you?"

He walks to the kitchen and opens the ice box. Reaching in, he grabs another beer and pops the cap, nodding his head before taking a huge gulp.

"She walked in on us an-"

"You brought your whore here?!" I yell, beyond angry that he would do that to Annie. She didn't deserve that.

"I know! I know! I was drunk!" He shouts, angry at himself. "She left me, Jake..."

"Good for her!" I reply, "This makes how many times Trev? Four? Five times that you've cheated on her? I've lost count!" I slide my hand down my face, exasperated at my brother. He'd gone too far. Who is stupid enough to bring some floozy home to their wife?

"Don't say that. You don't mean it. Annie belongs with me."

"I do mean it," I spit. "You ain't been nothing but bad to her. Cheating on her, lying to her, treating her like your own personal sex toy to be used at your disposal whenever and however you want. I don't blame her for leaving. Actually, kudos to her for doing so! You're just like Dad was. Just a chip of the ol' block!"

"Shutup! Just shutup!" he screams, throwing the beer can at me. It hits me in the chest, it's contents drenching the front of my Led Zeppelin T-shirt. "You don't know nothing about me and Annie! You don't know nothing!"

He storms out of the house, not bothering to look back at me. I walk forward to the door, leaning against the frame as I watch him waddle to his truck.

The rusty hinges on his old Ford squeak as he opens the driver's side door and clambers barefoot into the seat. When he finally realizes he didn't have the keys, he slams his head onto the steering wheel. A loud, pathetic honk pulses throughout the street causing several of the neighbors to curse and shoot Trevor the bird.

I laugh. I can't help it. My brother is so pathetic. He ain't made a decent thought since he started all his drinking. Not that he had a brain before then. 

"Stop laughin'," he growls as he walks up the drive and past me into the house. I close my eyes and shake my head. Suddenly, I hear a loud crash behind me and turn to see Trevor on his back on the floor. He had slipped on the vomit beside the couch. 

"Trevor," I breathe out, walking forward to try and help him up. I extend my hand to him. He ignores it, trying but failing to get up on his own. He was messed up. I then notice the fresh needle holes in his arm.

"What did you take?!" I yell, "What is the matter with you? Are you crazy?!" I take hold of his arm and yank him up, holding onto him despite his futile attempts to fight me. I place his arm around my neck and practically drag him further into the house. 

"Annie," he mumbles, "My Annie." His head flops over as he passes out.

"Ugh," I complain to myself as I take on his full weight of 275 pounds. We make it to his bedroom and I throw him onto the mattress. I bend down and lift up his feet, plopping them down onto the bed with the rest of him. He begins to snore loudly. Straightening up, I brush my hands together as I look around the room.

Clothes lay strewn everywhere. Annie had made an absolute mess when she left. I hope for her sake that this time she decided to leave for good. 

I walk over to the dresser and pick up the picture frames that had fallen over. I set them back onto the dresser gently. One of the pictures captures my attention, and I pick it back up.

The two faces in the photo were happy. Euphoric even. Her bright blue eyes look up at his dark brown ones, love shining brightly in both. Their smiles were genuine then.

"Livi," I whisper, remembering the day we took the picture. I open the back of the frame and take out the picture. I cram it into my pocket.

"You st-still love her," Trevor stammers from the bed.

I turn surprised, jumping a little. "You're s'posed to be sleeping." I walk over to him, pushing his chest down onto the bed. "Sleep."

"I can't," he begins to get up again, "I have to get Annie."

I push him down again, causing him to look up at me angrily. "If Annie comes back that's her business," I say as I hold him down onto the bed, "but you don't need to be causing that girl any more pain, y'hear? Leave things alone!"

"What? Like you did Olivia?" he spits, "You know as good as I do that you wish you had fought for her! I won't make the same mistake!"

I reach down and circle my hand around his throat, pushing him hard onto the bed and cutting off his air supply. He gurgles under my hold.

"Do not speak about Livi. Ever. Again." I bite out. My words were venomous and he knew it. "Do not so much as speak her name. Ya got that?"

He whimpers beneath me, terrified. I release his neck roughly and walk out of the room, leaving the god-forsaken house behind. 

Please let me know what you are thinking of the story so far. I'm not sure if I'll continue this book or not, so any opinions or comments would be greatly appreciated.

Does this seem like a book worth reading?