Eccedentesiast (Brandon Darrow)

#MeetingtheKing

[#MeetingtheKing]
We were a strange love, to wild to last, to rare to break.
–Atticus
*****

      After almost getting run over Rowan and Elisia decided we should all go home tonight and wait for King Cobra to text. I was laying in bed fiddling with my necklace when somebody knocked on my window. I jumped looking at the window to see Brandon. "What are you doing here? My dad will literally kill you if he sees you," I said.
My dad had been keeping me on lockdown since I got back. "Yeah I've heard that one before, we're good he just left," Brandon answered climbing through my window.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned.
"To be honest with you, I haven't really let you out of my sight since you almost got ran over by that truck," Brandon said taking off his jacket and wrapping it around me. "And um I wanted to see if you were okay?" He asked.
"I don't know anymore Brandon, I'm scared, all the time," I said sitting down on the floor.
"Maybe we can work on our project?" He grinned.
"Oh I already finished that," I told him sticking my arms in his sleeves.
"What?" He asked smirking, "of course you did."
"I talk about my dad and your dad, and about that moment when you realize that parents aren't perfect," I say.
"You know that newspaper clipping you found? My mom didn't send that to me. I cut it out myself. I...I just felt so guilty, like such a piece of shit that I could just film him, and just stand there laughing, filming."
"Can I tell you something?" I ask.
"Yeah," he nodded.
"You were right, I posted those flyers myself," I said staring at the floor.
"Why?" Brandon questioned.
"I mean Trevor says all that shit about me anyways, so, might as well take all the surprise out of it," I shrugged.
"I don't think that's why you did it Aspen," Brandon said.
"Why'd I do it?" I asked raising my eyebrows.
"Because a part of you believes what Trevor says, a part of you believes yours a shitty person," Brandon says. I pull my knees to my chest and Brandon comes to sit in front of me. "Hey but you're not a shitty person. Trust me aspen you're not, now can I tell you something?"he said lifting my chin to look at him.
"Yeah," I said nodding looking into his eyes.
"I didn't want to leave, I always want to be with you," he said leaning in and placing his lips against mine. When we pulled away his hand trailed from my face to the chain around my neck.
"It was my mothers before she left," I told him placing my hand on top of his. I was about to say something else when my phone rang. I looked at it and saw a message from King Cobra saying he wanted to meet. "I uhh have to go, thank you," I said standing up quickly. He stood up as well and I place a chaste kiss on his cheek before rushing out of the room texting Hailey and Rowan.
     I went to elisia's and we all met up. When we got there we found out that Nicki's death was ruled a suicide by the cops. "We have to do this tonight," I said. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
    "Be careful," Elisia said giving me a hug. I hugged her back, I didn't know why but it felt like something terrible was going to happen tonight. Something worse than the four of us could even imagine.
     "You too, stay safe," I told her pulling away. When we got to the location I looked back at Hailey and Rowan. "You two keep safe when looking for ash," I said. We had yet to find ash to tell him that Elisia was safe. We just hoped that he could hold off on doing something stupid for tonight.
    "Hey we'll be right here when you get back okay," Rowan said and Hailey nodded.
    "Thanks," I muttered putting on the deer mask. I opened the door to the car and walked down some stairs. I was looking all over the place for anyone in a snake mask. There were so many people, hidden behind masks. It frightened me to know what they could possibly do if they found me here. I had made it through most of the throng of people when I saw the snake mask.
    They went into a mostly cleared room and I followed after them. When I got in the person cornered me and came toward me. I reacted quickly pulling off the persons mask as they ripped my necklace off. What I saw standing in front of me, shattered my heart. It took everything in me not to breakdown when I saw his face.
    I gasped backing away and running into the throng of people. Letting them conceal me from what I had just witnessed. When I came back into the parking lot I immediately saw the van and jumped in it. "Are you okay?" Rowan asked.
    "Did you see who it was?" Hailey asked. I took off the mask gasping for air as hot tears flew from my eyes. I nodded and they looked at each other worriedly.
    "Brandon, Brandon Darrow is king cobra," I gasped out as sobs wracked my body. I told Hailey and Rowan to drop me off at my house. I was downstairs when I got a text.
From Rowan:
Stinger can make it look like Brandon planted a bomb, what do you think?
To Rowan:
Do what you have to
I sighed walking up the stairs to my room but stopped at my door when another message pinged.
From Rowan:
Dunbar's phone is in your house!
My eyes widened and when I looked up I saw Brandon standing in my room, necklace in hand. "Brandon?" I whispered.
   "Aspen," he said walking toward me but stopped when he saw the frightened look on my face.
    "Get out," I warned trying to dial 911 without him noticing.
    "Just listen to me," he said moving forward again. He tried to grab me but knocked the phone out of my hand as I locked myself in the bathroom.
    "Get out, leave!" I yelled through the door.
    "Please aspen listen to me," he said jiggling the door handle.
   "You're trying to kill us!" I yelled through the door.
   "No I'm not! Just listen to me okay?" He yelled.
   "I saw you Brandon, how could you," I sobbed.
   "Just listen okay, a couple years ago I logged onto the zoo website, to talk shit about my dad, and I met MonkeyMan," he explained. I tried to look for anyway out but there was nowhere to go.
    "We bonded over our shitty dads and I gave him advice about his bullies," Brandon continued. I walked back to the door as tears streaked down my face.
    "You're a liar! I trusted you and you lied!" I yelled slamming my hand against the door.
    Brandon slammed his hand against the door saying, "No I'm not, look I went back to the party and found Dunbar's phone. God I was just so mad I thought it was all your fault that he killed himself. That's why I sent you the message." I remembered the last words Dunbar said to me and I yelled as hot tears kept rolling down my face.
    "I hate you, god you're an asshole," I said through the door.
    "I felt so guilty, okay. That's why I got on the phone and logged into his account. I said you guys had to pay, that we should make you suffer, we came up with the stupid hunting season idea," Brandon said.
    I slid down the door and pulled my legs into my chest covering my sobs with my hand.
   "When Hailey got out I texted you all, but when I saw you in the hall I just, I felt so guilty, remember my knuckles I just felt so shitty I punched the wall," he said, "I. Can't. Do. Anything. Right." He hit the door after each word and I flinched before standing up and pressed myself to the door to make sure he could hear.
   "You told me to stay away from you, I should've just stayed away like you told me," I said
    "I'm sorry aspen," he whispered through the door. I waited a moment before opening the door. When I saw Brandon was gone I fell to my knees and sobbed even harder than I had before. Harder than that first night my mother left me, harder than the night Dunbar shot himself.

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