Find Me Later, Brock

Family

Colby's P.O.V.-
I had so many emotions running through my body right now. When I walked away from Rory at the beach, I had hoped she'd run after me, but she never did. That in itself was enough to send me over the edge.
When I got home, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just wanted to go into my room, grab the bottle that I had stored underneath my bed, and start drinking all my feelings away. I didn't want anyone around me and I wanted to forget everything that happened with Rory.
If she knew what I knew about Brennen, I know that she would want to be with me. At the beach, I wanted to throw that in her face, tell her that she was so gullible that it was sad, but I was better than that and I didn't want to be a jerk. So I let it be and now, for all I knew, she was with Brennen and they were sleeping together, and... fuck I need to stop thinking about her. It's going to kill me.
"Colby?" I heard Sam call to me through the door.
I didn't answer.
"Colby, I know you're in there. What's going on?" He asked and I put the bottle down, before walking over to the door, stumbling a little, and opening it.
"What's going on, Colby?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
Sam looked at me like he knew everything, and walked in past me.
"Colby, don't tell me something happened between you and Rory, again."
"Honestly man, I don't care anymore. She's so stuck on what happened, even after I apologized to her, and now she and Brennen are going to be together even though I know he's been talking to other girls-"
"Woah, wait a minute. Slow down. Brennen's talking to other girls? And you didn't tell her?"
"She wouldn't have believed me."
"Well, do you have any proof?" Sam asked and I pulled my phone out and showed him some of the messages he had sent me about meeting up with this other girl.
"He actually told me not to tell her, and that this other girl he was sleeping with was just an old flame."
"We need to tell her, Colby!"
"Sam! Don't you fucking get it? She won't believe us. She obviously doesn't want to forgive me, she wants to play it safe and be with a guy who doesn't have her as his end game. She's so fucking blind to the fact that I see her that way. I want her in my life. I want her as my end game. But she can't see that because of everything that we went through."
Sam runs a shaky hand through his hair as he walks back in forth before he looks at me.
"Let me talk to her."
"It's not fucking worth it, Samuel."
"Colby, stop being an asshole. Getting in your feelings and acting like a child isn't going to help us out here."
I look at my hands and I can't help but fight back tears.
"Man, I'm sorry. I just... I love her man, and it's killing me that she's not even willing to take a chance."
"Let me talk to her. You need to give me that bottle, take a shower and get some rest." He says and I sigh.
"Do I have to give you the bottle?"
"Colby." He says looking at me sternly with his hand out.
"Okay, okay. Here." I say handing it over to him.
"Sober up and go to sleep. We're going to figure this out." He says as his hand lands on my back.
"Yes, dad."
He walks out of the room and I cover my eyes with my hands.
Hopefully Sam could talk to Rory, and get her to at least know the truth about Brennen.
***
Rory's P.O.V.~
After Colby left, I didn't want to go to the house, so I decided to go to Brennen's place. I knew that he would put me in a better head space, and I was actually excited to spend some time with him tonight. I just wanted to forget.
When the lyft pulled up outside his apartment, I got out, walked up the steps, and pressed the buzzer.
No answer. So I pressed it again. Nothing.
I looked around me on the street.
"That's weird." His car was out front and so I knew he had to be here unless he went out and didn't drive.
I pressed the buzzer one more time and then I heard a voice go over the speaker that wasn't Brennen's.
"Um is this the pizza delivery guy?" I heard her ask in a pitchy annoying voice.
"No. I'm here to see Brennen. Is he there?"
"Oh yeah. Hey, B, some girl is asking for you."
"Open the door, Rachel." I hear from the speaker.
"Okie Dokie!" A moment later, the door opens in front of me and a blonde hair, blue eyed girl, only in one of Brennen's shirts, stands in front of me.
"How can I help you?" She asks and I clear my throat.
"Can you please send Brennen down. It'll be quick."
"Oh okay, sure. One second." She closes the door and my heart begins to break.
A minute or so later, the door opens and Brennen stands there, wide eyed.
"Rory,"
"Just tell me who she is." I say closing my eyes.
"Her name is Rachel-"
"Yeah, I fucking know her name is Rachel, she had her fucking finger pressed to the button the entire time. Why is she in your shirt?"
He scratches the back of his neck and avoids eye contact with me.
"Well-"
"Fuck you, Brennen. Don't talk to me again."
I start to walk away and he calls after me but I don't stop.
What the fuck is my problem? Why is it so hard for me to find guys who want to be with me?
I walked for a couple minutes and stopped in at a café.
I sat in the coffee shop just thinking about everything. I was at such a high at the beginning of the day and now all I wanted was to go back home to Kansas. Trying to wrap my head around everything that had happened seemed impossible and I remember the last time I felt this sad was after Colby left me at the airport.
I had gotten multiple calls and texts from Sam, Kat, and Devyn, but I never answered any of them. I felt like I didn't have anywhere to go, and I felt so low. My whole body felt like it had gotten beaten up. I was confused. I was heartbroken. I was torn between two guys, and I regretted how things ended with Colby and I. I felt like an bitch. But how could I have known that Brennen wasn't faithful to me?
"Miss, I'm sorry, but we're closing." The barista said taking me out of my thoughts.
"Oh, uh I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
I walked out of the café and started walking, again. I really didn't want to go back to the house, but where else could I go?
Eventually, I got a lyft and I got to the house half an hour later. I tried my best to sneak in but almost everyone was waiting for me.
"Oh my god, Rory, where were you? Are you okay?" Kat asked walking over to me.
I stepped back and put my hand up.
"I was just on a walk. Look, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired I think I'm just gonna go to bed. Have a goodnight everyone." I say speed walking to my room.
"Rory!" Sam called and I didn't stop walking.
"Rory, stop. We need to talk about Brennen." He said and I felt my whole body fill with dread.
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Rory, Brennen is talking to other girls."
"He's also sleeping with them." I said and I turn to Sam.
"You know?"
"I found out a couple hours ago."
"Rory, I tried to call and tell you."
"I know, Sam. I just, I really want to go to sleep."
"So what does this mean for you and Colby?"
"Sam, I think I need to focus on me for a while. Obviously I can't seem to make the right decisions with my love life and Colby... well, I know he doesn't want anything to do with me."
"That's not true."
"Sam, I just want to go to bed."
"Just go talk to, Colby."
"Sam. I'm going to bed."
I open my door and close it behind me, locking it and falling onto my bed. I was drained. I just needed to disappear.
The next morning, I stayed in bed and looked at my socials until it was the afternoon and my stomach was grumbling. I didn't want to talk to anyone and I didn't want to face any sort of reality, but my stomach won me over and I snuck downstairs to get some breakfast.
I made a peanut butter and Nutella sandwich and was relived that I hadn't seen anyone. The last thing I needed was to stop and have to talk about what I was going through. I made some coffee as well, before heading straight back to my room.
When I turned the corner though, I bumped into a body and my plate fell out of my hand and my coffee spilt everywhere and I immediately knew who it was. I didn't make any eye contact with Colby but I knew it was him.
"Sorry, um I'm just gonna go and clean this up..." I say trying to walk away from him.
He grabs my wrist gently though, and I look into his eyes before I start to cry, and he pulls me into a hug.
His hand rubs my back and I somehow seem to feel so much more relaxed.
"I'm sorry." He says and I shake my head.
"I should have been watching where I was going. It's not your fault." I reply.
"Well I'm sorry about that too but I'm talking about yesterday." Colby says and I take in a breath.
"No, I was the asshole."
"You didn't know. It's not your fault."
"I just wish I would've never come here. I just want to go back to Kansas and stop wreaking people's lives."
"You don't mean that, and you haven't. We all love having you here, Rory."
"I've ruined you and Brennen's friendship. I know that I ruined things for us yesterday, and I'm a complete asshole."
"Rory, you're a mess. That's for sure, but you aren't an asshole and you still mean the world to me."
"Colby, I can't expect you to just be okay with what happened yesterday."
"I'm not okay with what happened yesterday. But I'm your friend, and that's what I'm going to be right now. Because the last time you needed a friend I flopped and I wasn't there for you. Now, I'm here for you no matter what."
I burst into tears again and he holds me tightly.
"Why?"
I hear him chuckle a little. "Why what?"
"Why after everything, do you still care about me? How have I not driven you away from me yet?"
"Rory, I care because I've cared about you since third grade. You are part of my life now. You are my family, and no matter what, family is there for each other, even when things aren't going smoothly."