Gen. 4.6 Only You Can Take Away My Misery

A.N.~ So my Season’s EP decided to not cooperate with me, so if some of my images have snowflakes in them, even though they are inside, I apologize. I’m looking into what I need to do to fix it lol.~

~Brodie’s P.O.V~

I heard the muffled voices of my parent’s at the door, debating whether to come in and check on me. For the slightest second, I felt guilty. It was Christmas Eve, I should be celebrating with my family. I wasn’t emotionally ready to face them yet. It had been three weeks since the night that ruined my life, but it felt like an eternity had passed. I sighed deeply before calling Bethany’s number. I lit up at the sound of her voice, even it was her voicemail. I cleared my throat and left a message, “Hey Beth, it’s Brodie. I, um, just wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas, and I hope your holiday is going well. I’d still like a chance to talk to you about everything that happened…….but I know I can’t force you, so when you’re ready, call and I’ll be there. Love ya.” I hung up, and began sobbing softly, left with just myself and my memories.

 

I thought back to our first study date at the library. The way the light streamed in through the window, and made a halo of light surround her. I could still taste the protein bar we shared, and I could feel how dry my tongue was when I asked her out on a date. I remember how we made it to the beach just in time to see the sunset, and how her lips gave the faintest taste of strawberry lip gloss. God, she looked beautiful. We were one of a kind. We could just be together and be content, and it’s because of her I passed my police procedures class.

The ringing of my phone startled me from my musings, but it was just a sales call. I rolled back over and gave a big sigh. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I tried to push her from my mind, but it was almost physically impossible to forget someone who meant everything to you. 

My door swung open slightly, revealing the concerned face of m y mother peering in. She sighed, and came closer, “”Brodie, Finn and I are finishing the popcorn strings, do you want to help us put it on the tree?” I shook my head slightly, refusing to face her. To my surprise, I felt the bed shake as she climbed onto it and made herself comfortable. She pushed my hair out of my face in the way that mothers do before talking softly, “Brodie, I can’t imagine how heartbroken you’re feeling, I just wish you were younger so that I could scoop you up and kiss it to make it all better.” I smiled through my tears, before wiping my eyes and sitting up next to her. I placed my head in her lap, feeling much younger than my twenty years. We sat for a while, just being with each other. She broke the silence by whispering, “It wasn’t the same with you gone, Brodie. This house was too quiet without you.” Tears filled her eyes and silence sat between us. I cleared my throat as my own eyes filled with tears, “I missed being home. I missed my bed, and my family, and I’m mad that I didn’t get to be there for Finn’s birthday. I plan on taking him on a birthday outing one of these days when I’m feeling more like myself. I just hurt all over mom, I’ve never felt like this before.”

I sat up and leaned against the headboard, while my mom comforted me. She and I talked until we were both emotionally drained. It was one of the best and worst Christmas Eve’s I had ever had. After a long hot shower, I made my way into the living room to help finish stringing the popcorn. Finn and I finished around 11:30 that night before hanging out in the living room. Once my parents went to bed, I held up a finger to my mouth as we snuck into the kitchen. “How about a pre-Christmas celebratory bowl of ice cream?” I whispered, before waggling my eyebrows. We pigged out on ice cream before going to bed full bellies and full hearts. Christmas morning couldn’t come any sooner.

 

~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~

Bethany was taking out the trash when a sudden movement behind her made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. She warned loudly, “No sense in hiding. I know someone is there.” She turned, only to face the woman who ruined her life.

Bethany found herself grabbing the woman and shaking her shoulders, “You have the nerve to come to my house, and on Christmas Eve?!” The woman begged, “Please, I wouldn’t come to you if it weren’t important, hear me out for one minute.” Bethany scoffed, before thinking it over, “Fine. You have one minute exactly.”

The woman began introducing herself, “My name is Lila, and I’m sure you remember when we met. It is one the most regrettable things I’ve ever done, and I have no excuse, because all I did was rationalize it to myself and that made it okay to me. You see, I was hired by your boyfriend’s roommate to get him drunk and have sex with him. He’s desperately in love with you. We met through an old escort service I used to work through, until he offered me more money than I knew what to do with. Three years and two kids later, I’m earning less and less with each job he has me do. This one though, was my golden ticket, it was the last thing I ever had to do for him, and I’d get one final payment, big enough to buy a house for me and my sons. Only, something didn’t feel right about this job. Most of the time, I am asked to go to his friends’ bachelor parties or do private parties, but this time it was much darker Once he told me what I needed to do, I refused, and that’s when he offered me the golden ticket. I was terribly nervous that night, and you;’re probably wondering by now why the hell I’m standing in front of you, so I’ll cut to the chase: I couldn’t go through with it. I only got Brodie drunk, and I didn’t know he’d been drugged until it was too late to do anything about it, but what you saw that morning, I had staged it, so that I could make it look like I had come through, and earn my ticket. But I swear to you, we did not sleep together. I laid on the floor until I heard him stirring in the morning. So please, if you’re going to be mad at anybody, be mad at me, or at Ethan,. but don’t take it out on Brodie.”

Bethany opened and shut her mouth, looking like a fish out of water. She was overwhelmed by emotions. She finally looked at Lila and said, “Thank you. I appreciate you making your way out here to tell me. I do have one question for you though. Did you get what Brodie promised you?” Lila felt herself nearly melt with the relief that not only did Bethany believe her, she actually cared about her, “Unfortunately he did not, he OD’d on heroin last week. My boys and I are living out of my car until we find a place to stay for awhile.Bethany was having none of it, “Nonsense, you’ll stay here with my parents until you get back on your feet. They’ll be happy to have someone to share the holiday with, since once we’re done here, I’m driving straight to Sunset Valley.”

The two shared a hug before Bethany helped get the kids into the house and settled in.

 

~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~

Brodie’s P.O.V.

The ringing of my cell phone startled me out of my sleep. The caller ID showed that it was Bethany, so I immediately answered it without thinking. My voice was still heavy with sleep as I answered, “Hullo?” Her sweet voice filled my head, “Hi, Brodie, I sent a package to your house, it should be there right about now. Any chance you could check and see that it’s there?” The part of my brain that would usually explain the ridiculousness of this request was unusually quiet, and curiosity filled my being so I heard myself agreeing.

I looked out the window and was met with the best Christmas present ever.

I opened the door tentatively, hoping and praying that this was not some cruel dream. The sweet smell of strawberries filled the air around me, and I knew it was truly her. An uncomfortable silence stood between us before I remembered to let her inside. I stood there, not wanting to assume she was here on good terms, even though nearly all of my being wanted to hold her in my arms and kiss her.

She finally broke the silence, “You’re probably wondering what brought me here at 3:30 on Christmas morning, so here goes. I just want to start off by apologizing, I shouldn’t run out and left. I was hurt, and confused, but that was no excuse for shutting you out. It’s one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. Right up there with the one year in high school I tried to ‘go goth’. Anyways, last night, the woman who broke us up came to see me, and explained everything. Brodie I believe her, and more importantly, I believe you. You didn’t have sex with her, you were drugged, and it’s all Ethan’s fault. He set the whole thing up.” Bethany was in tears now, and I felt powerless to stop them, but she stopped talking to take a breath and then continued, “I came here to apologize but also to see if there was some small sliver of a chance that you could forgive me and we could move past this. These last three weeks have been utter torture, and I have barely been able to eat a thing. I would love for us to be together again, but what I want more than anything is your forgiveness, Brodie.” I cut her off with a kiss, and I felt her melt into my arms. I put my forehead against hers and whispered, “Of course I forgive you,” She sighed before kissing me again, and I led her into my room, “So, my little brother, Finn, and I were up late pigging out on ice cream and hanging popcorn on the tree. That and the fact it’s only 4 in the morning makes me think we should probably go back to bed.” So I grabbed her a shirt of mine to use as pajamas before climbing under the blankets. She joined me not five minutes later, and snuggled up against me. I felt her icy little toes thaw against my legs, smiling for the first time in weeks. I kissed  the top of her head, “Now would be the perfect moment for makeup sex, but honestly, I’d rather cuddle here with you until we fall asleep.” A soft snore from her split my face into another grin.

 

In the morning, I snuck out of my room while Bethany was still sleeping, and met my parents in the kitchen, “Merry Christmas.” My mother gave me a hug, and the moment our eyes met, she knew. She began squealing with delight, “You guys are back together?!” I nodded ecstatically before growing serious, “I want you to meet her, but she’s still sleeping.” My parent looked completely bewildered so I led them into the living room and filled them in, “She came early this morning, apologized, and we had a long and meaningful talk. Afterwards, we fell asleep in my room.” My mom nodded while looking at my dad, a smile once again bursting across her face, “I guess I’ll go make some extra waffles.” My dad stood up and clapped me on the back, before going to grab the newspaper.

I tiptoed down the hall and checked on Bethany who was still soundly sleeping. I leaned against the wall, my heart full of contentment and love. It was truly the best Christmas I had ever had.

 

Gen 4.5 Throbbing and Aching

Brodie’s P.O.V.

My eyes cracked open at the bright stream of light coming in through the window. There was a heaviness in my head that I couldn’t clear. I shook my head but immediately regretted it when an intense, throbbing headache began to form. I winced as the shrill ringing of my phone pierced the quiet, but I felt as if I were moving in slow motion. I gave up on trying to reach the phone in time. I lay back against the pillow, trying to remember what had caused me to feel like this.

~12 hours earlier~

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stick around?” Bethany beckoned in my ear. I shook my head, “That’s sweet, but it’s really going to be me holed up in my room all night, trying to catch some semblance of sleep.” A mischievous grin grew on her face, “You could always spend the night at my place…” I ducked and gave her a soft kiss, “Hon, that’s really tempting, but I have to stay here and make sure this house remains in one piece. I’m sorry. I promise, we’ll have a ‘sleepover’ soon.” She grinned and flung her arms around me once more before disappearing down the driveway. I put my hand on the back of my neck and groaned out loud. I was not looking forward to monitoring the kegger that Ethan was throwing.

I reluctantly walked inside and grabbed some snacks to stash in my room, as well as a few books and my noise cancelling headphones. I lay against the bed, and tried to relax. I only had one more week of school and then I could go home for the holidays. I was really looking forward to introducing Bethany to my parents. Unfortunately, it also meant I had to meet her parents, something I was not looking forward to. A loud thump caused me to remove my headphones and poke my head out of the door. It turned out to be Ethan and another of his ‘jock’ buddies moving the furniture around to make a dance floor. I shuffled past them and ducked into the bathroom, only to stumble into a completely awkward makeout session. I mumbled my apologies before heading back into my room. Ethan burst into the room, “Hey dude, Frank and I are starting a beer pong game. You want in?” I shook my head adamantly, all the while feeling like a petulant four year-old. Ethan came closer, “|what’s your problem, dude? Why are you being so mopey? Ohhhh did your girl break up with you? I’m sorry, man. That’s rough-” I cut him off, “If I play one game of beer pong will you and your buddies leave me alone?” A stupid grin split his face, “Let’s make it interesting, bro. If you beat me at beer pong, you can go back to your room and be a lonely loser, but if I beat you, you have to join us out here for the rest of the party.” Against my better judgment, I heard my self agree.

~3rd person P.O.V.~

A half hour later, Brodie was definitely not in good shape to win. He had only made one shot, compared to Ethan’s four perfect shots. Just as Brodie was about to give up, Ethan declared the last round, “All or nothing!” he yelled over the sound of the music thumping. Brodie gave a determined nod, before steadying his hand. Brodie squinted darkly before slurring, “You’re goin’ downnn, Ethan.” He stumbled a little, before tossing the ball. To everyone’s surprise, it found its way into one of Ethan’s cups. Ethan chugged the beer, before steadying his aim. His ping-pong ball bounced off the rim of one of Brodie’s cups, before landing on the floor. Brodie did a drunken victory dance before walking over to the couch. Unbeknownst to him, Ethan had arranged a surprise for him. Lila Jacobs, made her way through the crowd before comfortably settling on Brodie’s lap. She hooked her arms around his neck, before whispering in his ear, “I’m all yours tonight, baby.” Brodie laughed uncomfortably, his head feeling fuzzier around the edges suddenly, “Ss’okay, darlin. I have a girlfriennnd. Shhhhhe’s amazing.” Lila chuckled softly, “How about we go dance then, sweetheart?” The darkness crept around the edge of his vision as Brodie was led to the makeshift dance floor.

Ethan looked on from the corner of the party, snapping pictures of the two of them, all the while grinning darkly. Soon enough, the drugs would kick in fully, and Bethany would be his.

Lila effortlessly danced with Brodie, while the bass thumped through the house. Lila inwardly wondered how long she would have to be a working girl, while she made her way through college. She was tired of dancing up on rich, white boys who thought they could buy her with a swipe of daddy’s credit card. She grew more angry as the music grew into a furious crescendo. Soon she was angrily grinding in front of Brodie, not even paying him any mind. He was clearly drunk off his ass. Suddenly, the windows reflected the flashing of red and blue lights. Lila cursed under her breath as she snuck off to the bedroom, leaving Brodie and Ethan to deal with the police. Brodie shook his head, and tried to make sense of the fog in his brain. 

He answered the door brightly, “Iss there a problem here, offissser?” The policeman took one look at Brodie and grinned, “Hey, you’re the kid who gave the speech to the captain, aren’t you?” Brodie gave a mock salute, “Yeshhhh.” The officer laughed, “Kid, I really enjoyed hearing your speech, so I’m gonna let you off with a warning, but you better turn down the volume of your party. We’re getting complaints from your neighbors. Brodie stumbled as he shook the officer’s hand. The officer walked down the drive, turning back once before he left, “Hey kid, go easy on the drinking.  You’ve got a promising future ahead of you.” Just like that, the officer drove off as Ethan clapped Brodie on the back, “Way to go, bro. You saved us from the cops. Here, have another shot, it’s on me.” Brodie shook his head, “I think I’m gonna turn in guys, I’m not feeling so good.” Ethan gave him one last pat on the back, “Alright, bro, but let me know if you need anything.”

Once Brodie was out of sight, Ethan turned to find Lila standing next to him, “You still want me to go through with this?” Ethan gave one distinct nod, “I don’t care if you have to tie him down, just do it, and stay in there with him all night.” Lila began to tremble but she would never let Ethan notice, “Isn’t this illegal?” Ethan nodded, “Don’t worry doll, he’s not going to remember a thing in the morning.”

~Ethan’s P.O.V~

I must’ve fallen back asleep, because a sharp knock on the door, brought my eyes open again. I groggily rubbed them, before a movement to my left had me fumbling to get out of bed despite the achiness of my head. I stood up and felt the world swirl around my feet. I held onto the dresser to get a steady balance before assessing the situation. There was a girl in my bed. A naked girl. I chanced a glance down and noticed for the first time that I too was naked. I groaned before laying my head against the dresser, Why can’t I remember anything about last night?I debated over whether to wake her but I instead opted to get dressed. I slipped on a pair of shorts, trying not to hyperventilate. The room eventually stopped swaying and I felt steady enough to walk freely. Another knock on the door startled me out of my musings. I yelled over my shoulder, “Go away, Ethan, I don’t want to see the damage yet.” I heard the door creak open, but a startled gasp made me turn around. I caught Bethany’s horrified stare as she noticed the naked woman on the bed, and the half-naked me standing in front of her. My eyes quickly filled with tears, What have I gotten myself into? I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out, because there was nothing I could say that would fix this situation. She turned and began to walk out of the door, but I gently grasped her arm, “Beth, wait. Please don’t go. I need you right now. I don’t know what happened. It’s not some lame excuse. I really can’t remember anything. Please, you have to believe me. I would never cheat on you.” She avoided my eyes before moving towards the door. I kept a firm but gentle grip on her arm, “Please, Bethany, talk to me. Don’t leave me like this. I need you. Say something please.”

Her voice caught in her throat as she held back tears, “Is th-this why you wouldn’t have sex with me, Brodie? Because you were already ‘getting some’ on the side?” Tears poured down her face as she yanked her arm from my grip and left. I fell to my knees as gut-wrenching sobs poured forth from my soul. Right then and there, I vowed to get to the bottom of last night, if it was the last thing I would do.