"Get used to it." I give her a smack on her ass.
We stop outside class and Willa pinches her eyes shut in front of the board that holds the chosen roles for the play.
"You got it!" I shout with excitement before she even has a chance to look. Grabbing her by the waist, I spin her around. "I fucking knew you'd get it." I mean, honestly, who else would have gotten it? Madison is gone and no one else wants it. Either way, Willa is really good and I knew she had it in the bag.
"Yay. Let's celebrate tonight."
Flinging an arm over her shoulder, I lead her into class. "You got it. Butt sex all night."
"Not a chance. I would do just about anything for you, but I won't do that."
I break out in song again, and this time, she just walks away from me with pink cheeks and a cute ass.
Trent joins her side and when he wraps his arms around her, something twitches inside of me. I saw that Willa got the part. I also saw that Trent is playing her beast. Taking in deep breaths, I attempt to calm myself while his crummy hands rub up and down her back. She breaks away and looks back at me to make sure I'm behaving. I smile and wave then quickly drop my courteous expression when she turns back to Trent and he looks my way. With two fingers, I point to my eyes and then direct one finger at him. His eyes widen and he takes a step back.
He can be her beast in the play, but I'm the beast that lives in her heart.
It's the coldest day of the year, so far, which doesn't say a lot, considering it's the first week in January. Willa is sitting in the front seat of my car—in the dark, at a cemetery—with the heat on full blast.
I walk through the maze of stones like I know exactly where to go, even though it's been five years since I've even been here. Somehow, though, I end up right in front of Colby's gravesite.
Slouching down, I don't say anything for at least five minutes. I just stare straight ahead reading the engraved words on his headstone. Beloved son and brother. Mustering up the courage, I try to talk to him. Although, it feels weird at first. "Hey, Colby. How ya doing?"
Stupid. How do you think he's doing? He's dead. I drop down on my ass and try again. "I'm sorry I haven't been here to see you in a while. Things have been busy."
It's a lie and he knows it. Fuck it, it’s time to be honest. "Look, I know that I sucked as a brother. I was always so mean to you. Never let you hang out with me and my friends. Even locked you in a closet once. Ok. Twice. The truth is, I didn't know how to be a brother. I didn't know how to be much of anything but a selfish spoiled asshole. I was just a kid, too."
Looking down at my hands at the PlayStation controller I brought, regret floods through me. I set it down in front of his stone and begin picking at the grass at my side, pulling piece by piece and dropping them back down. "I'm sorry, Colby. You didn't deserve any of that. You loved me. You looked up to me and I just pushed you away any time you came close to me." I choke down the lump in my throat. "The thing is, I didn't know how to love, so even if I did love you, I didn't know what it felt like. I've always thought that because I didn't feel it while you were here that it meant I never loved you at all. The truth is, I do love you, Colby. I'm just now learning that love isn't always black and white. There are times you think you hate someone you love, but you don't really hate them, you're just angry. That love is still there; it's just masked by other emotions. So yeah, I love you little brother and I'm sorry it took me so long to tell you that."
I go to push myself off the grass, but I stop myself and get on my knees. "You're gonna be an uncle. I'm having a little girl." The wind picks up and I laugh. "Yeah, I know. Me? A dad to a little girl. Shit man, I'm gonna need some guidance on this one or I might end up burning this whole town down just to get rid of the asshole teenager boys." I hear the car door shut, so I wrap things up. "I'll make sure she knows who you are and maybe bring her to visit sometime. You would have been a good uncle." I kiss my fingertips then touch his stone. "Later, little bro."
When I stand up and turn around, Willa is standing there. I give her a smile to tell her that I'm ok. And, for the first time in my life, I actually believe it.
“How do you feel?” she asks, nuzzling her face into my chest. My arms wrap around her back and I hold onto her tightly.
“I feel good.”
Her delicate fingers graze over the infinity tattoo on my neck. “So, you got your revenge on Madison, what’s next for the rebels?”
Pulling back, I brace my hands on her shoulders and look into her soft glowing eyes. “Actually, Madison was never my revenge. It was me all along. I was fighting against my own inner demons. I think I finally won.” I press a chaste kiss to her forehead, holding my lips still and thinking about what is next for me and the guys. Tommy’s next. He’s been fighting something of his own and I think we’re all ready to see him happy again. “Come on,” I take her
