Lies On The Lips

Chapter Four

Copeland

After a three-hour hospital visit, Brett now sports two big black swollen eyes and a nose packed with gauze, with a splint on it, it's nice and busted. He looks ridiculously hilarious, yet I drive him in silence to pick up his prescription for painkillers. Obviously I want to talk, I want to say something, but I'm kind of afraid. It's been so long since we've been like this, together. It's kind of daunting.

Once in my driveway, I shut off the car and he quickly exits, trying to put as much distance between us. "Don’t forget these," I call out, tossing his bag of medicine at him. "And keep your mom out of them." His eyes cut to mine sharply and it’s all I need to know. Lisa Cooper is still a pill junkie. I guess if I had to deal with Jason for a husband, I’d pop pills too.

So I decide to climb out of the car and follow him over to his door. He fumbles to get his keys out of his right pocket. After I swat away his uncoordinated attempts, I reach into his pocket and pull out his keys. He lets out a groan and staggers away. Years ago, it’s something I wouldn’t have thought twice about. But now, with the look of embarrassment on his face, I realize what a stupid move that was. Was that a turn on to him? Did he get… My eyes trail down of their own accord, searching for evidence, yet he yanked the keys from my grip, turning away from me, and starts attempting to put his key in the door. Again, he fails to complete his task. So I snatched the keys away and shove them into the lock. "Do I need to help you piss too?" My words are mean and meant to jab at his attraction for me. I want to see the look of embarrassment on his face again. But then disgusting thoughts of me actually in the bathroom with him and his pants down have me jumping back as though I’ve been burned.

"I can manage." His voice is husky and he avoids eye contact. Fury churns in my gut. My skin prickles and heats. I’m pissed that he still clearly wants me after all this time. After how very clearly straight I am. After he destroyed the best friendship. Still, after all that, he is affected by me. The anger morphs into a feeling of power. A weapon to be wielded. A tool for revenge. And that powerful burning shoots straight down my spine. An ache settles in my lower stomach.

"Call me if you need me," I taunt, stepping close to his back. "The number is still the same." Heat from his body radiates into me. I catch a whiff of his familiar scent and I can’t help but lean toward it. So many sleepovers where I’d sniff his sweaty head and gripe that he stank. In reality, his smell comforted me. When I feel a twitch in my pants, I jolt away from him without another word. I storm back to my house. It’s dark when I enter and I rush upstairs to my room. "Shit." On the way to the shower, I peel away my clothes and turn the water to the coldest setting. Any heat that had been burning through me is squelched the moment I hit the cold spray. I need to stay away from him. Two years later and the moment I spend time with him, we’re right back to square one. His confusing feelings toward me have somehow lingered. Now I’m the one bothered by the way my body reacted just a short while ago. And my heart’s no better. Racing in my chest, eager to talk to him once more. I hate him. But that’s always been a lie. I hate that he wants something from me I’m unwilling to give. It’s unfair and cruel.

Despite the cold water, my body turns hot once more, flooding blood to certain areas of my body I’d rather ignore. But instead of ignoring it, I jerked out my frustrations and then uttered my best friend’s name with a venomous hiss. How dare you break my mind too, Brett? And it is breaking. The cracks formed that night and with each passing second, I feel them snaking through me. They grow deeper and spread farther apart. I don’t know what’s happening. But it’s all his fault.

Lies On The Lips

The next morning I woke up with a damn migraine. I'd had only a couple hours of sleep. I tried, I did but I tossed and turned in bed all damn night, thinking about Brett. Was he okay? Did his dad grind him? And why hasn't he messaged me? All of that went through my mind last night and at one point I was tempted to sneak into his room like I always used to. Yet I didn't, now I'm waiting at my car to see if he makes an appearance. His jeep is still in the drive so he must be there.

"Bollox," I uttered and walked towards his to see his prick of a dad walk out of the house. He gives me the evil eye and snubs me. Nothing unusual there, Jason hates me as much as my own dad does. Couldn't give a rats ass though. "Morning Mr Cooper," He glares at me for all ten seconds and drives off. "Asshole."

"What do you want?" I turn on my heel and come face to face with my menace. He looks freaking awful. The bruising is even more noticeable now its daylight.

"You look like hell."

He snorts and walks past me. Funny. "You driving me?" He asked.

"Obviously."

"Hurry up then," I shake my head and round the car. "I feel like crap."

"You still got your meds?" I asked and started the car. He nods and produces the packet. "Good, keep em on you so your mom doesn't get em."

"I'm doing exactly that." I turn quickly and look as he watches out the window. I wonder what he's thinking. Is it me? School? His dad? Or maybe even the grinding talk he's going to have with his coach about football.

"What did your dad say?"

"Nothing yet. I hid from him."

"You can still stay at mine," he gasps. Maybe he didn't believe me when I said it to him last night. "Plus my dad loves you."

"Don't be stupid."

"You're the son he's always wanted, me, well I'm not."

"You're too hard on yourself," I laugh, because it's funny. When my mom left years ago, my dad tried to lay out the ground rules and he expected that I would be like him. Fat fucking chance. He was never there anyway. I had a nanny for christ's sake. "You'll be alright, you're made of tough stuff."

"And you're not?"

"No, I live out of my dad's pocket, my mom too. If I lost that, I'd have nothing."

"You got me."

"That's the thing, Cope. I don't." I frowned and held my breath. I wanted to grab him and tell him to just stop, please stop. We went through shit, we hurt each other. But despite that, I'm here and I'm trying, He's not.

"I give up with you."

"Good," he snaps, then his daring eyes meet the evil glare from Ashley as we pull into school. She stands with Paul, arms folded over her chest and tapping her foot. "Fuck, what now?"

"Dunno, looks like we need to deal with this."

"I don't want to, she's your stupid ex." I sat for a moment tapping my steering wheel. I don't want to deal with her morning onslaught either. "You getting out?" He asked, turning to look at me.

I felt all my muscles tense and I sigh. "No, we're leaving."

"What?"

"We're getting out of here."

"I need to go in…"

I cut in with a punch to his thigh. "Not today." And I revved up the engine and pulled away. "Fuck school today."

"What do you suppose we do, then?" Sarcastic much, He's such a girl.

"Go back to mine."

He grabs at my arm. "Stop, I'm not going to yours."

"Yeah, you are. So shut up and deal with it."

"I'm dead," he started to panic. "My dad's gonna beat me."

"No he's not, he will have to go through me, Brett."

"Your fucking crazy."

"That's why you love me, right?"

He sighs heavily. "I don't love you."

"You do, so just admit it already."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"What would that accomplish, huh. Nothing, a big fat nothing, so take me back to school. I have grades I need to get."

"I refuse, you're going to mine and we are going to veg out in my room, allllll day." I chuckled and punched his thigh again. It's probably something I really shouldn't have done, but I just couldn't help myself.

He's cute.

No, no he's not cute. Then I looked at him, his blushed pink cheeks. Fuck!

My heart tells the TRUTH.

And my words LIE.

I'm the biggest liar of them all.