Page 50 of Every Broken Promise
“It won’t happen again,” I promised.
“You’re a good kid, Tyler. I know you will respect our rules.”
All I could do was nod. This had been the plan all along, right?
Once he turned around, I let out a relieved sigh. I respected Astrid’s parents, and knowing I couldn’t stay there because I would disappoint them took away the temptation. It was the perfect barrier between Astrid, myself, and these new feelings that began to creep between us.
Whatever it was, we would figure it out.
We always did.
I briefly wondered what would happen if I just talked to Astrid about the feelings that kept swirling around my mind. We were best friends, and talking things out shouldn’t have to be this hard.
It was scary to want to do it but liberating at the same time.
The sun was out by the time I reached my house. There was no use sneaking in since I was sure Astrid’s parents would letmy dad know about my whereabouts. Opening the door, I was surprised my father wasn’t there waiting for me so he could chew me a new one.
I grimaced at the thought of my punishment. I was about to be on shop duty for a shit ton of shifts—I just knew it.
As I made my way to my room, I was surprised to find Ezekiel on the couch. Next to him was an empty bottle of shitty vodka. That was the first sign that he was trashed. He knew better than to leave glaring evidence like that.
Shit.
That meant Dad was probably not going to be in the best of moods if he had been dealing with EZ’s bullshit already.
Out of all of us, he was the most troublesome, but after Sabby and him became official he had calmed down.
I made my way toward the couch and sat down in the open spot by him.
“What the hell happened?” I asked as I shook him awake.
I was surprised when Ezekiel opened his eyes.Maybe he wasn’t as gone as I thought.Nope, never mind, his eyes were redder than the devil’s dick, so something was definitely going on with him.
“She’s gone,” he groaned, dejected.
“What?”
“She’s not coming back. Just like Mom, I’ve lost someone else I love.”
My mouth parted in shock at what he was saying. He sounded horrible and dejected. Ezekiel never brought up Mom, and for him to do it now, it meant he was feeling sorry for himself.
“Sabby left?” I asked what was already obvious.
I thought he had fallen asleep again because he didn’t reply for a few minutes.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do if she never comes back, Ty.” His admission was a soft blow that I felt bone deep. His words resonated with something I didn’t even want to acknowledge myself.
“It will be okay,” I told him, because what else could I say at a time like this?
He didn’t bother agreeing with me or even telling me to fuck off. I probably could have stayed with him. I think he was still drunk and wouldn’t have cared, but I got shit sleep last night and figured I’d just go to my room and try to sleep before Dad tore me a new one.
“Ty,” Ezekiel called after me.
I turned around to look at him. He looked at me with those bloodshot eyes, and said, “If you don’t want to lose Astrid…don’t go there with her… Relationships…they ruin everything.”
He was the one hungover, but at that moment I was the one who wanted to throw up.
My brother gave me the answer to a question I had refused to ask myself.
