Chapter 42

"It's been a week now. Someone should have heard from Cameron by now. Brody? You are sure you haven't had any contact with him?" Will asks. The way he is speaking and handling himself in the living room of the old house makes him look and sound a lot like his father.

I shake my head, noting that I haven't heard anything. Not for a lack of trying off course. I have phoned multiple times, over and over again. I have sent messages, tried to reach him through Instagram, but all that got me was Cameron blocking me so that I cannot reach him at all.

"I've told you guys a thousand times. He's probably gone back to his hometown," E.J. suggests. "We should be on our way to Texas right about now."

"And what do you suggest we do with that bit of information? Walk around Texas. Knocking on doors and asking if they have seen Cameron? It's not exactly a small town you know," Will hits back, taking the wind out of E.J's sails, making me want to hug him against me.

The last few days have been hectic, and we have all tried our best to help. I have tried every single day to talk to E.J. about what happened, but he always makes up an excuse when I get to the subject, and then he disappears.

"Well, it's better than any idea you've come up with so far," E.J. hits back, standing up from his chair. "I mean, what did you try to do to find Cameron? Spamming him with phonecalls that never gets answered?"

"Don't you dare," Will says, his face turning red as he also stands up from his seat. "I love Cameron."

"Nobody said you didn't love him," E.J. replies. "But have you ever thought about taking some actual action? And I'm not talking about throwing around daddy's money on a private detective, which by the way hasn't come up with anything either yet."

"What else do you want me to fucking do?" Will spits. "Cameron is not an idiot. If he doesn't want to be found, he won't."

"Okay sugars, cool it down," Grace says as she walks into the room. "I may have found Cameron."

Both Will and E.J. sit down at the sound of Cameron's voice coming from Grace. Will seems to be in shock, whereas E.J. just looks tired at this point.

"Where?" Will asks.

"I was worn slap out this mornin' after tendin' to William. He had a difficult night. The thin' with Jessica-Lynne and Stuart is a bitter pill to swallow," Grace starts, pouring a bit of whiskey from a decanter into a glass and taking a seat next to Will. "So there I was, just dandy, scrollin' through my phone, and then I thought by myself, we should not be lookin' for Cameron at all."

"I'm sorry?" Will asks with the confusion I am sure is showing on my face as well.

"Why sugar... Did you forget that Cameron goes under another name? I was madder than a wet hen when I realized that if I looked in the right place we might have found him days ago," Grace says, pulling out her phone and turning it so that we all can see.

"Lady Lalaland presents Runaway Bride," Chris reads the print on the poster which is too far away from me to see.

"You mean he's doing shows?" I ask, getting out of my chair and walking over to take the phone from Grace. "And he's nowhere near his hometown. It says Calafornia."

"Now if I wasn't already three sheets to the wind, I would have said we better get into a car right now and drive there, but we have got some time sugars. I think we should fly out tomorrow afternoon to be there in time for the show," Grace says. I look toward Will, hoping for a explanation about Grace's sayings, which I have strangely mostly picked up in the time I've been here, but this is a new one.

Will looks to me, but he doesn't answer.

"Maybe you should fly there tomorrow, but I think we should drive through tonight still," Will says. "It might be better to get to see him before the show starts. Maybe I can get him to change the title from Runaway Bride to My coming Southern wedding."

Will is smiling for the first time in a week, which makes me smile as well.

"I guess we should go pack then?" I ask, looking towards E.J. and Chris. As little as I want to be in a small space with Chris for a few hundred miles, getting to Cameron is the most important thing now.

"We leave in three hours. I need to get some sleep in first, since I'm probably gonna be driving," Will says. "We should be there tomorrow afternoon."

"I really think we should rather fly in the mornin' then," Grace answers. "It's a long road and the lot of you will have to stay over somewhere. It just makes more sense."

"I'm going with the SUV Grace. I will pack Cameron's stuff for him if I have to. I can't do that if I am flying," Will answers with determination, getting up from his seat, readying himself to leave the room. "You guys may all have to fly back, but driving there with me will at least save on some money."

Before Grace can protest again, Will has left the room.

"You can explain yourself 'till the cows come home, but there ain't changin' Will's mind," Grace says as she gets up and leaves the room as well, taking her whiskey tumbler with her.

"That leaves the three of us," I say, and before E.J. can disappear again I shoot straight. "I think we need to have a talk before we go on a cross-country trip. I'd be better if it's not all awkward between us."

"I don't think there's anything to talk about," E.J. says, crossing his arms as if to protect himself and mentally take him away from this discussion.

"If it was I who lied I would have probably been out of your life by now. But there Chris sits, lilly fucking white, all forgiven," I spit, my eyes not on E.J. but rather on Chris. "What he said about me is terrible. I should have him locked up for it."

"Don't do this Brody," Chris says seething through his teeth. "Let's just leave it. I was wrong, and I took my punishment."

Chris brings his hand to the bruise on his jawline which has changed a nasty shade of green and yellow.

"You never apologized to me," I almost demand, feeling my hands go into fists. No matter how calm I am trying to keep myself, it takes everything in me not to walk over and hit the other side of his jaw so it can match the bruise he already has.

"Just leave it Brody. There's no need to make a spectacle," E.J. says in an almost whisper from the side. "Saying sorry isn't gonna change anything."

"You have to be fucking kidding me?" I exclaim, my eyes on E.J. now.

"Dude, you heard him. Now drop it. It's old news already," Chris answers.

"Tell me Chris... Was it the alcohol that scrambled your mind so much? Or all the drugs?" I ask, this time I know it is a challenge, but I am ready to fight Chris if I have to.

"I'm sober," Chris answers. "I haven't had a drink since you left."

"Bullshit!" I shout. "I saw you sneaking whiskey and beers to your room for three nights straight already. You must really think we are stupid, don't you? Should I maybe tell E.J. about all your other extra curricular activities as well? Should I tell him about Jaycee?"

"You wouldn't dare..." Chris whispers, finally standing up from his seat as I take my stand as well.

"Cut it out!" E.J. shouts, jumping up as well and placing himself between us, facing Chris.

"Oh I will dare," I answer Chris, ignoring the back of E.J.'s head.

"I will fuck you up," Chris answers pushing E.J. to the side, which makes me close the space to stand right in front of Chris.

"Try it whore!" I scream loud enough for the entire house to hear.

"Say that again," Chris says almost too calm.

"I said; try it you little prostitute. Tell E.J. how you pay your bills by fucking around."

I feel the punch in my stomach without seeing it coming, falling to my knees, trying to get air from somewhere, but my lungs struggle to fill with air as I gasp like a fish on dry land.

"No! Chris!" I hear E.J. shouting.

I hear a door slamming shut, but I am still trying to get air, so I don't really notice what is going on around me until I feel E.J.'s arms around me.

"Fuck Brody! Why the fuck did you say that?"

"Because it's true," I get out as the air starts to fill my lungs again. "Because you need to know."

"I didn't need to know," E.J. answers. I look up to his face, tears streaking down his cheeks. "I knew it but I didn't want to know. I wanted Chris to tell me himself when he was ready."

"Why does he get away with everything, but I get punished by you for a lie he told," I ask, shaking E.J. off me, crawling to the couch and helping myself into a more comfortable seat. "He uses drugs, drinks himself halfway to death, and rents out his body on top of it all."

"You shouldn't judge him. You don't know what his life was like," E.J. answers sitting down next to me and taking my hand. "I love Chris. I think I always have."

I jerk my head to look E.J. in the eyes.

"Not like that," he says quickly. "But like a brother. And sometimes when someone is in trouble you have to just make sure they know you are there for them without pointing out what they are doing wrong. I knew if I accused Chris of anything he would pull away, and I owe him Brody. I really do. You weren't there the last day James raped me. Chris was."

"I don't want to know," I mutter, shaking my head and keeping my one hand up.

"Probably not, but I'm gonna tell you in any case and you're gonna listen. Okay?" E.J. says. "You need to at least let me explain why I allow Chris to get away with the things he does."

I nod my head slowly. "Just make it quick."

"Before the last time I was raped I had decided to run away from home. I had the money and everything saved up. And Chris was going to go with me. He was willing to give up everything for me. Sure, it was a stupid decision on both our parts, but he at least was willing to do it. And then came the final time between James and me. You should remember that. That's how I met you. Chris was there for me that day. I didn't want to go to the hospital, but he made me go. I thought I could run away, while I was bleeding myself to death. But he wouldn't let me. He put his foot down, and in doing that he saved my life. He could have probably saved it sooner if I was more honest with him, or if I actually made him listen, but that part doesn't matter anymore. Fact is that you know I moved away to my mom and her new boyfriend after that. And then they broke up, and before I knew it I was back in the house where everything happened to me. But you know what? Chris was there every step of the way. He made sure I was okay every single day. He was the one who kept the kids at school away from me and threatened to beat up the ones who came with personal questions. He was actually really there for me Brody, and I didn't have to ask. He was just there."

E.J. squeezes my hand.

"That doesn't mean I am ignorant to the things Chris does or says, but I owe him one. Fuck, I probably owe him a thousand by now. And sure, lying about you raping him is horrible. It's unforgivable I guess. But I don't have to forgive him to love him Brody. He's the one person who's strangely enough always been there. And it wasn't always like that. He was the only other person other than you who treated me like I was normal and not some victim. I need you to understand that. And if you want to be in my life, Chris is part of the package."

Before I can answer my phone rings.

I pull it out of my pocket and look down at the number.

"It's my grandmother," I sigh.

"You have her number?" E.J. asks.

"Yes, so I can ignore it," I answer, ending the call, which almost immediately dials back again.

I swipe the screen again to end the call, only for the number to flash onto my screen again.

"It might be important," E.J. says. "I can't see her making contact just because."

I sigh as I answer the phone.

"What?" I ask.

"Is this Brody?" the voice of a man comes from the other side.

"Yep," I say.

"This is Doctor Jensen. I am so very sorry to inform you that your grandmother had a very bad stroke. She is currently in the hospital. She's been drifting in and out of consciousness, but when awake she has been asking for you. I think that it's important that you come as quickly as possible. The outcome doesn't look favorable."

"Thank you for phoning doctor," I answer.

"I can give you my number if you have a pen and paper near you?" the doctor asks from the other side of the phone.

"That won't be necessary thanks doctor. I won't be coming through. But thanks for calling," I answer. "You'll however have to excuse me now."

I end the call without waiting for a reply.

"And?" E.J. asks. "Is everything okay?"

"She had a stroke. I guess she's dying," I answer, wondering why I don't feel shocked, sad or depressed. Is there something wrong with me that I am just feeling nothing at all?