The last day before break felt like an eternity. If eating breakfast with his family for the first time in years wasn't weird enough, having William just made it that much weirder.
Now, though, it was the end of the last period. Felicia had been talking to Blaire the entire class, the two of them exchanging quiet whispers every time the teacher wasn't looking. Dylan was happy that Felicia had found a friend, he was, but he was bored out of his mind.
Just as the bell finally rung at three-thirty, his phone buzzed when it lay in his pocket. He packed up his geography books and then got his phone out, moving with the other students toward the exit.
'Having a party next Friday. Bring the soccer team and Felicia if you want. -Chris'
He stared at the phone for a while, probably blocking some of the other students from passing him in the hallway.
"Who are you texting with a smile like that?" Felicia came up next to him, startling him a bit. He put the phone away, quickly wiping any trace of a smile off his face. He hadn't noticed it himself, though, and wondered what that was about. The two of them started walking toward the lockers.
"It was nothing." Dylan defended, trying his best to hide the excitement in his voice. "You have a ride, right? I have practice."
"Yeah, I have a ride."
"Are you taking the bus?"
"No, Blaire is driving me."
Oh, Dylan thought while opening his locker and placing the books he held inside.
"I'm meeting with the girl tomorrow," Felicia mumbled, getting her things from her own locker. "Her name is Madison, and we're supposed to meet up at Lava."
Dylan turned to look at his friend, having gotten his duffel out and closed his locker. "Are you okay? You know you don't have to meet with her."
"I know, but I want to." She, too, closed her locker. "I'm good."
"Hey!" Blaire turned up out of nowhere and Felicia's face split into a huge grin. "How was your day?"
"It was good, thank you again for driving me," Felicia replied, shooting a playful glare to Dylan.
"I'm sorry," Dylan exclaimed, "I have practice!"
"I know, Dyl, I'm just kidding." His friend laughed.
"Alright, well, I'll see ya," Dylan said, turning left toward the gym while the two girls continued straight, toward the exit.
"Bye Dylan!" Blaire smiled, Felicia also hurrying a quick goodbye.
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The practice was, even in the chilly October air, sweaty and Dylan sighed in relief when Coach Jones blew his whistle.
"So, what are you guys doing over break?" Shawn asked when all of them once they had gathered by the lockers.
"I'm going with my parents to New York to visit some relatives," Cole sighed.
Dylan smiled sympathetically. "Oh, did I say that we're invited to a party next Friday?"
The group looked at him, all of their gazes quizzical.
"I take it I haven't. Okay, well, the football team is having a costume party and you're all invited," Dylan explained.
"Who do you know well enough to get invited to a football party?" Landon frowned.
"Well, I partner with Chris in history so-"
"Chris Davis?"
"Wow, that guy's got status, good on you Dyl," Shawn praised, chuckling lightly.
"Uhm, I don't know how to answer that," he laughed, "anyway, I can make a snap-group and text you the details later, alright? See ya."
"Okay, bye!" A chorus of byes followed him as he left the lockers. Now, he'd promised to hurry home so that they could eat at five-thirty. After, he'd promised to talk to William, which made a knot form in the pit of his stomach.
It wasn't that his brother seemed to be lying about having changed. Quite on the contrary, William seemed to be completely sincere. But the memories of angry words and, every now and again punches to the face, didn't wash away easily.
Soon enough he pulled up to the driveway and got out of the car. The sky had cleared up during the day and the sun was slowly lowering itself toward the horizon. In about an hour, the sky would be burning red.
"Dylan, you're home!" His mother exclaimed as he got inside and closed the door, dropping his duffle on the floor. Going into the kitchen, he looked around.
"We're in the living room," William called. Huh, Dylan thought, how hadn't he seen them from the hallway? Shrugging off his jacket, he slowly made his way into the living room.
He found his mother and William hunched over an old photo album on the sofa, and on the coffee table were other one's stacked.
"What, uh, are you doing?" Dylan asked, throwing his jacket over one arm.
"We're looking at baby photos!" His mother exclaimed happily. "Would you be a star and set the table?"
Dylan frowned. "O...kay?" He went back into the hallway, hanging the jacking in the closet and then returned to the kitchen. Right then, his father came through the door.
"Hey!" He called into the house.
"Honey," Dylan heard his mother move from the living room to the hall, "Dinner's ready in just a sec."
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Dinner went slow. His mother went on and on about what she had found in the attic, and he had been sick of it about five minutes in. It was soon to be seven-thirty and Dylan lay on his bed, arms stretched over his head. He'd put some earphones in at six and listened to his newest playlist for as long as he could before the inevitable.
The inevitable came too soon, though, at least in Dylan's mind. The soft knock on the door brought him out of his calm state and he sat up in the bed.
"Come in," he called, ripping the earphones out and lowering his feet to the floor.
"Hey, can you come with me for a second?"Â William poked his head inside, his eyes widening when he, for the first time in years, saw Dylan's room. He opened the door wider, taking a few steps inside. "Wow, look at that! These are so cool." He traced a finger over a picture of an anemone.
"Yeah I'll come with you," Dylan hurried, shooing his brother out of the room.
"I meant it when I said that they were cool," William defended with a sad smile.
"What do you want to say?" Dylan sighed, not in the mood to beat around the bush.
"Not here. Come," he turned on his heel, walking to his old room where he was staying.
Dylan followed, barely a step behind. William closed the door behind both of them, then going over to the window, opening it completely.
"Wha- where are we going?"
"This is how I snuck out when I was in high school," William grinned, a sight that didn't wake many good memories, "Come on."
William disappeared out the window, leaving Dylan to stare at the window, which he did for about a minute before William whisper-yelled for him to follow. Dylan did as he was told, going over to the window and looked out.
His brother was sitting on his knees on the roof of the small porch, staring intently at him. "Well, are you coming?"
Dylan got out, sat himself down on the roof and pulled his legs closer to his body.
"Okay, I'm here," Dylan rested his head on his knees, "talk."
"Okay." William sighed heavily, he, too, sitting down. "I know that I was an ass, okay?"
Dylan huffed. "Yeah, me too."
"And I'm not here to justify my actions, because there's nothing I can say to excuse my behavior, but I need you to know that regret it all. I... I was in a bad place all through high school, hung out with a bad crowd, and I know that none of that excuses the things I did, and I will live with that and-"
"Do you know who also has to live with that?" Dylan hissed, anger bubbling inside his whole being, "Riley. Do you really think I care about what you did to me when I know that she saw, that she at all knew?"
"God, you are so noble," William mumbled, "I know that. I realize that she and I will never have the relationship that I should have wanted, but I will start by apologizing to you. I... moving to Norway changed a lot for me, and just so you know, I've started going to a therapist over there. And I met someone, who helps me grow."
"I would like to think that I've moved past my time here," he continued, hanging his head, "I hope that you can at least see that I've been trying to be better, I ask nothing more than that."
Dylan was torn. The irritation was still there, and below that lay the heated anger that William brought. But his brother's apparent sincerity seemed to, against his will, extinguish the flames of hatred, just a bit. He let go of his legs, sighing. He wanted to believe what he was told was the truth, but the doubt was still in the back of his mind.
"Mom and dad were really sad when you left, you know," he said, laying down on the roof, looking at the sky, "you could have at least said bye or something."
William turned his head towards his brother. "I know," he said quietly, "I just thought that it was better to simply get out. I had realized that I didn't feel good or confident about staying, and my friends were... not good friends."
"Mom cried that night," Dylan said shortly. It was mostly to guilt-trip, and it seemed like it had worked. William shifted awkwardly.
"She wouldn't have if she knew what I'd done. To you. To others."
"To others?"
"Well, I didn't hit anyone... else, but I didn't stop anyone who did," he shifted again, "and I knew way too many people who liked beating people up just for fun, especially when drunk."
It was quiet for a long while. The sky was progressively getting darker and darker, the red-painted clouds shifting into a deep purple color. Dylan shivered, the cold fall air making the hairs on his arms stand.
"I- You can leave if you want," William smiled a soft smile, "I think I'll stay awhile, though."
Dylan thought for a minute. He felt that there was an understanding between them; if he stayed, they wouldn't talk, unless he initiated conversation. At the same time, he was cold and even after all that William had told him, it didn't erase anything.
"I'll answer," he answered finally. There was a long silence once again, that was eventually broken by Dylan clearing his throat somewhat awkwardly. "You have to tell me about her."
"Her?" William frowned for a second before understanding. "Oh, her. Okay... but you can't tell mom and dad yet."
"I promise."
"Okay, her name is Sonja Moen," William explained and Dylan snorted a laugh, "I met her after the first year. I had lived there for so long, but I still barely knew the city and- why are you laughing?"
"Her last name is moan?" Dylan chuckled as his brother rolled his eyes.
"No, M-o-e-n, Moen. Anyway, I had just enrolled at this one University and met her on a night out with my Norwegian friends. She studies microbiology. We started dating two months after we met and we've been together since."
"Wow, that's a long time," Dylan huffed, "time to propose soon?"
"God, no, I mean," William flushed pink, "I like her a lot, maybe even love, but I think she wants to wait, so I will wait."
"Okay." Dylan was quiet for a minute before moving to sit on his knees, to then standing up. "I am going inside now, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Okay, goodnight," William shot him a small smile before closing his eyes and leaning his head back toward the sky. Dylan went back in through the window, going straight to his room and wrapped a blanket around himself. It was weird to have a real conversation with his brother. That hadn't happened in literal years.
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