(14)

                                    

                                          
Thank you to whoever made the graphic above. Your username wasn't in the email. But I love it x 



                          
Flynn was visibly sweating. I shrugged at him. "What is it?" 
                          
We stood in the middle of the gym. Mac Miller hummed from the speakers, filling the silence that came from Flynn's refusal to just spit out whatever the fuck he had to confess. 
                          
He was making me nervous but I leaned on the weight shelf and patiently waited. He sat down on the bench press and rested his elbows on his knees, palming his jaw. 
                          
"Alright," he said, staring at the floor. "I swore I wouldn't tell you this. She— she made me promise and I feel terrible that I'm going behind her back—"
                          
"Who the fuck are you talking about, Flynn?"
                          
He refused to look at me. "Abby."
                          
"Alright," I said, standing in front of him. "Stop fucking around and spit it out."
                          
"So last night, remember I told you I dropped Tanner off at his house after I dropped the girls off?"
                          
I narrowed my glare, not liking where the conversation was headed. "Yes. I remember." 
                          
"Well, after I left Tanner at his house, I went home. I had a shower, I got into bed. I went to sleep—"
                          
"Flynn! If you proceed to tell me that you took a fucking dump and washed your hands, I'm going to punch you in the throat." 
                          
"Okay okay," he held his hands up. "So I woke up to a phone call at around four thirty — maybe five this morning. It was Abby and she was really upset. She gave me this address to pick her up from and when I got there, I realised it was the house I'd dropped Tanner off at earlier. But I don't think she connected the dots and realised I knew who lived there because I'd dropped Tanner off after her. You follow?"
                          
"What happened?"
                          
"Well she hopped in the car and she was sobbing and blubbering and she wouldn't tell me what happened for a minute but then I noticed this little black car was in Tanners drive. And it hadn't been when I dropped him off. 
                          
"So I asked her what he did and then she pieced it together that I knew Tanner was involved. So I said I was going to bust his door down and murder him. But she told me not to and just said she did something she shouldn't have and she got her feelings hurt. 
                          
"Those were the words she used. But she seemed more than hurt man. She was a mess. And we talked for a while and drove around but I think the car belonged to a girlfriend. I just got that vibe from the situation."
                          
He finished his recount of events and swallowed with nervousness. My fists were clenched and I was more furious than I could fathom.
                          
I knew he couldn't be trusted. And despite the fact I had tried to keep her from being alone with him, it didn't work. And she was hurt. As I said she would be. 
                          
"How come she called you?" I asked. "Why didn't she call me? Or one of the girls?"
                          
"You?" He recoiled. "You're not her favourite person at the best of times. Let alone when it comes to Tanner."
                          
"Yeah well she could have called Mills or Lola?"
                          
"I don't know bro. Sh— we— we're friends. She can talk to me. She knows I'm not as harsh on her choices." 
                          
"I'm her fucking brother," I snapped. "When I think she's going to be used or hurt, yeah I'm harsh. So what? I have to look out for her."