The Lost Boys

Chapter 20: Understand

Edited ☑️

gif of Emma :))

I don't want to be the one to say that Brandon is losing his mind, but he's losing his fucking mind.

I don't even think he's slept in the last ten days that Carter has been missing and he won't even look at Tracy.

We all can tell that he blames himself but we just don't understand why, he won't tell us what happened the night Carter ran away.

Tracy said that he told her that Carter drank too much and had to go home but we know that's not the truth.

He hasn't been going outside and he stopped going to school, it's a wonder we even still see him. He goes to Carter's house a lot, usually when he's drunk, and he cusses out Carter's dad. It got so bad at one point that the police were called and we had to drag him away.

Sometimes he breaks in and sleeps in Carter's bed. Thankfully it's always Carter's mom who finds him and she's too nice to get him into trouble. She usually just calls Tyler and then Brandon sleeps over at Tyler's for the rest of the day.

Brandon was always the happy one, he could smile when the whole world frowned at him. Now it seemed he frowned at everyone smiling.

"What happened now?" I ask as Tyler walks into his living room and begins to search for his car keys.

"The mom found him again. One of these days it's going to be his dad and Brandon's going to get the shit beat out of him."

"I don't really think he cares anymore."

"Yeah that's the part that scares me."

Tyler's last sentence still repeats in my head after he's gone. He usually leaves me at the house at times like this, when Brandon is drunk and emotion it isn't pretty. And to be honest, I'm not ready to see that side of him.

It takes longer for Tyler and Brandon to get back and by the time they do I have updated my aunt and uncle about where I am, obviously lying and saying I'm sleeping over at Tracy's, eaten most of the fruit in the fridge, and managed to almost fall asleep on the couch.

"Jesus Christ Brandon, I need you to try to understand-"

"No! You need to understand, Carter trusted me and I let him down. And if it wasn't for me he would still be here." I can tell by the tone of his voice that he's crying. He never explains what he means by Carter trusting him. Obviously something happened that night but the only people who know what is Brandon and a boy who ran away from us.

Brandon rushes past me, not even sparing a glance and the sound of Tyler's room door slamming shut echoes through the air soon after.

"I don't what we're going to do. Carter still isn't back and it's killing him." Tyler sighs, sitting down on the other side of the couch since I'm taking up the rest of the space with my body. I hand over some of the blanket and Tyler gratefully takes it and we find a position where we can both lay down.

"Unless we know what happened, we can't exactly do anything. And Brandon isn't going to tell us anytime soon."

"We have school tomorrow."

"Shit, don't remind me." I groan, not mentioning the sudden change in subject since I kind of wanted it to happen.

Tyler says something else but I miss it since a sudden wave of exhaustion comes over me and my eyes drift to a close before I yawn.