The Comeback Season

|chapter eighty-seven|

I hand Bryce the glass of ice cold water he asked for. "Thank you." I place one of my legs under me as I sit down.

We have been sitting here, on my couch, since Bryce made his announcement. He told me that he would tell me everything, so I don't push him. Instead, I just sit there, waiting for him to start.

"Despite Brynn being one year older than me, we were inseparable." He looks down at the floor, but I see a hint of a smile for a second. He sucks in a deep breath and coughs before continuing.

"I was a sophomore while Brynn was a junior. When I was on the varsity football team, I became friends with this senior named Sawyer. Long story short, he became one of my best friends and he was always at my house. With him constantly being there, he and Brynn started forming some type of bond," Bryce pauses when his voice breaks. He runs his hands down his jeans. "No matter how uncomfortable it made me, Brynn's happiness was more important. So, when they finally announced they were together, none of us were surprised." I can see the pain in Bryce's eyes as he tells the story. The urge to reach out and comfort him is strong. But I feel that when I do, he will shut down again like before.

"Everything was good the first few months from what I could tell. Of course, they had their little fights like every couple. Yet, I started seeing a change in Brynn. Like, she became more on edge and defensive." I hear Bryce sniffle before shifting on the couch.

"Then I started seeing the bruises."

That's when Bryce stops talking. His muscles clench as his rested hands turn into fists. "The bastard gave her a black eye once. I asked Brynn about it and she told me she ran into something, which I knew was a lie. So, when I confronted him, we got in a fight. Yet, I was floored when she was mad at me for fighting him. She just," his paused, "she couldn't let him go. She made me promise not to tell our parents. She threatened to never talk to me again over this guy, who was abusing her. I should've gone with my gut and told them. Instead, I was worried about losing my sister, which I did in the end."

His sentence hangs in the air. The sudden coldness along with the silence brings me to the brink of tears. I know what happened before he even says it.

"It was the morning of New Year's Eve, and everyone was so happy. Brynn was working at this soup kitchen for community service. She was supposed to be on her way home, but never made it." I see a solemn tear fall down Bryce's cheek.

"We got this call that there was an accident. They told us to come to the hospital, but we were already on the way. When we got to the entrance, there were police officers everywhere. My mom asked about Brynn and all the color drained from their faces. An officer finally stepped up and told us what happened." At this point, Bryce was bawling, but you couldn't hear it. He was still trying to maintain this tough exterior. Me on the other hand, I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Sawyer picked up Brynn from the shelter. On the drive home, they got into an argument or something. The selfish, piece of shit that he is, slammed their car into a cement wall. Brynn died on impact, while his ass lived."

On instinct, I reach over and wrap my arms around Bryce, He nuzzles his head in the crease of my neck while squeezing his arms around my sides. "I wanted to kill him, Lia. I just can't handle seeing shit like that. When Mike and your mom did those things to you, I couldn't handle it." I rub the back of his hair and nod my head. Words would only ruin this moment, so we just sit holding each other.

I slowly start to lean back onto the couch. Bryce lays down on my chest as I continue running my fingers through his hair.

"Bryce, I know you think if you told your parents, this wouldn't have happened. But Sawyer is messed up and he would not have let Brynn go. You can't fix what was out of your control."