Se connecterTHE LAST RUNThe bedroom looked less of a mess than it had been a few moments ago. Jake had thrown most of the clothes back into the closet, and the ones he didn't choose were pushed aside. The pile of shirts and jeans that had buried the bed now laid on the floor. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. Ethan exhaled as he fixed the button of the shirt and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. He stared at his reflection, smoothening an invisible wrinkle on the sleeves. For once, he didn't look like the cliche scrawny nerd that spent most of his time trying to disappear. With the brown flowing cargo pants and baby-blue thrifted button-up shirt, he looked… different. He adjusted the sleeves one last time, staring at the mirror as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair. "I don't really look bad," he muttered to himself, smiling. Satisfied with his new look, he walked toward the room again. The moment the door opened, Gina sat up on the bed with a loud groan. "Finally," sh
THE CALLJake's room was a mess, like a dog had come in and thrashed the place. It wasn't because something was broken, but because Ethan had never seen so many clothes littered across the floor in his life. Shirts, jackets, jeans and random pieces of clothing he had never seen Jake wear in years were scattered all over the room. Ethan picked up a black jacket and walked to the mirror. He held it against himself and stared at his reflection while Jake watches from the wardrobe. “Nah," Jake said immediately before going on to search for another clothe. “Nah?" Ethan echoed as he frowned. “Why do you mean nah?" “It's too bland," Jake answered absentmindedly as he held up a white shirt. “And it's black. You don't want to look like you're going to a funeral." “A funeral? It's a jacket, Jake." “It's a very depressing jacket." Ethan scoffed before tossing the jacket to the ground again. "You are taking this way too seriously, Jake,” he said with a sigh as he sat on the bed. "You do k
THIRTY TENS“Do you think they found the killer?" Ethan asked as the ending credits of the movie began to roll on the screen. “I don't really know," Gina answered as she looked up from her phone. “Wasn't really paying any attention, to be honest." Ethan sank deeper into the couch as he tossed the empty popcorn bowl on the table. It was just another night for him–another night spent bingeing horror thrillers with Gina. He pulled the blanket he had stolen from Jake's room over his legs as everywhere fell silent. But then,that quiet was broken by the sound of tires pulling into the driveway. Ethan immediately looked toward the window where the car's headlights pierced through the slits of the closed curtains before turning dead. “That must be Jake,” Gina said, lifting her eyes from her phone. She stretched her arms above her head before standing up. “Finally. I was starting to think he got himself into another stupid mess." Ethan gave a grunt in response as he knew that was exactly
CHAPTER 46 CONFESSIONS Time passed strangely after Martin and Gerald left. They had come back a few days after Jake kicked them out to pack their bags. Throughout their stay that day, Martin refused to say a word and Gerald avoided his gaze the entire time. Of course he would. After they were gone, the house went quiet, and it remained that way the entire week. But the silence that surrounded Ethan this time wasn't too blissful. It was filled with tension, like something else was about to go wrong. And Gina stayed through it all. At first, Ethan thought she was only there because of Jake, the sex and his wound cleaning. But whenever Jake disappeared for another one of Aaron's runs, she would somehow end up on the couch, watching over him like she was making sure he didn't completely fall apart. And after a while, Ethan stopped questioning it and accepted it instead. As for Jake, he was barely seen at home. Every day, he would leave with that same exhausted look in his e
BEAT UP THE OLD MANJake marched down the quiet hallway toward Martin and Gerald’s room, his injured shoulder barely registering to him anymore. The pain was nothing compared to the rage coursing through his veins. The moment he got to the door, he raised a foot and kicked the door open. It slammed against the vanity table with a loud BANG, nearly pulling off its hinges. Inside, Martin and Gerald were still in bed. Gerald was awake, his face swollen and bruised from Ethan's attack. And Martin–He was ass deep into Gerald, groaning and panting as he bounced. The moment he noticed Jake and the rest, he cursed out loud and grabbed the duvet to cover his pouring d*ck. He quickly dropped to the side as Gerald sprayed his seed onto the sheets. “What the–” Martin started. But Jake didn't let him finish. He crossed the room in a flash, kicking his father off the bed before grabbing Gerla by the collar of his night shirt. “Jake!" Martin shouted as he scrambled over the cum-stained floor.
AN ASSHOLE CONFRONTATION 2 “Jake," Ethan whispered as he approached Jake's room. "Jake? Is that you?" He stopped in front of the door and placed an ear against the wooden frame when it suddenly swung inward freely. He stumbled inside awkwardly and found Jake sitting by the side of his bed. He was sweaty, panting like a dog as he adjusted his trousers. Blood sat dried at the corner of his lips and a shade of white popped from within his jacket. Behind him laid Gina, her mouth wet and a crooked smile on her face. She licked her a stain on her hand and swallowed before smoothening an invisible wrinkle on her jacket. Ethan frowned, his eyes flicking between them. “Why... why are you--" he started, but his voice cracked slightly. "Why are you in my house?" Jake opened his mouth to answer, but then he stopped. His eyes scanned Ethan's face, searching for something--fear, damage, anything wrong. “Are you okay?” Jake asked instead. Ethan let out a dry laugh. “Am I okay?” he repe
THE HOUSE DOWN THE STREETThe glass door slid shut behind Ethan as he stepped into Tom's lawn. Thin sprinklers scattered lazily across the grass sent arcs of water glistening in the late afternoon sunlight, and the air held a faint smell of wet grass and mud. Somewhere over one of the fences, a dog
LEFTOVERSThe class buzzed with almost instantly. The moment Dr. Keller said they should pick their partners, the sound of chairs scraping across the floor echoed across the room as students began turning toward “Calm down," Dr. Keller shouted over the noise, slamming his palm against the desk. “G
THE TASTE OF REGRETThe house carried the strong smell of beer–one that Ethan knew too well. It mixed with the faint scent of cigarette smoke clinging to the couch cushions and curtains, welcoming him as he opened the door. Coughing, he pushed through the ash cloud as he prayed his brother was alr
KISS ME LIKE YOU HATE MECoach Daniels' sharp whistle rang out, echoing across the empty court. The sound of squeaking shoes and quickened breath filled the space as everyone huddled at a corner. “Alright, y’all pair up,” Coach Daniels shouted in a thick southern accent, as he grabbed a basketball







