The Fire Between High & Lo
Page 34
“Only weed.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She stepped back once, before stepping forward twice. She held out her pinky in my direction. “Pinky?”
I stared at her pinky for a while, remembering all of the promises we used to make when we were younger, locking our fingers together.
My pinky wrapped around hers, the small touch filling me up. “Pinky.”
When we released our hold, she stepped back twice, before stepping forward once. Her hands stretched out toward me and without any thought, I took her hold. She pulled me from my seat and wrapped her arms around me. The way she held on so tight, told my gut that something was wrong.
“High, what is it?”
She pulled me closer, holding on while I refused to let go. Her lips pressed against my ear, her hot breaths dancing against my skin. “Nothing. It’s nothing.” When we parted, she put her hands in prayer position and pressed them against her lips, tilting her head slightly. “Lo…”
My fingers ran through my hair and I nodded. “High...”
“Welcome home,” she said.
“It’s not home. I’m just stopping in before leaving again.”
She shrugged. “Home is always home. Even when you don’t want it to be. And Logan?” she said, slightly rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Yeah?”
She didn’t say anything else, but I heard her loud and clear.
I missed you too, High.
Chapter Seventeen
Logan
I dropped my duffle bag on Kellan and Erika’s front porch before knocking. My stomach knotted, not knowing how it’d be seeing both of them after so long. Time had a way of changing people, and I wondered how much it had changed them. I let a few more seconds pass before building up the courage to knock.
When the door opened, a weighted sigh left me. Kellan gave me his big brother grin seconds before pulling me tight into a hug. “Your train was supposed to get in yesterday. You get lost, brother?”
I laughed. “I took the long way.”
“All right, let me look at you.” He stood back, crossed his arms, and chuckled. “You look buff or something. You legit left town as Peter Parker and came back as Spiderman.”
“Those radioactive spiders in Iowa aren’t fucking around man. And look at you!” I jokingly punched at his gut. “You look like a peanut. Maybe now I can kick your ass instead of vice versa.”
“Ha, don’t count on it. Still deep conditioning your hair like a woman, I see,” he said, messing up my perfect hair.
“Envy is one of the seven deadly sins, brother.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he snickered. Damn. It was good to see him. He looked just as great as he always did. You never realized how much you could miss a person until they were standing right in front of you after so long.
“Kellan, who’s at the door?” Erika said, walking out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. When she saw me, shock filled her up. “What are you doing here?”
“Good to see you too, Erika.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
My eyes darted from Kellan to Erika, and back to Kellan. “I’m starting to wonder the same thing. What’s going on, Kel? I ran into Alyssa earlier and—”
“You ran into Alyssa?!” Erika exclaimed. It was funny…how little I missed her overly dramatic self.
“That’s what I just said. Anyway, and she said the wedding wasn’t this weekend?”
“Next month,” she corrected. “It’s next month. Why do you have a duffle bag with you?”
“Uh, I was told I would be staying with you two? For the wedding that doesn’t seem to be happening.”
“It’s next month!” she echoed once more. “It’s next month. I didn’t even know you were coming. Staying with us?” She started itching at her neck, her pale skin growing red with irritation. She looked so much like her sister, yet their personalities were so different that they could’ve been strangers. “Babe, can I talk to you in the bedroom for a minute?”
I stepped forward to follow her, making Kellan smirk as Erika growled with annoyance. “Oh? Sorry. When you said babe I assumed you were talking to me. But now I see it was directed toward my brother. My bad.”
Kellan chuckled. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Can’t help it. I have one, so I am one.”
The two hurried into the bedroom where the door slammed. I sat down on the sofa and right as I reached into my pocket, the bedroom door flew open.
“Logan?” Erika said.
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch anything.”
I tossed my hands up in defeat, and she reentered the bedroom, with another loud slam.
“I cannot believe you didn’t tell me he was coming, Kellan!” echoed through the house, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Even though I had no clue why I was currently back in the town that created all of my demons, it always felt like home to get under Erika’s skin.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my pack of cigarettes, and then lit one with my lighter. Glancing around the house, I was reminded of how much of a neat freak Erika was, and I couldn’t for a second understand how Kellan could put up with her. I was certain each day was filled with nagging.
When ashes began to form at the end of the cigarette, I panicked, knowing Erika would freak out if I got any on her probably overpriced coffee table. I hurried toward the dining room table that was set as if there were a big dinner party taking place, and grabbed a saucer, dropping the ashes onto that. I took the saucer back to the sofa, and relaxed a bit.
“Kellan, I just…we are already under so much stress. You have so much going on, with work. I’m working on my master’s degree. Plus, we are trying to tie everything together for the wedding. Do you think having Logan here is a good idea?” she asked him, as I listened through the thin walls.
“He’s my brother.”
“You’re… We… I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“He’s my brother.”
“But you know how he is. He’ll drag you into his crazy life, he always does.”
“Erika, he’s clean. He’s been clean for years now.” I could hear the irritation in Kellan’s voice, and a bit of disappointment overtook me. He was always one of the few to actually believe in me ever getting clean. Him and Alyssa. Everyone else considered me a lost cause.
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
She stepped back once, before stepping forward twice. She held out her pinky in my direction. “Pinky?”
I stared at her pinky for a while, remembering all of the promises we used to make when we were younger, locking our fingers together.
My pinky wrapped around hers, the small touch filling me up. “Pinky.”
When we released our hold, she stepped back twice, before stepping forward once. Her hands stretched out toward me and without any thought, I took her hold. She pulled me from my seat and wrapped her arms around me. The way she held on so tight, told my gut that something was wrong.
“High, what is it?”
She pulled me closer, holding on while I refused to let go. Her lips pressed against my ear, her hot breaths dancing against my skin. “Nothing. It’s nothing.” When we parted, she put her hands in prayer position and pressed them against her lips, tilting her head slightly. “Lo…”
My fingers ran through my hair and I nodded. “High...”
“Welcome home,” she said.
“It’s not home. I’m just stopping in before leaving again.”
She shrugged. “Home is always home. Even when you don’t want it to be. And Logan?” she said, slightly rocking back and forth on her heels.
“Yeah?”
She didn’t say anything else, but I heard her loud and clear.
I missed you too, High.
Chapter Seventeen
Logan
I dropped my duffle bag on Kellan and Erika’s front porch before knocking. My stomach knotted, not knowing how it’d be seeing both of them after so long. Time had a way of changing people, and I wondered how much it had changed them. I let a few more seconds pass before building up the courage to knock.
When the door opened, a weighted sigh left me. Kellan gave me his big brother grin seconds before pulling me tight into a hug. “Your train was supposed to get in yesterday. You get lost, brother?”
I laughed. “I took the long way.”
“All right, let me look at you.” He stood back, crossed his arms, and chuckled. “You look buff or something. You legit left town as Peter Parker and came back as Spiderman.”
“Those radioactive spiders in Iowa aren’t fucking around man. And look at you!” I jokingly punched at his gut. “You look like a peanut. Maybe now I can kick your ass instead of vice versa.”
“Ha, don’t count on it. Still deep conditioning your hair like a woman, I see,” he said, messing up my perfect hair.
“Envy is one of the seven deadly sins, brother.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he snickered. Damn. It was good to see him. He looked just as great as he always did. You never realized how much you could miss a person until they were standing right in front of you after so long.
“Kellan, who’s at the door?” Erika said, walking out of the bathroom, drying her hair with a towel. When she saw me, shock filled her up. “What are you doing here?”
“Good to see you too, Erika.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked again.
My eyes darted from Kellan to Erika, and back to Kellan. “I’m starting to wonder the same thing. What’s going on, Kel? I ran into Alyssa earlier and—”
“You ran into Alyssa?!” Erika exclaimed. It was funny…how little I missed her overly dramatic self.
“That’s what I just said. Anyway, and she said the wedding wasn’t this weekend?”
“Next month,” she corrected. “It’s next month. Why do you have a duffle bag with you?”
“Uh, I was told I would be staying with you two? For the wedding that doesn’t seem to be happening.”
“It’s next month!” she echoed once more. “It’s next month. I didn’t even know you were coming. Staying with us?” She started itching at her neck, her pale skin growing red with irritation. She looked so much like her sister, yet their personalities were so different that they could’ve been strangers. “Babe, can I talk to you in the bedroom for a minute?”
I stepped forward to follow her, making Kellan smirk as Erika growled with annoyance. “Oh? Sorry. When you said babe I assumed you were talking to me. But now I see it was directed toward my brother. My bad.”
Kellan chuckled. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Can’t help it. I have one, so I am one.”
The two hurried into the bedroom where the door slammed. I sat down on the sofa and right as I reached into my pocket, the bedroom door flew open.
“Logan?” Erika said.
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch anything.”
I tossed my hands up in defeat, and she reentered the bedroom, with another loud slam.
“I cannot believe you didn’t tell me he was coming, Kellan!” echoed through the house, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. Even though I had no clue why I was currently back in the town that created all of my demons, it always felt like home to get under Erika’s skin.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my pack of cigarettes, and then lit one with my lighter. Glancing around the house, I was reminded of how much of a neat freak Erika was, and I couldn’t for a second understand how Kellan could put up with her. I was certain each day was filled with nagging.
When ashes began to form at the end of the cigarette, I panicked, knowing Erika would freak out if I got any on her probably overpriced coffee table. I hurried toward the dining room table that was set as if there were a big dinner party taking place, and grabbed a saucer, dropping the ashes onto that. I took the saucer back to the sofa, and relaxed a bit.
“Kellan, I just…we are already under so much stress. You have so much going on, with work. I’m working on my master’s degree. Plus, we are trying to tie everything together for the wedding. Do you think having Logan here is a good idea?” she asked him, as I listened through the thin walls.
“He’s my brother.”
“You’re… We… I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“He’s my brother.”
“But you know how he is. He’ll drag you into his crazy life, he always does.”
“Erika, he’s clean. He’s been clean for years now.” I could hear the irritation in Kellan’s voice, and a bit of disappointment overtook me. He was always one of the few to actually believe in me ever getting clean. Him and Alyssa. Everyone else considered me a lost cause.
