6. Everest

CHAPTER SIX

Everest

Elton is the king of guilt trips.

I was trying to stay in my room and ignore Rhys after the tense morning we had. Something happened to Rhys today, something I wasn’t prepared for, and I was a fool to think it wouldn’t be like this between us.

Rhys hates me. He loathes me. He didn’t say it, but it was written clear as day in his eyes. The venom, the toxicity, the unadulterated rage that he threw my way at a simple question made me quiver in fear. The evidence that Rhys sees me as an enemy, as a cockroach under his feet, as someone so undeserving of kindness and compassion cuts through me. I deserve it, I so fucking do, but seeing it is different from thinking it.

So when Elton rather loudly announced we’d be going out tonight when Rhys and I got home, I nearly shit myself.

I wanted to say no. I really did. I love my brother, but being around him for even just a little bit is hard enough already. All I wanted was to continue to unpack my things, crawl under the covers, and not come out for a few days. I don’t even like going out. Alcohol is fun, and Knox and I drink plenty when we’re in the mood, but I grew out of my partying phase when I was fourteen. When the very thought of being in a crowded space and forcing myself to be carefree became too much, I shrank into myself, only letting my one friend in. But the look on Elton’s face when he told not asked me to come showed it all. I couldn’t crush his hope for us to bond.

My hands shake as I stand in front of the sink, my body heating up. I try to splash some cold water on my face to calm myself down, but it accomplishes nothing. I swear, I feel like I’m going to throw up right this second. Maybe I can claim I have food poisoning and skip? Elton wouldn’t be able to blame me for being sick.

“You could at least try to be nicer to him.”

My ears perk up at the anger in Elton’s voice through the closed bathroom door. I know I shouldn’t snoop, but I press my ear against the wood, trying to make out the muffled conversation on the other side.

“That’s what I’m being,” Rhys replies, but his voice is curt, the opposite of what Elton’s asking for.

I can hear Elton sigh deeply, his trademark dramatics coming out. “What’s your problem with Everest, man? You were a dick to him the entire time we were moving his stuff over. When you two came back from the bookstore, he looked spooked.”

My fingers were wrapped around the handle to leave the guest bathroom, only now I’m frozen. The fact I’m the subject of their conversation doesn’t sit well with me, but I’m too much of a coward to do anything but listen intently to see where this is going.

“You promised me.”

Promised what?

“You’re the one who seems to think he’s a lost puppy. I promised I’d look after him. There wasn’t any caveat about always having to be fucking polite.”

I take a stumbling step away from the door. Humiliation grows within me at Rhys’s words. They were talking about me behind my back? Making some sort of arrangement on my behalf that I didn’t know about? Maybe I should feel grateful that I have a brother who cares enough to put someone in my corner, but that’s not what I feel.

I’m pissed.

The embarrassment mixes with the anger I rarely feel. I’ve been the topic of their secret conversations; I’ve been practically thrust upon Rhys, nothing more than an inconvenience for him to…what? Hold my hand? Babysit me?

After a long pause, one of them sighs. “It’s not him. It’s me. Sorry, it’s been a rough couple of days at work, and I guess I’ve been taking it out on the wrong person.”

That gives me pause. I’ve always suspected it—known, really—but now the proof is in front of me.

Rhys never told Elton what happened.

I don’t know what to make of that. All these years, a myriad of possibilities always existed. Maybe he told Elton and Elton just kept it to himself, but that’s unlikely considering that there’s no way in hell he wouldn’t have said anything. Maybe Rhys lied and kept me out of the picture, protecting me for some weird reason.

Or, maybe, Rhys is holding on to the information to let it drop at the exact right time.

I try to settle my racing heart, but I don’t know how convincing it is when I open the door and exit the guest bathroom, finding Elton and Rhys waiting for me. It doesn’t seem like they suspect that I was listening in on their conversation, and I’m going to keep it that way.

“You ready, bro?” Elton asks, a wide smile on his face as he bounces on his toes. He claps his hands together. “It’s gonna be a great night.”

I nod, but my eyes keep darting to Rhys, who’s doing his best job to avoid looking at me. It’s hard for me though, because regardless of the hostility between us, he looks damn good.

I’m guessing what he’s wearing is his uniform because his black sleeveless shirt that showcases his muscular arms has XO written in neon script across his chest. Rhys was never a big, bulky guy like me, more on the slim side with a runner’s body, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have definition in the thick thighs his jeans hug. His dark brown hair is hidden underneath his white baseball cap, which he wears backwards, and that in and of itself is practically drool worthy. Rhys has always been attractive to me and—shit—that hasn’t gone anywhere.

Elton says something I don’t catch, and Rhys’s eyes suddenly meet mine. In an instant, that wave of attraction becomes swallowed whole under his glare. It’s like an ice bath that reminds me that thinking of Rhys in that way is wrong. For so many reasons, but the most prevalent one being that I shouldn’t be gawking over a guy who I have no right to.

We decide we’ll all ride with Rhys and either stay at the club until close or catch a car home if he’s still working when we want to leave. Rhys talks Elton into letting him drive his BMW, and Elton takes the passenger seat next to Rhys, while I sit in the back.

As we pull out, Elton goes on about his trip to Valencia and how excited he is for his internship this summer. Rhys either doesn’t care that much or has perfected the silent, strong facade because he just nods along as Elton speaks. Once we get there, Rhys parks where all the other employees are, leading us through the backdoor of the club.

Since I’ve never been to XO, I’m momentarily mesmerized by the interior. It’s really cool, much classier and flashier than any other club I snuck into during high school. The majority of the large space is just a dance floor, with couches and lounge chairs lining the walls. It looks like there’re private booths by the back of the club, hidden away behind the dance floor, obscured by glittering curtains. The main stage is one big platform, and the DJ stands behind his equipment at the top. As we move through the back, the bar comes into view. It’s circular, in the dead center of the club, and lit up with a bunch of different neon colors. Actually, the entire club itself is a cluster of strobe lights and beams, highlighting the cages that hang from the ceiling and dancers within them.

“Cool, right?” Elton shouts in my ear, clapping a hand on my shoulder as he navigates us to the bar where Rhys already is. “What’s your poison?”

The weight of his hand is a heavy discomfort, so I stutter, “Um, b-beer?”

“Fuck that,” he snorts, shaking his head as Rhys comes in front of us on the other side of the bar. “Let Rhys pick out what we’re drinking. He makes the best ones.”

“Um, excuse me, Elty. That would be me .” I turn my attention to a tiny pink-haired guy glaring at Elton, arms crossed defensively over his chest. “I’m the head bartender.”

Rhys snorts as he places two cocktail glasses on the bar. “ Britt is the head bartender.”

“Well, I’m the muse. Britt might be more organized, but I’m the inspiration.”

A woman from the other side of the bar snorts, throwing up the finger without looking our way. “Fuck you, Skylar!”

Skylar just shrugs and pushes away his pink bangs as he hip checks Rhys, shooing him with his hands. “Go and find someone else to serve. I’ve got Elty and… Who’s this?”

“This is my baby brother, Everest,” Elton says proudly, manhandling me until I’m in front of him and presented to Skylar. “Come on, Skylar. Do the thing.”

“It’s not a thing,” Rhys calls over his shoulder as he shakes a mixer.

I look at Elton, then skeptically at Skylar. “What thing?”

“He has a knack for guessing someone’s favorite drink,” Elton explains. “He guessed that I liked Neon Dildos.”

I chuckle weakly. “How…sexual.”

“Mmm, you’re a tricky one,” Skylar says, leaning on the bar top as he taps his forefinger against his chin. “I’m thinking you like it Bareback, am I right?”

I blush. “I?—”

“Stop flirting with Elton’s brother,” says the same woman that cursed him out only a moment ago. She’s pretty, with amber eyes and hair in several intricate braids. “I’m Britt. Don’t let Skylar get predatory.”

“It’s not predatory. It’s an observation,” Skylar defends with a dainty hand on his chest. Britt throws him a look, and he rolls his eyes. “Fine. I still think I’ll give it to you Bareback.”

“ Skylar .”

“I’m just making drinks!”

This time, my chuckle is more lighthearted. Skylar gets fancy as he throws bottles in the air, doing some intricate dance move that looks like he’s got an itch on his ass as he makes our drinks. He presents Elton with what I guess is the Neon Dildo, and true to its name, it’s bright pink with a penis straw to drink out of. Mine is a little more composed. A bright yellow liquid in a martini glass with two lemons and a lime. I was half expecting it to come with a condom, but I guess that would be counterintuitive to the name.

“Have fun, my pretties,” Skylar says, batting his eyelashes. “Tip well, please.”

“When do I not?” Elton asks with mock offense, pulling out his wallet and handing Skylar his card. “Keep the tab open.”

As I wait for Elton to pay and get his card back, something prickles the back of my neck. I turn to look over my shoulder where the source of the discomfort seems to stem, only to see Rhys glaring a hole in my head. I hesitate, unsure of what to do when he doesn’t break his stare, not while he pours a green drink into a shot glass, and not when he hands it to the person in front of him. Like an idiot, I wave, giving him a sheepish smile, to which he just rolls his eyes.

My fingers twitch around my drink as Elton makes small talk with Britt. Something about his trip, or me, or Rhys, I have no idea, because it’s suddenly so loud in the club. I’m supposed to be having fun, enjoying my time, or at least getting drunk enough to forget it altogether.

That’s not happening. I sip on my Bareback, but instead of making me loose, it only serves to make my heartbeat race as the lights seem to become far too bright. I can feel my breath hitch as sweat prickles on the back of my neck, my feet becoming unstable and causing me to wobble.

Before I can even think about it, my free hand is reaching into my pocket and desperately grabbing my phone, texting the one person I know who can help me. The one person who’s become my rock these last four years when I needed one the most.

Me: You up to come out?

It only takes one second for three dots to appear before I have a text back.

Knox: Where are you?

I know this is a terrible idea in the making because Rhys and Elton have always seemed to have a problem with Knox, even though that was years ago. I also know that whatever Knox brings as his method of helping might not be the smartest choice, considering I’ve been deemed incompetent enough to earn myself a fucking babysitter, but I can’t care about that. I’m starting to spiral, to freak out, to be weak just like I always am, and Knox has a way of making me feel better.

So, frankly, whatever happens?—

I don’t give a fuck.