It was one of those days Cody insisted on sleeping at home. Quinn had walked Cody home, and the two boys were now in front of Cody's place. The neighborhood was quiet, except for the sound of birds in the distance. Charles' motorcycle was parked outside, and it made Cody nervous, but he didn't want to sleep over at Quinn's every night.

"I'll be fine," Cody muttered when Quinn asked him if he would be okay. For a minute Quinn wanted to suggest that he would sleep over at Cody's place, but he hadn't informed his mum and had left his phone at home.

"Okay," Quinn said after some hesitation. He let go of Cody's hand, and the two boys talked for a bit before Cody had to say goodbye to Quinn.

"I have to go," he said, realizing that they had been standing in front of the flat for at least thirty minutes. Quinn gave him a smile, but it was forced. He didn't want to let Cody go, and Cody didn't want to go, but he had to.

"Okay, by," Quinn said, making to walk away. He paused, running back to Cody before pulling him into a tight hug. "But after this," Quinn said, pulling away before holding on to Cody's face and giving the boy a kiss. Quinn let go of Cody, and he waved goodbye before turning away and leaving for real this time. Cody watched the taller boy walk into the street and disappear into the night. It was late in the evening now, and only a few streetlights were on since most of them had burnt out.

Cody's smile fell when he turned and stared at the door to his home. I reached out to open it but found out it was locked. Anxiety filled him when he realized he would have to knock. He didn't want to, knowing who would open it up.

Cody hugged himself, biting on his lower lip as he stared at his door. His eyes had glossed over with tears, knowing that his brother was the one who was going to end up opening the door. He reached to rap a few knocks on the door, wondering if he'd be able to get out of being hit today—but that was a layman's dream.

He waited for a bit, and when the wait hit five minutes, he felt that Charles maybe wanted him to sleep outside. He was already turning and making to head down the stairs when the door flew open. He froze in shock, turning to look over at Charles.

"Oh, you're back. I thought you were staying over at his place," the bigger boy said, leaning on the door frame with his weight. Cody opened his mouth but closed it. He wanted to ask if Charles had seen them talking together a while back, but he didn't want to have that conversation with Charles, knowing where it would head.

"You're a leech, that's what you are. You hang on to anything that will take care of you," Charles spat when Cody didn't react to his first sentence. The smaller boy still didn't say anything this time, and it was starting to piss Charles off.

Charles' blood started to boil. "Why aren't you saying anything? Talk. Say something. Don't just stand there and act like you're being victimized—"

"I don't have anything to say," Cody said, cutting his brother off. He hated the line of Charles claiming he was 'acting' like was victimized. Charles beat him up any chance he could. How could he act like he was being mistreated if it was nothing but the truth?

Charles was taken aback by the coldness in Cody's tone. Often times the boy's voice would shake like he was close to tears, but today he just seemed exhausted. Very exhausted. Charles raised a brow at Cody's words, staring down at the smaller boy with cold eyes. "Ah, I see. It's that boy that's making you feel like hot shit. What's his name?" Charles asked, making Cody's worst fears come through. He didn't want Quinn to have anything to do with Charles. Quinn didn't deserve to be involved with his terrible brother just because was dating him.

His lips turned down, and he let out a sigh. It was too late. Charles would figure out his name or seek him out because he was obsessed with having a hand in Cody's life. "Q-Quinn," Cody managed to say, hoping that telling him would be enough to convince Charles to leave him alone. He smiled a bit, remembering Quinn telling him that his full name was Quincey when they were lying on his bed together one night. That was their secret. He claimed that Kyle was the only other person in their grade that knew.

"Hmm, okay," Charles said, searching his head for what to say. He had expected Cody to try and hide the boy's name, and that would have given him a reason to pester him, but Cody wasn't biting tonight. The smaller boy was already exhausted from the conversation. Charles had a habit of jumping around and not really saying anything that he wanted to really say. He just wanted to agitate his stepbrother so that he could have a reason to bother him. Cody was just tired. He needed to sleep. He wondered if Charles would even let him into the room, they both supposedly shared.

Charles let out a grunt. "Does he know what you've done?"

Cody frowned looking up at Charles. "Does he know I've done what?" Cody asked, feeling his chest squeeze up.

Charles grinned before chuckling. He was glad to have finally received a reaction from Cody. "Does he know you killed my father—your father? Does he know that?" Charles asked, making Cody square his shoulders. The smaller boy looked at the floor, deciding that he didn't want to answer that.

Charles rattled on and on about the incident that Cody was too tired to even try and defend himself. Charles needed someone to blame for his father's death, and Cody was an easy target.

"So, he doesn't?" Charles said, trying to pick on Cody's nerves. Cody remained silent.

"I might tell him—just for his own good. He needs to know what he's getting into," Charles said. Cody shook his head before looking up at Charles with a frown.

Cody groaned. "You're going to lie to him—"

Charles cut Cody off before he could finish his sentence. "They're not lies," the larger boy insisted. This is how it always went down. Charles would blame Cody, and Cody would defend himself, and Charles would hit Cody and force him to say it was his fault.

The two boys stared at each other since Cody didn't say anything in response. After a while, Cody looked away, ending the staring contest. He tried to brush past Charles to get into the house, but the older boy blocked his path.

"Excuse me," Cody muttered. His voice was low, and he seemed exhausted. Charles must have picked up that it wasn't the best time to bother him because he stepped away from the door like he was asked it.

Cody sighed in relief, thankful for the fact that Charles didn't decide to start a fight with him.

As Cody walked into the house Charles said, "You don't deserve to be happy."

Cody ignored the boy, making a beeline to the hallway so that he could get into their room. When he shut the room door behind him, he also heard the front door slam closed. Cody's lips trembled as he slid to the floor.

Although Cody wanted to ignore Charles' words, he couldn't help but replay them in his mind as he stared at the bedroom wall. He'd believed those words once upon a time, but not anymore. He wanted to be happy, He wanted to live, and not just exist.

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "I deserve to be happy," Cody muttered under his breath before opening his eyes again and getting up. He spread a bedsheet on the floor beside the bed Charles stayed on, before laying down and curling up into a fetal position. The floor was heard, and under Charles' bed smelled bad. He felt more comfortable in Quinn's bed.

He closed his eyes, repeating the words from before. "I deserve to be happy." Hearing the words from his own mouth made him feel stronger. A smile formed on his face, and he soon closed his eyes, deciding to sleep.