Consuming all the air inside my lungs
Ripping all the skin from off my bones
I'm prepared to sacrifice my life
I would gladly do it twice

-Mercy, Shawn Mendes

41| Mason

Mason had to make at least 40 phone calls to make things work.First, he had to make sure Madyline was free. She had a tight schedule considering her restaurant just opened yesterday but she would make it. Ethan and the kids were already in.

Jack and Noah was working as instructed. Diana and Abigail also helped out. Making Rita agree to his plans was the hardest. But she did eventually.

Mason couldn't believe he even talked to Evelyn's father about it, who agreed right away. He said he would do anything.

"What do you want me to do now?" Martin Reyes asked as Mason was done moving the couches, making space in the middle. They were all inside Mason's old house, it meant Evelyn's house, which meant home.

"I think you can check up if the foods are already ordered?" Mason said. Evelyn's dad laughed.

"I am good at that, I am always ordering food." Martin said.

Mason looked around the living room. It was almost done. The balloons were all up. And so was the other decorations. Noah was finishing what was left off. Jack on the other hand was running around with Tim and James. The three of them had become best friends. Well, an evil knows the other evils.

Raine was on Diana's arm. They were laughing. Abigail was hanging a balloon on the side of the wall where Mason wanted it. Looking around the room, he sighed in satisfaction.

Knowing Evelyn, Mason knew she would hate a typical birthday party with all of schools hormonal teenagers and everything. So he had arranged this little party with the people who truly cared about Evelyn.

Mason just wanted to show her that she was not alone in this. Everyone around her, cared. Mady, Ethan, the kids, they loved Evelyn. Then there were her friends, Diana, Noah, Jack, Abigail and Rita. Last but not least, Cecily and Gus, who were really hard to reach. Mason knew about them a little. From what he knew, he connected with them and they were super excited.

Then Evelyn's dad And Mason himself.

Mason stepped out of the house. Rita was set to distract Evelyn all this time while they decorated the house. She was quite successful he had to say.

Mason hopped on his jeep. He would go home and take a quick shower. Then he would grab her gift and come back. It shouldn't take much time. Rita and Evelyn would be back soon.

Reaching home, he opened his computer, making sure his gift had arrived. It had arrived. He showered quickly, changed his clothes and grabbing the small box, he pocketed it. The other one should be in the mailbox.

He turned to the door and he was surprised.

A Bryan Stellar stood in his doorway leaning against the door frame. Bryan was not invited to the party, neither was Mallory.

Mason glanced at Bryan and he stood straight.

Mason had heard Bryan on the night of the party. He was asking Mal about the whole drug thing. He sounded like he didn't know things. But in the past, he had confessed he was the one turning Mal into it. His behavior was confusing and suspicious. Mason honestly didn't care anymore.

"I need to talk to you," Bryan said crossing his arms over his chest.

Mason had had enough talks in his lifetime. He didn't bother replying to him.

"No, you can't avoid me, this is important." Bryan said.

Mason looked away. He would get late this way.

"More important than your fucking ego. Listen to me." Bryan said.

Mason glared at him. He however stepped back crossing his arms over his chest, tapping his foot on the floor, he waited.

"This is about Mallory," Bryan said.

"Oh, of course," Mason said. "Are you here to ask me about my approval? You honestly don't care."

"No, I am not here to get your approval," Bryan replied.

"Silly of me to think that." Mason shrugged.

"Oh, for God's sake. For once, act like an adult," Bryan groaned.

"I am the one who's not acting like an adult?" Mason asked gritting his teeth.

"Yes, shut up and listen to me," Bryan said. Mason glared at him.

"I found out all about it," Bryan said.

"About what?" Mason said.

"About everything." Bryan said, "Things I should've known before."

Mason kept tapping his foot.

Bryan took a deep breathe, " Everything about Mal and drugs and stuffs."

"You are a good actor," Mason said. "I honestly don't get what are you trying to do here. What are you actually trying to prove, Bryan?"

"I am not trying to prove anything. Just keep your mouth shut and let me talk."

"We have tried that before, haevn't we?" Mason asked closing his hands into fist. "It never went well."

"That's because you are a stupid," Bryan replied. "That's because you didn't trust me."

"I don't have time for this shit," Mason shook his head.

"You have to have time for this."Bryan said. "Mason, I didn't know anything from the start."

Mason didn't stop him this time.

"Nobody told me what was happening. I had no freaking idea," Bryan said running a hand through his hair. " Every time I tried, you guys pushed me away."

"Two years ago, after that party at night, I honestly didn't have any clue what had happened. Mallory was with me the whole night. She was so sad about Sarah and Louis. So was I. So we kept drinking. I know you told me to keep an eye on her. So I didn't leave her side, not even for a second. I guess I drank a little too much. Because when I woke up, it was morning and Mallory wasn't with me."

"So I tried to reach you, every way possible. Your phone was off. The guards in your house won't let me in. When I finally saw you n school," Bryan stopped. "You know the rest."

Mason didn't know what he would believe. He said absentmindedly, "Then I asked you, if you had done it. I wanted to know if it was really you. I wanted to hear it from your mouth."

"I said yes. Because I thought you were asking if I had done anything to Mallory. I kissed her that night." Bryan said." For the first time."

Mason's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Yes. I knew you would never approve of us. We all grew up together. I knew how much you cared about your sister. Also I knew you would never want a guy like me to be something to your sister. I'd never meet your standard. I always had feelings for her anyways. Later I came to know, she felt the same way. But I couldn't let that happen. I pushed her away every time."

"After Sarah and Louis passed away, Mallory was so down. She was going crazy. She was throwing herself away. I couldn't see that happening. I knew I had to do something. I couldn't tell you. You were already down. And Mallory was avoiding you like plague."

"And I was torn between you two, on one side was my best friend and the other side was the girl I loved. I had to lose one in order to save the other."

"That night, when I was drunk, I thought I had had enough. I chose Mallory. Because I couldn't keep it in anymore. So I kissed her, yeah."

"And you passed out," Mason said.

"Some time after that, yeah." Bryan replied.

Mason pulled his hair in frustration. He couldn't believe this.

"So, in the morning when you asked me, if I had done it, I said yes. Then you started fighting. I thought if I had to fight for Mallory, I would. Then you all stated saying I have betrayed you. I had. Yes. But that didn't mean you would send your sister away to another country just to keep her away from me. That was way too much." Bryan said.

"All of you left me alone. So I got in the group I found, the guys from my football team. They were not the friends I wanted. But as if I had a choice." Bryan said.

Mason closed his eyes soaking in all the information.

"That night, Mason, I lost too much. I lost my best friends, I lost Mallory, I lost a home. Only because you could not stand the idea of me loving your sister."

"That's not it," Mason shook his head.

"I know." Bryan said.

"You do?" Mason asked.

"Yes." Bryan said. "In fact, I know things you don't."

"After I joined the boys of the group, I instantly made a few close friends. One of them was Alex Harrington. He never had a good thing to say about you. At first I would get angry. Then I thought,who was I defending? The guy who can't even trust me a little? Then I started believing every word he said."

"But the other night at the party, Alex was trying to.." Bryan stopped.

"Trying to what?" Mason asked.

"To disturb Evelyn." Bryan said.

"No, he didn't." Mason's blood rose to his skull. "He didn't."

"He had tried to do this before in the school. And you guys had had a fight. After that I warned him not to do it again, and then he did it again." Bryan said.

Mason gritted his teeth. He closed his fist. He would kill Alex.

"So I warned him and he hit on my nerve. He said I was a fool and I didn't even know that my girlfriend takes drugs."

Mason blinked. "Wait a second."

"Let me finish first. So I went to Mallory and I asked her what this was about. She didn't answer me. So I left the party. Then I came back and found you guys fighting. The only word I heard was drugs."

"I got suspicious. The fight was bad. Mallory came home with me and I couldn't ask her about it then. Later I cornered Alex in school. Asked him how he knew about it." Bryan said.

"He wouldn't tell me anything. He said things like I should trust him and shits. I didn't say anything to him either. You were a lost cause. So I started keeping an eye on Alex as well as Mallory."

"And I caught them together at the back of the school . They were fighting. From what I heard I realized what was happening all this time. I asked Mallory about it. She confessed." Bryan said.

Mason didn't need to ask him. Yet he did, "What had happened?"

"Alex had been the one who had supplied Mallory drugs in the first place. Nor did he gave her drugs, he influenced her to start taking it. After Sarah and Louis's death, she was down. She blamed you so she had lost her brother too. I rejected her feelings so she was absolutely hopeless. Then she found Alex who made her feel small and .."

"Influenced her to take drugs as he wanted nothing but our destruction." Mason finished his sentence.

Mason was shaking in anger. For two years of his life, he had misjudged his best friend, he had worthless fights with him and not even for once he had thought something like this could happen. Everything he believed was a lie.

"Where is he now?" Mason asked Bryan.

"That's something you don't need to know now," Bryan said with a hard face.

"You gotta tell me. You can't let him go away like this. After knowing everything, you can't." Mason said.

"None of this would have happened if you had trusted me a little. How could you even think I would give drugs to Mallory. I was your best friend!" Bryan was shouting.

"For God's sake, we can fight about this later. Where is Alex?" Mason asked Bryan.

"He is already in deep shits." Bryan said. "We don't need to do anything about him. He would go down all on his own."

"I can't let that happen, can I?" Mason said, "I have to make sure I am the one who's pushing him down when he falls."

Bryan said. "No, you don't. He's not a small boy. He had gotten himself in trouble. All this drug dealing is gonna destroy him. He's regretting everything as far as I know."

"Two years, Bryan," Mason shook him. "He took away two years from my life, your life He fucking ruined everything. I can't.."

"You need to know when you need to step back." Bryan said stopping him. "And oh, it's Evelyn's birthday today!"

Mason was barely listening. His ears were ringing. He looked at Bryan and nodded.

"You guys can come by if you want to." Mason said absentmindedly.

"Is this your way of saying sorry to me?" Bryan joked.

Mason nodded and he walked off. Reaching the mailbox, he collected the envelop. Getting into his car, he started the engine.

But he didn't drive towards Evelyn's house. First, he needed to see Alex Fucking Harrington.

• • •