Chapter1

#Chapter1

PROBLEMS

Maggie

It’s been a month since homecoming. The brother’s situation still wasn’t any better. It included Nixon’s downward spiral, which had gotten worse. So much worse, the Dean pulled Nixon into her office because of his academic and behavioral issues. His drinking had gotten way out of control.

Nixon’s rage was like no other. Even with the Dean warning him, it didn’t matter. He kept drinking and partying until he took his anger out on another party guest and almost beat the person to death.

The police showed up, and it took four officers to subdue him. He sat in jail for the night.

*****

Noah

I called Ma and Dad.

Hello?

/"Dad?/"

Noah, what’s going on, bud?

/"Dad, it’s Nixon, and it’s bad./"

Where’s Nash?

Dad’s question hung in the air. I knew I had to tell Dad about Nixon and Nash.

/"Nash won’t listen to us, Dad. He hit Nathan. I don’t know what to do./"

Noah, it’s okay. We’re coming up there.

/"I’m sorry, Dad./"

No, Noah, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with your brothers.

Nate! I heard ma in the background. Why did the school send us a letter about Nixon?

*Sigh* I must explain things to your ma.

/"Okay./" I hung up with Dad and looked at Nathan. /"When did we become adults?/"

/"When the adults became the children,/" Nathan said.

*****

Maggie

I came downstairs to get something to drink when I saw Noah sitting outside alone. I opened the door and took a seat next to him. /"Do you want to talk about it

/"What’s there to say, Maggie? My brothers can’t stand each other, and I’m the mediator./" He sighed.

/"Noah, all families fight. Sometimes, they must, so they can become stronger./"

/"Maggie, you don’t understand. It’s always been the Gray brothers against the world. Now, it’s one Gray brother against the world./"

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder.

He leaned his head on me. /"I want things to be normal again./"

/"They will, but it’ll take time./"

/"Stupid Bryson./"

/"Bryson? What does Bryson have to do with anything?/"

Noah took a deep breath and exhaled it. I dropped my arm.

/"After you guys left the dance, I went back inside. Bryson and Tiffany were laughing and talking. Didn’t they break up?/"

/"That’s what Bryson told me. It was weird when they had their encounter at the diner. Then he kept bugging me about the dance./"

He furrowed his brows. /"What do you mean?/"

/"He tried to get me to go to the dance. I turned him down. I turned down Carson and Jace. I wasn’t planning on going or this mess happening./"

/"Wait. You weren’t going?/"

/"No. Why bother? I wasn’t with Nash or in the mood to attend a dance./"

/"But we took you to the dance. Nixon even mentioned that he would marry Kat./"

/"Noah, did you guys know that Nash would propose to me?/"

/"No. We knew Nash wanted you back. I mean, yeah, he was planning to propose but not at homecoming./"

/"Wait. You guys knew he wanted to propose to me./"

/"Well, yeah. When we followed Nash, Nixon punched him. He thought he was cheating. Nathan accused him of taking drugs. Then I found the engagement ring./"

/"None of this makes any sense. Why would Bryson pick a fight at the dance?/"

/"Well, Nixon beat Bryson’s ass in high school./"

Then, it hit me. /"Oh, God. It’s not about me./" I got up.

/"What?/" Noah followed me.

I went to talk to Nash. Then someone knocked on the front door. I changed my course and opened the door to see Nate, Pat, and Nolan.

/"Hey, Maggie. Our boys wouldn’t happen to be around, would they?/" Nate asked.

Noah saw his parents and turned to leave.

Nate snapped his fingers. /"Noah, you stay./"

Noah stopped dead in his tracks.

/"Good. Now get your idiot brothers, including drunky. I want a word with them./"

Nate, Pat, and Nolan walked in as Noah got his brothers and returned with them.

/"Ma!/" Nash said.

/"Dad!/" Nathan said.

/"Shit,/" Nixon said.

/"Hello, boys. Would someone care to explain to me why all hell broke loose, and Nixon is getting kicked out of school?/" Nate asked.

It’ll be a long night.

*****

/"So, let me get this straight. You screwed up your academic future and relationships because you told everyone that you love Maggie./" Nate pointed at Nixon. /"You turned your back on your brother while hitting your other brother, making you a bigger tool./" He gestured to Nash. /"You thought it was an effective way to get your brother’s attention if you called Maggie a hoe./" He pointed at Nathan.

/"And you put Noah in the middle, causing a rift between everyone,/" Pat said.

/"Damn, you guys are tools./" Nolan shook his head.

We looked at him as he shrugged.

/"Dad,/" Nash said.

/"No, Nash. You don’t get to talk. None of you get to talk. Because none of you fucking listen,/" Nate said.

Whoa. I’ve never heard Nate cuss like that.

/"You boys are brothers. We did not raise you to fight with each other. Well, siblings fight, but that’s not the point,/" Pat said.

/"Hun?/"

/"Yes?/"

/"Let me manage things./"

/"Okay./"

/"Since Maggie’s the only rational person in the room, I’ll let her explain./"

/"What?/" They asked, then started talking.

/"Enough! Now shut it!/"

Well, this was great.

/"Maggie, what happened?/"

/"Bryson happened./"

The brothers snapped their attention to me.

/"How so?/"

/"When Nash and I weren’t together, Bryson asked me to the dance, but I declined. He kept asking, but I said no. Then Carson and Jace asked me. I told them no./"

/"Carson and Jace?/" Pat and Nate asked.

/"Yeah, they have a crush on me./" I brushed that part off. /"The boys and the girls tied me up and took me to the dance./"

Nate glanced at the boys, who sunk into their seats. /"What?/"

/"But in their defense, they were trying to get me to the dance./" I didn't make the whole scenario sound better with what I said next. /"Kat tackled me, and Macey knocked me out./"

/"Oh, this gets better and better,/" he told Pat.

She nodded in agreement. /"Hmm./"

/"They got me to the dance where Nash and I got back together. Then Nash proposed to me, to which I never gave him an answer./"

They did a double-take. /"Propose?/" They looked at Nash, who covered his face with his palm.

/"Before I answered, Bryson started yelling. Then Nixon started yelling and said that he loved me./"

They did another double-take. /"What?/" They looked at Nixon, who shrunk even more in his chair.

/"Kat and Nixon broke up. Nash quit talking to Nixon, who started drinking, and things spiraled out of control. Nixon went to jail for disorderly conduct. How did you get out?/" I asked Nixon.

Nixon glared at me.

/"We bailed him out./" Jaime came down the stairs with Jace and the triplets as they entered the room.

/"Oh, and Nixon hates me. I hate him. We’re one big happy family,/" I said.

Nate and Pat sat down.

/"That’s more drama than a damn soap opera,/" Nate told Pat.

/"Yep./"

/"How does Bryson figure into this situation?/"

/"He set Nixon up,/" Noah said.

Nash asked, /"What?/"

Noah turned to Nash. /"That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, but you wouldn’t listen. After you left the dance, I found him with Tiffany, laughing and talking./"

Nash looked like he wanted to hurl, Nixon looked pissed, and Nathan looked lost.

/"It doesn’t matter,/" Nixon said. /"I lost my brother, my girl, and I’m getting kicked out of school. So, yeah. Fuck my life./" He went upstairs.

/"Nixon got the shit end of the stick here,/" Caleb said. /"He didn’t do anything wrong. Yet, he still got the blame. Shitty, if you ask me?/"

At that moment, I didn’t hate Nixon but felt compassion for him. He didn’t deserve this.

/"I’ll talk to him,/" Pat said.

/"Let me,/" a voice said.

We turned to see Kat standing there.

/"How long have you been standing there?/" I asked.

/"Long enough to hear everything./" She went up to Nixon’s room.

*****

Kat

I knocked on his door, then opened it. /"Nix?/"

/"Oh, you’re talking to me now./"

/"Don’t be an ass, Nixon./"

/"Whatever./" He turned to face the window.

I walked over to him. /"I’m sorry./"

He said nothing.

/"When I heard those words come out of your mouth, it shocked me./"

/"But I didn’t mean it in that way./"

/"I know./"

/"Maggie is like a sister to me. I love her as a sister. I have no romantic feelings for her. I tease her because I love her as a sister./"

/"She explained it to me./"

/"I’m glad she did because no one gives a shit about the truth./" Nixon sighed. /"It doesn’t matter. Things got so messed up, and it’s my stupid fault. I should have knocked Bryson out./"

/"Nixon./"

/"Kat, it’s over. The school is kicking me out. It was a matter of time./"

/"Okay, but it’s not over between us./"

/"What?/"

I held up my hand, showing my promise ring to him.

/"You still wore it. Why?/"

/"I had hope./" I shrugged.

He pulled me to him and hugged me. /"That’s the best news that I’ve heard in weeks./"

/"I have better news,/" a voice said.

Nixon and U turned to see Nash standing there.

He walked over to Nixon. /"I’m sorry. I should have listened to Noah./"

/"Yeah, you should have, you twit,/" Nixon said.

Nash gave him a look as Nixon shrugged.

/"Nix, you’re my brother./"

/"Yeah, yeah. You don’t need to get mushy with me, you big sap./" Nixon waved him off.

Nash grabbed him and pulled him into a hug. /"I love you, brother./"

/"I love you, too, you big dolt./"

It was nice to see Nash and Nixon make up.