Chapter 8

School was starting again and Austin was still conflicted about what to do with Max.

He decided that when he saw Max that he would get some answers. The bell rang and all the students poured into the classrooms, some happy to be back at school, others dreading it.

Austin on the other hand didn't feel anything. To make things even worse, Max didn't even bother to come to school that day. So much for trying to get some answers.

The rest of the day went by slowly and he still couldn't seem to find his focus.

The same thing happened the whole week. Max would not show up for school, causing Austin to worry and try to figure out why he was avoiding him.

Every night Austin tried to reach him on his phone as he flooded his boyfriend's phone with worried messages. None of them were ever even read.

Each night Austin cried himself to sleep. At the rate everything was happening, his work had even started to suffer, which was a clear indication of his stress level as he always did well in school. He was no longer a top student and he had even failed a test for the first time in his life!

Austin's life seemed to fall apart without Max and he didn't know why. What did he do so wrong that Max didn't even read his worried messages or answer his calls?

He no longer slept, nightmares haunted him every time he tried to close his eyes. All that gave him some form of peace were his brothers, his family.

He would sneak into Damon's room at night and ask if he could sleep on the bed with his brother, which of course Damon agreed to every time.

He couldn't stand this happening to Austin. It killed him even more because he knew what had happened but he couldn't bring himself to tell his brother.

Maybe that would have been the only way Austin could turn his life around. He needed to know why Max left him.

So, a few nights after Austin first started to sleep in his room, Damon waited for Austin to knock on his door and ask if he could stay in his room.

Damon sat his brother down on his bed and there and then he decided that Austin deserved to know everything. Every little detail.

"What did you want to talk about?" Austin asked before he sat down on Damon's bed, the dark circles under his eyes prominent against his tanned skin.

"It's about Max. I know why he hasn't contacted you," Damon said, his voice shaking. He needed to stay strong for Austin's sake.

"He hasn't been able to contact you because he's not here anymore. I'm so sorry for what I'm about to say but, Max is dead," Damon said, as he felt his heart break into a million pieces when he saw his brother's tired eyes turn glossy as floods of tears broke out from his sunken eyes.

Austin screamed in agony as he felt his heart being torn into pieces by the pain and grief that struck him all at once.

While all Damon could do was hold the crying boy and let him scream and curse and cry all he needed.

After a second scream, the other brothers came bursting into Damon's room, all of them panicked over the screams they heard.

When they saw the crying Austin collapse in Damon's arms tear paths visible on the oldest brother's face, they were surprised at the fact that Austin, who was always happy and cheery, was visibly crying his heart out.

Robert and Chris ran to embrace both of their brothers as they waited patiently, knowing that their brothers would eventually tell them what happened. They did not need to know the reason for their pain, all they needed to do was hold them.

Shortly after that, Austin passed out from exhaustion and all the boys left him to sleep in Damon's bed. Damon led the other boys down to the living room where he explained that Max had passed away.

After the initial shock had settled, they bombarded Damon with questions about the how, where, when and more, to which he had answered as best he could.

After a few minutes of silence had passed between the boys Chris asked his older brother one question that initiated a whole new string of questions.

"How do you know about all of this?" Chris asked, very suspicious over how Damon had gotten to know all the details.

"Well...I'm not proud of how I did it. Just know that I did it for Austin," their older brother said, as he rubbed his head, as he tried to get rid of a newly formed headache partly from the crying but also because of all of the thoughts that currently ran through his head.

"Of course. But the question still stands. How did you get to know that information?" Robert spoke as he voiced his thoughts.

"Well, let's just say I may know who did it, or at least who ordered someone to do it and you won't like what I have to say," Damon said as he looked each of his brothers in the eye.

"Go on, tell us so that we can help you with this," Chris said, his usually happy aura replaced by a grieving, depressing feeling.

"Father did it. He ordered someone to kill Max. I'm the only one that knows. That's why I can't tell Austin. If father found out that I knew, I can't predict what he'd do," Damon groaned as his headache started to throb more painfully.

"I don't get it," Robert said, as a confused look painted his face. "What don't you get about this, Rob?" Chris said, annoyed over how his brother could be so dense.

"I don't get why father would even want to kill him. It's not like he was a threat to father or something," Rob pointed out and Chris sighed audibly.

"That's where you're wrong Rob, Max would have threatened to destroy father's image. He wouldn't be able to handle losing power because one of his sons like men. So, what do you do when you have a problem? You either work it out or you get rid of it. Simple as that, and we all know father is not a talker, he's a do-er so that gives you your answer,"  Chris explained to his younger brother.

"I get it. But still, Austin loved Max and now he's gone...I can't begin to imagine what he must be feeling," Rob said, as his heart ached at the thought of his best friend and older brother's suffering.

The boys didn't hear Austin as he came down the stairs, as their backs all faced the main stairs that lead to their rooms.

He moved towards his oldest brother and tugged on the back of his shirt, like a small child trying to get an older person's attention.

"Damon," Austin sniffed, as the tears from earlier started to return. "I had a horrible dream. I dreamt that you told me that Max had died and that I was all alone," Austin said as he burst out crying all over again, Damon guided the younger boy onto the couch next to him, and he eased the younger male's crying to just some sniffing now and again.

"Austin, it wasn't a nightmare. And as much as I wish it was, the facts that Max died are real. But you are not alone. We are all here beside you, and we're never leaving ok?" Damon said to Austin, who just slightly nodded his head before he tucked his head in the crook of Damon's neck.

Once again, Austin cried himself to sleep, but luckily he had no more nightmares as he felt the love and support that came from his brothers, who all decided that they would sleep in their elder brother's room that night. Austin was lucky despite his grief. He had the greatest brothers in the world. He would be lost without them to keep him on the right path. He needed to remember that.

No matter what would come at them in the future, he knew he would always have his brothers there to support him and with those thoughts in his mind, he drifted off into sleep for the final time.