Chapter 92: Expectations

Kyle and Heath walked past the local gym, on their way to visit Brax at Angelo's restaurant, where he was now the manager. Heath stopped to look inside.

"What? You wanna join?" Kyle asked.

"Nah ya goose. What do I need to join a gym for? Look at me." Heath flexed his muscles.

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Right. Well, why'd you stop?"

"It's nothing." Heath replied.

"Sure…You keep telling me I have to talk. So now it's your turn." Kyle pushed.

Heath looked at Kyle. "You do realize I am older than you and I get to tell you what to do, not the other way around." Heath tackled Kyle.

"Only by a few years."

"Doesn't matter." Heath smirked and walked off, with Kyle chasing behind.

"You can't leave it like that. I saw you looking at something. Was it a girl?" Kyle teased.

"No." Heath scoffed.

"Was it a guy then?" Kyle laughed.

Heath turned back to his brother. "What? No! Just shut up will ya!"

"Not until you tell me what you found so interesting." Kyle pressured as he smirked.

Heath groaned. "Geez you're annoying."

"Yep, now spill." Kyle smiled proudly.

"You wouldn't understand." Heath replied.

"Try me."

Heath paused. "I'd like to do that okay."

"What?" Kyle asked causing Heath to sigh. Kyle wasn't making this easy for him.

"Be a personal trainer." Heath stated.

Kyle shrugged, like it was no big deal. "Why not?"

Heath turned away and scoffed, waving his hand in the air. "Are you kidding? I'm too dumb. I didn't complete my HSC or my year 10 certificate. I wouldn't get into it."

"How do you know? Have you tried?" Kyle asked.

"No."

"Well you can only try. Prove to everyone you're not stupid." Kyle encouraged.

Heath shook his head. "You're not gonna shut up about this are ya?"

"Nup."

"Fine, but if I'm no good, that's it."

Kyle smiled at him. "You won't know until you try." He teased.

Heath shook his head and pointed at him. "If you had grown up alongside me at our house, you wouldn't be so cocky. I'd have put you in your place."

"Well it's a good thing I didn't." Kyle smiled as they walked into the restaurant.

"Hey you two, what's up?" Brax greeted. "Hi." They replied and sat down at the bar.

"Heath wants to study to be a personal trainer." Kyle announced and Heath quickly slapped Kyle in the chest.

"Why'd you go sayin' that for?" Heath snapped annoyed.

Brax looked at Heath. "Really Heath?"

"Go on. Tell me I'm too stupid for that. That I'd only fail." Heath said.

"Heath I'm not going to say that." Brax replied.

"You're not?" Heath queried.

"Well now that you mention it…" Brax smirked, causing Heath to huff. "I'm kidding mate. That's great. I have all faith in you that you can do it." Brax smiled at his brother and Kyle raised his eyebrows in an, 'I told you no-one would think you couldn't do it' expression.

"Fine smarty, you were right." Heath said to Kyle. "Thanks Brax for having faith in me."

"Always mate. Especially if you're getting out and doing something with your life, as opposed to this guy." Brax pointed to Kyle. "Why haven't you got a job yet?"

Kyle shrugged, "nothing around." Brax sighed.

"There may be a position going here soon if you're interested." Brax said.

"Sure that would be great." Kyle smiled.

"Leave it with me." Brax handed them both a drink as Casey walked in.

"Hey mate, shouldn't you be at home studying?" Brax asked.

"Golden boy's given up already has he?" Heath teased.

"Shut up Heath and no I haven't given up. I just need a break." Casey defended.

"You going okay with your study?" Brax asked concerned.

"Yeah. Fine." Casey replied quietly, not wanting his brothers to know he was struggling with the workload. They all wanted him to complete his HSC, but it was so much pressure on him. He had been trying his best but he just could not retain any of the information or concentrate.

Heath slapped Casey on the back. "We'll see you back at home." Casey nodded.

Casey watched as his brother's left and Brax was busy attending to a customer. He didn't know what came over him, but he needed a distraction. Casey snuck behind the counter and into the cellar, grabbing the smallest alcohol bottle he could find and stuffed it into his school bag.

As Casey rushed out he almost ran into Brax. "Casey. What are you doing in there?" Brax asked surprised.

"Ah I was looking for you, I wanted a soft drink." Casey replied nervously.

"I was out here the whole time. You should have seen me." Brax added suspiciously.

"Um, yeah I guess I've just been confused with all the study." Casey lied.

"I'll say. Here" Brax handed Casey a soft drink. "But next time wait for me before you go out the back hey?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Casey replied quietly.

"It's alright. I'll see you at home later. Good luck with your studies." Casey smiled and headed back home.

After sitting in his room for over an hour, staring at his notes, Casey gave up and walked back outside. Casey looked inside his bag and saw the alcohol bottle, he felt guilty for stealing it from his brother's restaurant and decided not to drink it after all and started to walk back to the restaurant to return it when he was stopped by one of his mates from school.

"Hey Casey. Whatcha doin' out here?"

"Just taking a break from study." Casey replied.

"Same here. It's doing my head in. Hey you wanna come for a drive? I'm headed down to the beach where some of us guys are having a party."

Casey wasn't so sure, he wanted to clear his head, but he was on his way to return the stolen alcohol.

"Ah...Sure." Casey got into his friend's car and placed his bag on the floor.

Casey heard his phone ring and so opened his bag to answer it. "Hey Brax."

"Case where are you? Heath called me complaining about you leaving the back door unlocked." Casey gulped he had been so fazed he had forgotten.

"Sorry Brax, I had to get some fresh air. I'm just out with my friend Seb. That's okay isn't it?"

Brax sighed. "Alright, but don't neglect your studies. I want you back home by five."

"I know." Casey hung up his phone.

Whilst Casey was talking to Brax, Seb had noticed the alcohol in Casey's bag.

"Holding out on us mate?"

"Huh?"

"The grog in there." Seb replied.

Casey then remembered the alcohol in his bag. "It's nothing."

"Come on Casey, share. Is this how you've been keeping up with study?" Seb joked.

"No...I..."

Seb swerved as he reached into Casey's bag for the alcohol.

"Seb don't! Give it back!" Casey shouted.

"What? One little drink won't hurt."

"Seb come on man." Casey pleaded.

"Casey don't be such a spoil sport." Seb pulled the alcohol out and opened up the bottle and took a large gulp.

"Seb!"

Now what was Casey to do, he couldn't return the alcohol now? Casey slumped back in his seat. Seb waved the alcohol in Casey's face. "Come on Case, take a sip."

"No and you shouldn't be drinking either Seb, you're driving!" Casey snapped annoyed and tried to pull the bottle from Seb's hand.

"Relax Casey, nothing's gonna happen. I've drank alcohol and driven plenty of times. You just need to chill and clear your head from this HSC stuff."

Seb took his eyes off the road for a mere few seconds and didn't see the truck coming around the corner as he ran the stop sign. All Casey heard next was the screeching tyres of the car as Seb spun the car out of control, before it crashed into a road barrier.

Casey stood in shock as the paramedics wheeled his friend into the ambulance, where Casey soon found himself escorted.

Brax arrived home at 7pm and to saw Kyle and Heath watching TV. "Hey." Brax greeted.

"Hey" They replied.

"Brought us home some dinner. Casey!" Brax called.

"He isn't home." Kyle replied.

"Probably fallen asleep at the library or something." Heath joked, not taking his eyes off the TV.

"No...He met up with some friend." Brax replied concerned.

Brax took his phone out and dialed Casey's number. "Case you have work to do, get home."

Brax handed some food to Kyle and Heath and sat down. "When you guys were at the bar this afternoon did either of you see anyone go behind the bar and take any alcohol?"

The boys shook their head. "Why?" Kyle asked.

"I went down to the cellar later on and found a bottle missing."

"Nup, we didn't see a thing." Heath spoke.

Brax relaxed his shoulders, "the only thing...I caught Casey down there this afternoon and he said he was looking for me when he knew I was in the restaurant serving people."

Heath shrugged. "The kid wouldn't be that stupid."

Brax began to worry as he connected the two together, Casey being late, and the missing alcohol. Brax got out his phone to call Casey again when the phone rang.

Kyle stood up to answer it. "Hello, this is emergency services calling from Mangrove River hospital. We are looking for a Mr Darryl Braxton, we have his brother Casey here."

Kyle waved for Brax to approach. "It's about Casey, it's the hospital."

Brax shot up and grabbed the phone and Heath stood to listen in. "Hello, this is Darryl Braxton. What's happened to my brother Casey?"

"Casey has been brought into the emergency ward after a car accident that occurred late this afternoon."

"I'll be right there." Brax quickly hung up the phone. "Casey's been in a car accident."

"What? Is he okay?" Heath asked.

"I'm about to find out." Heath and Kyle followed Brax to his car as he drove to the hospital.

When they reached the hospital, Brax, Heath and Kyle were guided towards Casey's room.

"Casey has sustained minor injuries and concussion. It appeared he was a passenger in a car with a young boy who was drunk driving."

"What happened to the other kid?" Brax asked, figuring it may have been Casey's friend Seb.

"He's in a coma, he sustained extensive injuries." Brax nodded.

"Casey should be right to go home in a day or two."

The three brothers walked into Casey's room and saw their brother sitting up in the bed, not saying anything when he saw his brothers.

"Geez Case, what were you thinking getting into a car with someone who was drinking? If you weren't in that bed right now I'd slap you upside the head for being such an idiot." Heath spoke.

"You could have been killed." Kyle added.

Casey ignored his brothers and couldn't get the thought out of his mind that the accident was his fault. Brax leaned down and stared at his baby brother.

"Case what happened?" Brax questioned sternly.

"He wasn't drinking before I got in the car." Casey whispered.

"So how'd he start?" Brax asked.

"How is Seb?" Casey changed the subject.

Brax sighed, "Case, he's in a bad way."

"This is my fault." Casey sighed.

"What makes you think it was your fault? He was the one drinking right? You weren't drinking too were you? Because if I find out you've been drinking underage..." Brax warned.

"I wasn't." Casey whispered.

"Okay, so back to how he got started with the drinking. Where did the alcohol come from if he didn't have it to begin with?" Brax questioned.

Casey sighed. "He saw I had a bottle of alcohol in my bag when he came to pick me up."

"How did you get your hands on alcohol Casey?" Brax demanded, having a fair idea where this was going.

"I was struggling with my studies and I wasn't thinking...I took the alcohol from your restaurant when I went into the cellar today."

Brax glared at Casey and Heath scoffed. "Geez Case you're game."

"I was on my way to returning it...honest. I changed my mind about drinking it. I initially thought it would clear my head but then I felt guilty about stealing it from you Brax and I was going to give it back when Seb drove past me and asked me to hang out with him...I tried to stop him drinking it, but..." Casey stopped distressed.

"This wasn't meant to happen. I only wanted something to get my mind off my HSC." Casey finished.

Brax placed his hand around Casey's neck. "Your mate will be alright Case, this wasn't your fault."

"Yeah Case, you said yourself you tried to stop him drinking. It was an accident, one that we're lucky we didn't lose you." Heath added.

Brax raised his eyebrows at Casey. "I asked you if you were okay with everything. We're all here to support you Casey. We know it's a tough time for you. I just wish you'd come to any of us before you made that choice."

"Yeah, I mean I would have helped you if you were struggling with your HSC, I know how hard it is when I done mine." Kyle spoke.

"Kyle's right and I'm always here if you need to talk and even Heath is there for you, despite how he acts towards you." Brax explained.

"I'm sorry I just didn't think." Casey whispered.

Brax sighed and sat back down next to Casey's bed. "Just so we're clear, you don't ever steal from me again otherwise..." Brax punched his fist in his hand. "Understood?"

Casey nodded. "I didn't mean to worry you guys." Casey spoke as he turned to his brothers.

Heath and Kyle smiled at Casey and walked to his bed. "Worried? Who? You may have worried Brax and Kyle here butme…" Heath stood tall.

The brothers laughed. "I heard you ranting about how worried you were when we heard about the accident." Brax stated.

Heath looked away andCasey laughed. "I was only doing it so no-one else had too."

"Get real." Brax rolled his eyes.

"Just admit it Heath." Casey teased.

"Stay out of it squirt." Heath denied.

Brax, Kyle, and Casey burst out laughing at their brother and Heath faltered. "Okay I admit it. You had me worried squirt." He ruffled Casey hair.

"Not so hard was it?"Brax laughed receiving a grunt from Heath.