Chapter 2: We Change Our Minds

Braelyn POV

Sam Looked miserable, but she still managed to spare me a sad smile before leaving for class. She was the strongest person I knew.

"Hey babe." I jumped to see Brandon. He put his arm around me. I smelled Kathy on him and tried to hide my rage.

"Hey." I said as we headed for science. Jared followed us at our heels.

"So what time should we be over at your house tomorrow?" I glanced back at Jared and smiled.

"Around seven. Mom has to be there by eleven and it will take a few hours to get there." Brandon nodded, but he wouldn't met my gaze for a few seconds and I frowned. Something didn't sit right in the pit of my stomach. I glanced back. "I still have to talk to mom about you Jared, but I'll have Brandon call you, kay?" He nodded, and I saw a flash of anger, it was gone before I could respond.

"Well I'll call you, see you in a bit." Brandon kissed my cheek and darted into a classroom. That left Jared and I alone again.

"Sigh. Is there something Brandon isn't telling me you think?" I asked. He walked with a slouch, but I could sense the power behind him. He shrugged.

"Maybe I could find out. He seems very attached to that Kathy chick." I seethed at that.

"She's such a slut." I spat out before I could stop myself. Jared smirked at that.

"Ya I see that." He chuckled. I liked the sound of his laugh. I sighed stopping outside of my classroom. Math. I hated math. I sighed.

"I'll see ya Jared."

"See you later...Braelyn." His voice shivered down my spine the rest of the day.

Jared POV

If there was one thing I wanted more than my goddess, it was to wring Brandon's scrawny little neck. I watched as Kathy's tongue slid into Brandon's mouth, and wanted to murder them both. When the slut slithered off I ambushed my friend.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I snarled. Brandon jumped about a foot in the air and cursed, cheeks reddening shame.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about." He stammered, blue eyes darting back and forth.

"The denial of the century." I snarled, looming over him. Brandon's shame turned to anger.

"What's it to you?" The ginger snapped. He was a head shorter and hardly intimidating.

"How could you possibly think of cheating on Braelyn? She has done nothing but love you!" I roared, Brandon cringing back in fear.

"Bro, calm down." He squeaked. Rage built within me and I picked Brandon up by the shirt.

"You never deserved her!"

"Jared!" I was so surprised that I dropped Brandon when I turned around. Sam stood clutching her books to her chest, hazel eyes wide. But not with fear.

"He isn't worth it. Come on." She turned on her heel and despite his urge to crush Brandon like a twig. I followed her. I caught up to her, but she continued walking. She was so tiny it was hard to look at her.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" She questioned. Sam reminded me of my Nana Hawthorn. I thought of Braelyn and her happiness, was it right to ruin that, to burden Sam with the message?

"No probably not."

"Alright. Can I offer you some advice?" I nodded and they paused. She unnerved me.

"It's okay to be angry Jared. You don't have to hide it." I flinched.

"What?" I questioned. She smiled, but it was sad.

"You anger. I know why you hide, because for awhile I had it too. But your anger can help you. Hell if I didn't have my anger I'd be dead. But anger can be a hindrance as well. Having anger and learning to control it is having strength. All good things to those who wait." I gazed at her in wonder. She was so mature. Too mature. She had been damaged.

"Th-thank you." She smiled and was suddenly a sixteen year old girl again.

"No problem." She said walking backwards, then turned on her heel and was gone.

Sam POV

Jared had Bradon pinned against the wall and I could almost feel his rage. Before I could think I shouted his name. He whirled around and the look in his face was rather frightening.

"He isn't worth it. Come on." I turned before I would do something stupid like ask questions. When he followed me, I had a second of surprise when he suddenly appeared. I asked a question then.

"Do I want to know what that was about?" Never hound someone with questions, you may not like the answers. He paused and frowned.

"No, probably not." I internally sighed. That was respectable, to not hound him.

"Alright. Can I offer you some advice?" Get permission to nag, ya that's nice Sam. But to her surprise he nodded. Odd. But I took advantage of my new student. "It's okay to be angry don't have to hide it." He flinched.

"What?" He was caught off guard. I was good at doing that. As I explained, I tried to tone down the teacher within me. I hated to nag. I talked about myself because I had been in his position, and had no one to tell me what to do. He looked at me in understanding when I was done, seeing through me. I smiled and he blinked. Good. I left before he could see too much, because while I had just nagged at him for hiding, he had nearly 200 pounds of muscle behind him. I only had my anger and her strength.

Braelyn POV

"Finally the last hour of the day.. Could this get any longer?" I sighed sitting down in my seat. Sam nodded, to engrossed in her book to reply properly. I chuckled and got out my homework. 2 minutes later Brandon bounded into the classroom.

"Hey babe." He said, glancing swiftly at Sam. She looked at him then returned to her book, face neutral.

"Hey…" I said as he sat down next to me. He kissed my cheek and i tried not to flinch. What's wrong with me? But class started and my odd behavior was lost.

…

"Hey Brae, can I get a ride home?" I turned to see Sam jogging up to me.

"Sure. Are you sure you can't come this weekend?" She shook her head, her eyes clouded with utmost panic.

"I can't leave my mom. I don't want her sickness to get worse." I saw my mom parked outside and we raced for the car. As I smiled softly at my friend.

"Hey mom." Sam said. She was my "un papered" sister.

"Hey." She responded. In reality, I am way more like my dad, I have his hair and his eyes, but my mom and I have a sort of preference for art, which is why I enjoy her art shows.

"Mom, Brandon wants to bring Jared, is that okay?" She paused in thought.

"How good of friends are you with him?" Sam's head snapped up.

"Oh he hangs out with us all the time." I said.

"Isn't he the one with the grey hair?" Mom said.

"Ya." I responded. Sam nodded.

"He's actually pretty cool. He just needs to talk more. I like to compare him to a big teddy bear." Sam said this so off handedly and nonchalant that mom frowned for a second and nodded.

"Sure, but I want to meet him." I tried not to smile triumphantly.

"Okay." I smiled back at sam and she nodded in response. She knew how much she had just done, and didn't like me gushing. I took out my phone and texted Brandon:

'Jared can come, did your mom confirm?'

It took a second before he responded.

'Not yet, I'm still on the bus.'

'Kk.'

I put my cell away and we pulled up to Sam's house.

"Thanks for the ride. See you on Monday."

"Yep." We watched her disappear inside her house before driving away.

Jared POV

The text came with mild annoyance, 'Braelyn says you can go this weekend. If you say anything about what you saw, I'll kill you. Thank you.'

I thought that Brandon's tiny vocabulary was amusing. I was walking home, because I had missed the bus, and the wind cut me deep. I dreaded going home to father. Father hated me.

'I didn't need to ask permission to go, I would simply leave. Father would not notice.' I counted on my absence. My phone rang. It wasn't Braelyn.

"Hello." It wasn't a question.

"Adrian wants to know where you are?" The voice was greasy.

"I missed the bus. Walking home. Tell father that I'm building character."

*Click*

Father didn't want his only power disappearing without a trace. Leo was his caretaker and did a lousy job. He was missing three fingers because of it.

I lived on the far side of town in a three story mansion. But that was not where I walked. Instead I went three miles out of town into a very large warehouse. Two screams sounded before I opened the door.

"I TOLD YOU NEVER TO CALL ME THAT!" My father roared. The whore's scream was peircing. I walked into the hall where she was crumpled on the floor, eyes wide. My father was a well kept man with deep Austrian features. He always wore a suit. His hazel eyes narrowed when he saw me.

"And just where the hell have you been?" Three greasy men carried the whore's body from the room. She would be never found.

"Leo needs to lose another finger." Was my response before turning and getting in the back seat of a limo. It smelled of hair grease and sorrow. Leo got in the drivers seat.

"You're killing me kid." He said.

"You're killing yourself comrade." Was me reply.

Brandon POV

I thought Jared was psychotic. The dumbass thought he could stop me from doing what I wanted. Or who. Kathy met me at my house.

"You shouldn't go to that art show." We were lying on my bed.

"Why?"

"Because Braelyn doesn't deserve you." Her shirt was off, but not her bra.

"Oh really?" I said. My voice was thick.

"She's disgusting." It came out as a hiss. I sheid and busied myself by undressing her. She stopped me.

"No. No sex, unless you don't go this weekend." I couldn't think. I was using the wrong head.

"Okay."

"Send the text tonight."

"Okay."

Jared POV

I would go to Braelyn's house invited. The invitation came via text message from the goddess herself.

'Be here at 8a.m. -Brae'

'Okay.'

I packed an overnight bag and started walking. Braelyn lived six miles from me, but I had at least 8 hours to spare.

"And where are you going?" I paused in the threshold of the door and turned to face my father.

"I'm going to an art show."Adrian wore silk to bed. His scowl would have been intimidating to anyone else but me.

"Don't forget your knife." Was all my father said before turning on his heel. Spineless bastard.

I reached the house at 7:56 and waited 2 minutes before ringing the doorbell. Braelyn's mother was beautiful, for her age and I wondered who the father was.

"You must be Jared. Come in."

Braelyn POV

The doorbell rang and I wiped my face, and my hand came away wet with tears. I reread the text again and my anger was new.

'I can't come, sorry, mom grounded me because of my F in history.'

It was a damn lie that I couldn't face. Sam's text stung worse.

'I saw Kathy on the wrong side of town last night. Everything okay?'

I assured myself Brandon wasn't lying, he wasn't cheating and composed myself. Thank god my eyes didn't puff up when I cried. I went downstairs to find my mom and Jared sitting in the couch talking.

"And here is sleeping beauty now." I simply rolled my eyes and sat next to Jared.

"Well I've done my analysis and he can come. This boy knows quite a lot about art."

"Brandon can't come." I said bluntly. Mom sighed but nodded.

"That's fine. Well, are we all set?" Jared nodded and so did I.

"Than lets go."

Brandon POV

I sent the text with slight guilt. Kathy practically purred in the corner.

"It's okay. She won't catch on." That wasn't the point but Kathy moved then and I couldn't think anymore.

Sam POV

I was walking my dog, trying to stifle the grief in my chest when I saw Kathy walking down the street. Odd. Kathy lived in the slums, and never came here unless she was visiting. So who was she visiting? Not Braelyn surely. Worry bloomed in me and got home quickly to grab my phone. Mommy was sleeping peacefully, the sound of the monitor was steady.

Jared POV

Sitting behind Braelyn was exhilarating. The back of her head was amazing. I enjoyed Braelyn's mother.

"So Jared, what's your favorite class?" Any class your daughter is in wouldn't be a good answer.

"English." I said instead.

"That's Sam's too. Seems everyone enjoys reading." I nodded.

"I assume your favorite class was art?" I asked. Braelyn's mom chuckled.

"Actually it was science, my art teacher was a bag." Soon Braelyn Joined in the conversation and the awkward silence never broke in. Braelyn was something perfect in my eyes, and he enjoyed every minute he had with her. Jared and Braelyn were goofing off and giggling together like best friends when the car lurched.

"Shit!" Braelyn's mom cursed

"Mom!" Braelyn gasped. The car beside them had swerved and sped ahead. I looked at the car and saw it was a black Mercedes, and sitting in the passengers side was Adrian. Adrian gave me a pointed look before the car sped off.

"What the hell was that about?" I had to get a hold in my initial shock.

"I..don't know. Crazy maybe?" Braelyn laughed.

Braelyn POV

I soon realized really quick that Jared could be an awesome addition to the group. He was funny and he knew how to keep a conversation going. When we got to our hotel, I realized my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. He was awesome to talk to because he never let the conversation dry up. The hotel room was two beds and a scouch. I would be sleeping with my mom, obviously. But first, the art show, which would be in three hours.

Three hours of looking for any attractions Jared and I could find while mom went to talk with her art dealer. Mom gave us each $50.

"The fair is in town. I know it's a little chilly so wear a jacket. Call me if you anywhere besides the fair or the mall." I nodded. Then she turned to Jared. "Three hours." She said. "Don't try anything."

"Mom!" I protested, but Jared looked sincere.

"Three hours. If a plane were to crash or a car to explode, I would still bring her back to you in three hours." Mom looked pleased.

"Alright, be careful, I love you." We left for the fair.

To say I had a blast wouldn't even begin to describe how much fun those three hours were. And it was never awkward, not even when I tripped and he had to grab me to keep me from falling. We were laughing when we came into the exhibit. Then Jared paused, eyes trailing my mother's paintings, and such a look of awe appeared on his face that I smiled.

"Um, Jared? You okay?" Mom asked.

"Mrs. Jones, these are wonderful." Mom blushed. He turned to look at her. "I'm serious, this is amazing." I nudged my mom.

"See, I told you." I whispered. Boy were we right. One painting sold for fifteen hundred, another for seventeen hundred.

Mom was ecstatic. That night, as I slowly fell asleep, I realized this was the first time, in a long time, that I had not revolved around Brandon.

Brandon POV

When I could think again, I wanted to hide. Not because I felt guilty, but because Sam was at my door, glaring at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked me. He had just woken up, and wasn't fully awake.

"What? What do you mean?"

"What are you doing? You told Braelyn you were busy all weekend. Yet I see you sleeping in, why did you lie?" Sam was the type of person that was unpredictable, so I hesitated and Sam pushed me up against my door, arm under my chin, shadowed eyes wild. "You listen here, Brandon, you even think of hurting her, I will make ruining your life my personal challenge, got it?" Then I noticed she was shaking, and the shadows under her eyes were deeper.

"Sam…are you okay?" Her eyes widened a bit before she suddenly let me go and walked away.

Sam POV

I hadn't meant to attack Brandon, but I was so pissed. The doctor today told me that mommy had an equivalent of three years to live. Maximum. I wanted to punch someone. Now Brandon was lying to Braelyn. Things were changing. Change was never good in my eyes. Change brought heartache and tears, most times bloodshed…

Kathy POV

I needed to get Sam out of the picture. If I didn't, Braelyn would ruin everything. I loathed that little bitch. Everyone loved her, but I saw through her charm. Saw Braelyn as the stuck up cunt she was and now Sam decided to be the noble one, always protecting Braelyn. Sam had good intentions, but she was too good. I have to do something before my plans were ruined. So, time to do some damage control. I was halfway to Sam's house before something prickled in my memory. Sam's mom. I, deep in her heart, did not want to cause Sam anymore stress because her mom was dying. But if I wanted to ruin Braelyn I would have to get to Sam. So I walked to the cursed house and gently knocked on the door. Sam answered, tired groggy and looking so small. I gathered myself and glared.

"You attacked Brandon. Why? He doesn't deserve to be bitched at by you Sam, don't be so selfish, god, so he stayed home? What's the matter with that? You don't own him and neither does Braelyn-"

"Stop." Sam didn't shout, but it rang through me and it made me feel guilty. Guilt was new. My face screwed up in anger and I continued ranting until Sam started to cry. It was pitiful and sad and scared me.

"I'm sorry." Sam sobbed and closed the door on me. I stared in surprise and mentally shook myself. My goal had been reached. Off to Brandon's. I felt slimy.

Jared POV

I thought that I could do this forever, and tried to make the most of my last day. When we got home, it was dark.

"Mom can I walk Jared halfway home?" Braelyn asked. I stared in surprise.

"Sure honey, call if you need me." Braelyn nodded and we left, side by side, talking. Except, it was different. Braelyn was more open, happy, never mentioned Brandon and always smiled at me. We were walking past the cemetery, Braelyn wearing my coat against the chill, when I saw it. A black Cadillac sitting idle on the side of the road. I stopped, thinking quickly. If Adrian had something out for Braelyn, then I had to do something.

"Braelyn." I said. She turned and there was something in her gaze, that made my heart stop.

"Yes?" Braelyn came closer. Too close. Not close enough.

"I…" I couldn't breathe.

"Yes?" Braelyn was inches away, dark eyes so close. She leaned up, and kissed me.