-AWAY-

Kyle's POV

We hadn't seen Thorn for like a hundred years. Kidding, but seriously he's not showing his face to us nowadays we even calls him but he ends the call, we've tried calling Francine but we can't reach her as well. I'm wondering what happened to them and I'm getting worried, I just hope that everything is alright.

"He picked up yet?" Chase, with a can of beer in his hand asked as I shook my head, lifting my phone for him to see the rejected call.

"As asual.."I paused before thinking, "what if, let's just drive our ass off his house? Great idea isn't it?"

"Yeah great idea," rolling his eyes on me before laughing, "why didn't you think of it earlier than wasting our time here calling him?"

"I wonder too." I smirked then fished out the keys in my pocket as Chase followed me after gulping down all of the remaining beer on his can.

Chase turned before he can reach the door that made me turn too, realizing Bruce isn't coming with us. "Hey man, you coming?" Chase asked.

"Dude as much as I wanted to come with you guys, I can't..not right now." His hands are placed on his head as his elbows are resting on his knees while he's looking down.

He seems like he's in a big trouble, I wonder what's wrong with him.

As if on a cue, Chase went back on the couch sitting next to him before speaking, "What's wrong Bruce?"

I just leaned on the door frame while looking at them, one hand on my pocket.
"Dude, my dad.. he arranged a dinner for me ..to meet my.. fiance." Damn, so that's the problem. I don't think people will like to marry someone that they don't even love or they know. In short, his father wants him to marry a stranger, that shit sucks.

"Do you know her?" I asked, fidgeting my keys on my fingers in the air waiting for his response.

"Obviously not, hell I don't even know her name nor her face or how old is she. My dad basically told me to just get to know her when I'm there. I'm so fucked up man I don't want to be married to a girl that I hardly know." Chase patted his shoulder gently rubbing it to calm him down as he exclaimed those words. This must've been really hard for him. I feel bad for him because he's my friend; best friend.

Bruce's father was a strict man.. me, Thorn and Chase even walked in a rough path just to be Bruce friend because of his father. He's a popular lawyer and his mother is working as a designer from a popular clothing brand. They're rich; like us. But, unlike him.. my parents are divorced, after my sister's death they never had the good relationship and they're always shouting and fighting the whole time, blaming each other for her death until they grew tired with each other and got divorced without even considering my feelings. I hated them for that but now I'm fine with it. I can survive on my own literally and I don't need them anymore, I can already stand up in my own feet, plus they already have their own family and I don't give a damn about them anymore. Thorn's case is another, he lost his parents; both of them and now he's alone so does Francine. That's why I'm worrying right now because we can't contact either one of them.

"Why don't you try and give them a chance? Who knows, it'll gonna bring good to you." This time Chase is the one who talked to him. I'm not good at advising about this matters because I don't know; I'm still a sucker at my first love. I never dared to approached her but I'm already planning to, I just hope that it will go well because if I fail, I'm sure I'm gonna burn my ass and give it up.

"I don't know bro, I'm gonna think about it." Bruce sighed heavily in defeat as he straightened his posture only to slouched on the chair. "I don't think I can come with you today guys, I'm really sorry..just smack Thorns head for me." And we laughed at his statement.

Chased stood up tapping Bruce's shoulder and he nodded at us with a smile, I unglued myself on the door then stood up straight. "You sure you're gonna be alright?" I asked and he just laughed at me before throwing pillows saying that he'll be alright.

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We were knocking for like hours in front of Thorns house and no one's answering, I'm really getting worried and at the same time getting curious about what happened to them. Damn, they're not opening up to us.

"Is there anything we can do to get inside without them opening it?" I asked Chase annoyed as he shoved me a little out of the way then bends over to lift the welcome doormat on the door.

"What's that?" I asked curiously, peeking on it. As he stands up, a shiny metal clung on his fingers as I realized it's a key.

"Spare keys bro, Thorns mom been keeping this key under that doormat for emergencies and I guess, this is counted as an emergency." A smirked plastered on his face which I copied then he inserts the key on the doorknobs hole, twitching it around as we heard a clicked inside. Woah! It's a success. Now, we have to go inside to find out if there's still someone living in this house.

"Thorn? We coming in." Chase knocked on the door before going inside as the sight of the living room shocked us.

There lied empty bottles of beer as the junk foods are scattered everywhere you'll almost think this is a garbage bin. Clothes are on the floor as the smell of smoke lingers on the air making us cough, there's a bottle of beer undone on the table and the TV was playing but no one's watching.

"Damn, what happened here?" I questioned more like to myself as we continued to get inside. I noticed the mirror on the middle of their window, cracked and there's a trace of blood on it that became dry.

Seriously, what the hell happened in here.

"Fuck, we need to find him." Chase exclaimed before we heard a groan coming from the kitchen.

Me and Chase quickly ran towards the kitchen only to be trip by someones sticking feet.
"Shit." I cursed before landing on the floor, my face fell flat on the floor then I sat down rubbing my nose. Chase didn't landed on the floor because the lucky bastard holds on to the counter before falling.

"What the fuck Thorn!" I looked at where Chase's eyes is and found Thorn lying down on the cold tiled floor, half naked and his face is red. He's fucking drunk.

He's mumbling something that we can't understand. Shit, how did this happen and where the fuck is Francine. No one kidnapped her, right?

Pulling his both hands, Chase successfully pulled him up to stand as we assist him towards the living room, dropping him on the couch.

Chase went back to the kitchen, maybe to get some medicine or water as I sat across him.

"What the hell happened Thorn? And where the fuck is Francine, don't tell me someone kidnapped her!?"

He looked at me with his half hooded eyes before smiling, "Yeah..someone..kidn..apped her." He slurs as I became more worried than ever. I stood up taking my phone out my pocket, ready to call the cops when he started to speak again that made my fingers froze in the air.

"She left me..she fucking left me, that..that guy Grayson!" He started to shout. "He took her away from me! Fuck it..she..she left me with that Grayshit, Kyle. She fucking choose to go with him than to stay with me." His voice grew weaker as he completely sit on the couch. Chase is already here with a basin full of water in his hand and a towel hanging on his shoulder. He paused but then sit next to me after placing down the basin and towel on the table.

"What happened?" Chase asked. I wanted to know what happened too.

It's as if in just one snapped of a finger he became sober but his face remained red and his eyes are still half hooded as he stared at the both of us.

"I like her--no, scratch that.. I love her." His sudden confession didn't surprised us both. I mean it's not like I'm stalking him or what, I just know it. I'm not that dumb to not sense and see the way he looks at her whenever she's around him, on when he gets jealous about the things around her as if they're gonna take her away from him. I know my friend and I know that he loves Francine.

We stayed silent and let him talk.

"From the very first moment that I laid my eyes on her I already knew that I fell in love with her. I know I told you guys how much I hate her but deep inside me, that's not what I feel. I fucking love her but I made a mistake.." he balled his fist on his knees as he looked down, regretting something.

"What did you do?" I asked as he lifted his head towards me then shakes it before smiling to himself, faintly.

"I did things that I know she wouldn't like. I..I fucking harassed her because bullshit, I don't know how to express myself to her and that night after the burial when we saw her with Grayson..I almost..raped her." Fuck, so that's what happened.

"I wanna blame it all to the alcohol but I know myself that I'm in my right mind. I was sorry for what I did and I'm doing everything I can just to be forgiven by her but when I knocked on her door I heard her talking with that asshole and asking for help to get her outta here. I got furious and tried to stop her and then there..I confessed my feelings but she took it as a joke. She told me that maybe I'm just infatuated at her and it'll eventually fade and I'll forget her but, shit..I know what I'm feeling and I love her.. she still left me though. She left me." I can't imagine what happened. The guy that we know that can get girls even without making an effort is wasting himself for a girl that left him alone. I couldn't get mad at Francine for leaving Thorn even though he's my friend, he is at fault too. I feel bad about him though, just by looking at him right now. I can say that he's really hurting.

"I liked her too..maybe not as much as you love her but I like her more than just a step cousin." Chase started and I looked at him with wide eye so does Thorn. Is he trying to get himself killed?

"But, I already got over it. We can't be together Thorn.. she's off limits to me and I realized that I'm just admiring her, not like you..you love her so much to the core that she even made you to drunk your ass off because of her." Thorns face softens as he smiled at Chase faintly and I let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, I do really love her but she hates me now and she choose that asshole over me." He sighed in defeat as Chase stands up to walked to him.

They say on the same couch as I watched them silently. They're really cousins. "If you fucking love her then don't let other guy have her. Fuck it man, you're Thorn Reeve and Reeve's don't give up. You should fight for her and take her back. Take what you lost back."

"Yeah, I agree." I raised my hand in the air like a student as they both chuckled.

"You're right guys I should fight for this fucking love I have for her but not now. I need to get away because it feels like I can't take this all." He muttered giving us a genuine smile that we returned.

Chase smacked his head that made him looked at him with widened eyes.
"What the fuck was that for!?" He asked, his hand rubbing the spot where Chase smacked his head and I just laughed.

"Bruce told us to just smack your head for him. Dude, he's going to have fiance." I'm the one who answered him.

"Damn that guy, is he alright though?" Chase and I both nodded and he sighed in relief.

"Sooooo, away? Where are you planning to go then?" I asked as he looked up the ceiling before answering my question.
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..."London."