*Max's P.O.V*

Flashback

"Max, come downstairs. I have good news for you." My dad's voice echoes throughout the house. I turned off my laptop and jumped from the bed.

"Coming, Dad," I replied, going downstairs. As soon as I reached the first floor, Dad took me in his arms and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, slightly confused.

"I'm so proud of you, Max," he said, breaking the embrace.

"Um, thanks, Dad." My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, I'm also very happy," my mother said and smiled proudly.

"What happened, Mom?" I asked finally.

"You nailed it, son. You got the 'best student of the year' award," she said chirpily.

What? My jaw dropped.

"I got an invitation from your principal. They're organizing the ceremony in two days. You're at the top of your high school. Finally, my son is going to college. I am so happy today," my father said.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. My exams went pretty well but I didn't expect to be at the top. It was a huge thing, and I desperately wanted it, since I promised my dad that I wouldn't ever let him down with my studies.

"Yes, and now, as I promised, you are going to Hawaii on a month-long trip," he said and gave me a bright smile.

"Max, congratulations, buddy." Cole came running from the main gate and hugged me. "As part of the plan, we are going to Hawaii! Yes!" Cole exclaimed.

I gave him a glare and signaled him to shut up. It was our plan, but I didn't want to disclose it yet, since my father was very strict and would never agree on it. We had a deal with our father that whoever got the highest marks would get a trip to Hawaii, but Cole never bothered to study hard, since he didn't like studying.

We were opposites in every way. He liked to party, and I liked books. I liked to stay home, whereas he liked to roam the city. However, despite our differences, we loved each other. I had promised Cole that I would go with him only. I was planning on talking with Dad about it, but he ruined everything by saying it at the wrong moment.

"What?" my dad angrily asked. "You are not going with him."

"Why?" Cole asked, getting irritated.

"Because you passed on a slim margin, and that's probably only because of my name. If you wanted to go, then why didn't you study hard instead of getting wasted?" Dad yelled at Cole.

"Your dad is right. You should have studied hard, and now you lost it, so you better stay at home," my mother added disappointedly.

"I don't want to study! I don't like it!" Cole shouted.

"Don't shout at your mother, and it's not about what you like. You have to study hard if you want anything in life," Dad hissed.

"I don't need to do anything. I already have everything," Cole said as he jumped on the couch and pulled out his iPhone.

I groaned mentally. He would ruin everything with his childish behavior. I decided to put some sense into his pea-sized brain.

"Cole," I whispered in his ear, "Don't make a scene. Just go upstairs. I'll talk to Dad. We are going together, don't worry. Just shut your mouth right now."

"No, I'm not going anywhere. This is really unfair. They can't force me to stay home while my brother is enjoying Hawaii just because I don't like to study." Cole stood up, stomping his foot.

"Cole, what the hell are you saying?" my mother asked angrily.

"Yeah, you just want us to study and study and study. Dad, I'm not Max, who would do anything you say. I have my own way of thinking, and I need a break. So I'm going with Max." Cole declared, and my jaw dropped by his sudden outburst.

What the hell he was doing?

"Don't talk to me like that," Dad glared at him. "And fine, you want to go, right? Then, go. I won't stop you."

Cole smiled in victory and winked at me. I just shook my head.

"But I won't give you a single penny for it. Go earn your own money for the trip," Dad said, making him furious.

Cole took a step towards him and shouted, "What the hell? How could I earn such a big amount? It's been decided. Either we are going together, or Max isn't going either."

Oh God, what should I do now? I can't say no to Cole, but I can't go against my dad either.

My dad looked in my direction and waited for my response, but I was glued to my position. I was in deep shock with the sudden argument. I looked to my mother for help, and she gave me a knowing nod.

"Cole, stop talking nonsense. You have no right to stop Max. He deserves the trip, since he really studied hard for it. Stop being selfish, and let him enjoy his life," my mother scolded him.

"And what about my life, Mom? You both love him as if he's the only son you have!" Cole shouted at Mom.

"Cole, shut your mouth right now." I suddenly shouted, getting irritated by his behavior.

Cole's eyes widened hearing this. It was very rare for me to shout at him. I sighed, realizing it. "Cole, why are you creating a scene? We will talk about it later. Just go right now, please."

"It's already been decided, and stop telling me what to do!" he yelled.

"Macy, please take him upstairs. Otherwise I'm going to lose my temper." Dad was fuming with anger.

My mother nodded, took Cole by the arm, and started dragging him upstairs, but he snatched his arm back and came towards me.

"Max, just tell them you're not going without me," Cole ordered and crossed his arms.

I remained silent for a few minutes and looked at my dad. He shook his head. "Dad, I want to go with him," I pleaded.

"No, Max. That's enough. Have you seen the way he spoke to us? He has lost all manners. I won't tolerate that kind of behavior in this house!" He said, glaring at Cole.

"Max, just tell them," Cole ordered again, ignoring him.

"Don't boss around Cole," my mother interrupted.

"Max?" Cole asked in a stern voice.

"Cole..." I hesitated.

"Just answer." He shouted and I glanced at my dad through the corner of my eyes.

He crossed his arms and gave me a nod. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

"I'm going," I stated half-heartedly, even though I didn't want to go without him.

"What?" Cole said, shocked. His mouth hung open.

"You heard me, Cole," I said, looking at the floor.

He stared at me for few seconds and said, "Fine. Go and enjoy your damn trip, but I'll make sure it won't happen again."

"Listen-" I tried to explain him but he shook his head and stormed outside the house.

"Cole, wait!" I shouted behind him, but my mother stopped me.

"He will be fine, son. Don't worry. You did the right thing. He needs to know that you have your own life. He should stop giving you orders. We knew what was happening, but never said anything, because it was your decision to always follow him. Now you have to make a stand for yourself," my mother said patting my back.

I nodded and went towards my room, wiping the tears from my cheeks.

******

It was a very important day for me. I was going to be awarded the prestigious award at the top school in New York. I was fixing my tie when my mother entered my room.

"Your dad is waiting for you, son," she said with a smile, looking at me. "You look very nice in that suit."

I smiled and replied, "Thanks, Mom. I was just waiting for Cole. I haven't heard anything from him since the argument, but I know he'll surely attend the function."

My mother shook her head. "We should leave, Max. I don't think he's going to come. I tried to talk to him, but he's locked himself inside his room," she said sadly.

"When did he come home? Let me talk to him," I said, running towards his room without waiting for my mother to respond.

"Cole." I knocked on the door, but he didn't respond. "Cole, please open the door. I want you to be there with me. You promised me. Come on," I pleaded and knocked again.

"Go away!" he shouted from inside the room.

"Cole, you're breaking your promise."

Suddenly the door swung open, revealing a very pissed Cole. He glared at me and said, "You were the one who broke it first, what else do you expect from me? It was my dream to go there, not yours." He pointed out and stopped.

"I know Cole, but you know how Dad is..." I trailed off.

"Yeah and now I get to know your real face also. You promised me Max, that you will handle everything, but you lied. It was your fucking plan, study hard and impress Dad," he yelled at me.

"No... You are getting this wrong. You are my brother Cole. I love you. I wouldn't do such things to you. Trust me," I pleaded and tried to grab his hand.

"No, I don't trust you anymore, and I hate you. Bye. Enjoy your fucking celebration." He closed the door in my face.

I stood there, dumbstruck, not knowing what to do. We were never like that, probably because I always did whatever he said in the past. This was the first time I went against him, which turned into a war for him.

Mom was right.

*******

"Now, Max Hasington would like to share something with you," our principal announced after giving me my award. She handed me the mic and smiled proudly.

I looked at the crowd and gulped. I was feeling very nervous, so I closed my eyes for a few seconds. When I opened them, I found my dad looking at me with a proud expression on his face. He gave me a thumbs-up, and I suddenly felt confident.

"Thank you so much for this prestigious award. I don't know if I deserve this or not, but I know one thing for sure, I will do anything to make my father proud. This is for you, Dad. I promise to never let you down," I said, giving him a warm smile.

The crowd applauded and cheered for me. I looked at my father and noticed him getting emotional. A tear flickered in his eyes when he was cheering and clapping for me. My mother was also smiling proudly. Suddenly, I noticed something moving in the corner of the stage. I turned my face and noticed a person standing there. When I looked carefully, I realized that it was Cole.

"Cole," I said, jumping slightly. As soon as he saw me approaching him, he ran away. "Cole, wait!" I shouted, running behind him, but it was too late. I searched for him in backstage, which was empty as everyone was in the auditorium. I shouted his name and looked around, panicking slightly. I could catch him in parking area, and with that thought, I ran towards the stairs.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my elbow and stopped me.

"Max, what are you doing here?" I turned around, noticing my father's voice.

"I'm looking for Cole. I thought I saw him at the stage.”

"I don't think so son, maybe you saw someone else. You know how stubborn he is. Now, let's go; you have a flight to catch," he said, and started walking outside.

I didn't have any choice, so I followed him. I looked around for Cole again, but found nothing. I didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to him, but I guess luck wasn't in my favor.

*******

I sighed and took a deep breath. I was actually feeling better after saying all this. Except for Kyle, I never shared this with anyone but Jessica. I just opened up without thinking twice. I realized then that I trusted her. I knew that this was going to lead me down the wrong path, but right then, I didn't care. I wanted her to know the real me.

I turned to look at her. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked shocked. There were mixed emotions on her face, and she was thinking hard. I nudged her hand, and she snapped out of her thoughts. I looked at her curiously, wondering what was going on in her mind.

"You know, it's a bit unbelievable that Cole controlled your life. I mean, look at you: a cocky, egotistical jerk." She stopped, her eyes widening when she realized the slip of the tongue. She immediately waved a hand to dismiss it and chuckled. "Just kidding. I was trying to say that a smart guy like you couldn't be controlled like that, but Cole must be something to be able to," she said, lost in her thoughts again.

I chuckled at her lame cover-up. I knew what she thought about me, and I didn't mind. At least she was honest with me. "Yeah, but he never did that intentionally, or wanted to control me. He loved me back, equally. It was just his nature to boss people around. That was the first time I went against him. Then things started just got worse after that.”

She stared at me and gave me an encouraging nod to continue.

"That trip changed my life. I got new friends, and they changed me and my way of living. Cole wasn't there to tell me what to do or not to do. I was a free bird there. I went to parties, hung out with new people, got drunk, and even got laid." I stopped, swallowing nervously, waiting for her reaction. She just gave me a small smile and nodded again.

"It doesn't mean, I was changed. No, I wasn't. I just wanted to experience everything on this trip, and after only a few days, I didn't need to do anything to attract a girl. My attitude was enough to catch them. I became more confident about myself. I tried to talk to Cole a few times, but he never responded, so I stopped trying," I said with a shrug.

"He never talked to you once?" she asked, sounding shocked. I just shook my head in response. "What a brother!" she exclaimed before adding, "And when you came back?"

"When I went back, he wasn't at home. I tried my sources and found out that he was at a party. I wanted to surprise him, so I decided to go to the party, and then things got worse. As soon as I entered the party, everybody started paying attention to me. Girls were swooning over me and complaining how they never noticed me before. Cole didn't like that I was getting the attention he always wanted." He exhaled a deep breath.

"After a few days, he overheard our parents' conversation about the death of his real father. That day, he got a slap from my mother because he accused my dad that he didn't love him, since he wasn't his blood relative. I tried to talk to him, but after that he completely shut me out of his life," I said sadly, clearly remembering it.

I still missed my brother, but couldn't forgive him for what he did to spoil my reputation.

"That's really stupid of him to hate you for that. Such a selfish jerk! How can he treat you that way?" she said, getting angry.

"It's okay. I don't care now that he's not a part of my life anymore," I said, giving her a small smile, but she frowned, staring at me. "What?" I added, slightly confused at her reaction.

"There is more, right?" she asked suspiciously and lifted her eyebrow.

I was taken aback by her sudden statement, and I looked away so that she wouldn't be able to notice.

******

*Jessica's P.O.V*

His eyes widened at my question, as if he didn't expect me to catch it. I noticed his jaw clench and anger resonating within his eyes. Or is it hate? Before I could understand it better, he looked away. He was definitely hiding something. He had told me one part, but another very important part had been left out. Maybe he wasn't ready yet. I shouldn't force him.

"How can you say that?" he mumbled and looked out to the sea.

"Because I still don't get the reason behind your hatred towards him," I said simply. I looked at him for a response, but he didn't say anything. I tried again, "What was it?"

"Some questions should be left unanswered," he said, standing up and offering me his hand. I looked at his hand, mentally debating whether to take it or not. After a few seconds, I finally took it and heard him chuckle. I gave him a serious look and started walking away.

"Hey, what happened?" he said, catching up with me.

"It's getting late, so I'm going to my room," I said, walking quickly.

"Oh, you realized that very soon." He smirked, and I rolled my eyes in response to hide the small smile that crept onto my face.

Jerk is back!

"Whatever," I muttered, and continued walking.

After ten minutes, we reached the resort. I turned around and looked at Max. We stood there for another few minutes, but didn't say anything. It was very awkward, especially since we had just spent a few hours talking non-stop.

He scratched the back of his back and said, "I really had a good time with you." He sounded nervous.

Why was he nervous?

"Um, me too. I really enjoyed your company, and thanks again for everything," I said and gave him a bright smile.

He smiled at me and took a step closer. I gulped and looked at his mouth. Nervously, I licked my lips, and noticed him staring at my lips too. He leaned down a bit, and I felt his hot breath on my face, which made me shiver. My heart started beating very fast. It felt like it was going to explode at any time. I lifted my hand to put it on his chest and felt his heartbeat, similar to mine, beating very fast.

Slowly, he leaned down again, and I closed my eyes. I felt something wet on my right cheek, and when I opened my eyes, he wasn't there. Confused, I turned my head and found him leaning against the wall with a huge grin on his face.

Damn, Jazz! I mentally slapped myself. What's wrong with you? My cheeks were red with embarrassment, but I quickly recovered from it.

"Jerk," I muttered under my breath. After giving him a final glare, I walked away.

I stepped inside my room and was met with darkness. I guessed Nina was already asleep. I sighed and changed my clothes into a comfortable T-shirt and black pajama pants. After that, I grabbed my phone, which I had forgotten in the drawer, and jumped onto my bed, ready for a peaceful sleep, but that was the last thing I should have expected tonight.

I may have resorted to everything by joking around, but my inside I was dancing and wondering what was going inside his mind...

For a long time,

I tossed and turned,

Unable to sleep,

Wondering maybe, if maybe,

He was awake and thinking about me too.

*****

Omg!!! it was soooo long chapter.. but I hope you will like it.

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